On October 9, 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its long-awaited proposals (the Proposed Rules) to update regulatory exceptions and safe harbors, for the federal Physician Self-Referral Law (also known as the Stark Law), the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), and the beneficiary inducement Civil Monetary Penalties Law (CMP). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule to update exceptions to the Physician Self-Referral Law (the PSR Rule), and the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a proposed rule to update the AKS safe harbors and expand exceptions to the CMP’s beneficiary inducements prohibition (the AKS Rule). The Proposed Rules are intended to reduce perceived regulatory barriers to beneficial health care arrangements, and to facilitate the implementation of new approaches to health care service delivery and coordination, including value-based care models.
Continue Reading Government Releases Proposed Rules on Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law), Anti-Kickback Statute and CMP Law; Significant Regulatory Changes Intended to Encourage Care Coordination and Value-Based Care
Civil Monetary Penalties Law
OIG Approves of Free In-Home Follow-Up Care Program Targeting High Risk CHF and COPD Patients in Advisory Opinion
On March 6, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a favorable advisory opinion that allows a nonprofit medical center (“Center”) to offer free, in-home follow-up care after a recent hospital admission for qualifying patients (the “In-Home Program”). In Advisory Opinion No. 19-03, the OIG concluded that although services furnished to qualifying patients under the In-Home Program would constitute remuneration to patients under the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and the Civil Monetary Penalties law (CMP), the OIG would not impose sanctions on the Provider due to the low-risk nature of the In-Home Program.
The Provider furnishes a range of inpatient and outpatient hospital-based services, and currently offers in-home care to qualifying high-risk patients suffering from congestive heart failure (CHF) who (i) are currently admitted as inpatients of the Provider or (ii) were admitted within the previous 30 days and are being treated by the Provider’s outpatient cardiology department (“Current Arrangement”). Under the Current Arrangement, a clinical nurse leader must determine that the patient is a high risk for inpatient readmission using an industry-standard risk assessment tool, the patient must be willing to enroll in the program after consultation with the clinical nurse leader, the patient must seek follow-up care at the Provider’s CHF center, and the patient must live in the Provider’s service area.
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New Anti-Kickback Safe Harbors and Exceptions to CMP Law
By Robinson+Cole's Health Law Group on
Posted in Fraud and Abuse, Medicare and Medicaid
On December 7, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a long-awaited final rule establishing new Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) safe harbor protections and codifying regulatory exceptions to the Civil Monetary Penalties Law (CMP).
Local Transportation Safe Harbor
This safe harbor protects local transportation made available by an “Eligible Entity” as long as the following conditions are met. An “Eligible Entity” is any individual or entity, except for individuals or entities (or family members or others acting on their behalf) that primarily supply health care items (for example, durable medical equipment suppliers or pharmaceutical manufacturers).
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Fraud And Abuse Waivers For ACOs
By Robinson+Cole's Health Law Group on
On October 29, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG), Health & Human Services issued a final rule (Final Rule) regarding waivers (ACO Waivers) of the physician self-referral law (Stark law), the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Civil Monetary Penalties Law (CMP) provision relating to beneficiary inducements for Medicare accountable care organizations (ACOs) participating in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). The ACO Waivers waive the application of these fraud and abuse laws to certain ACO activities that are reasonably related to the purposes of the MSSP. The Final Rule’s ACO Waivers are effective as of October 29, 2015.
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