The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently implemented major changes to the Stark Law regulations, most of which are already in place. However, some health care providers may be less aware of the changes to the “special rule for productivity bonuses and profit sharing” within Stark’s group practice definition.
The Stark Law generally prohibits physicians from referring patients to their practice for designated health services (DHS), including clinical laboratory services, certain therapy services, imaging services, and more. The agency does, however, offer exceptions if the practice distributes profits appropriately.
In order to make in-office referrals of DHS without violating Stark, physicians rely on Stark’s “in-office ancillary services” (IOAS) exception. In its recent regulatory update, CMS made several clarifications to the special rule and announced changes that will take effect January 1, 2022. Here are some things you should know regarding the update.
You can find more information about the final rule here.
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