Home Health & Hospice Week

Compliance:

Don't Forget Patient, Non-Doc Gifts In Your Compliance Efforts

Use the anti-kickback statute to guide you. When it's time to spread holiday cheer, many providers like to include patients or other nonphysician referral sources in their gift-giving. But you'd better be careful, or you could end up on the OIG's naughty list. When it comes to giving gifts to patients and non-physician referral sources, providers should consult the federal anti-kickback statute, attorneys advise. Under that criminal law, there is an exception for gifts that are $10 per item, totaling $50 per year, notes attorney Rick Rifenbark with Foley & Lardner in Los Angeles. The amounts in the anti-kickback statute are probably lower than the Stark limits because patients are seen as more likely to be influenced by lower-dollar items, Rifenbark says. Now's Not The Time For A Game Of Compliance Chicken If home care providers decide to furnish gifts of more than $10 to patients or other non-physician referral [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more