The Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), 18 U.S.C. § 220, is a criminal statute that prohibits knowingly and willfully soliciting or receiving remuneration for referring patients to recovery homes, clinical treatment...more
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the request of qui tam relators that it review the Sixth Circuit’s recent decision in United States of America ex rel. Martin v. Hathaway, No. 22-1463 (6th Cir.). In so doing, the...more
Two recently decided federal court cases hone in on the proper interpretation and application of three critical components of the Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”), namely: •the requirement that a violation of the AKS must...more
The federal health care Anti-Kickback Statute (Federal AKS) targets bribery and corruption in the health care industry. There are two core provisions of the Federal AKS: one targeting the bribe recipient and one targeting the...more
On October 9, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) released proposed changes to the regulations interpreting the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law), including a new proposed exception for limited...more
As part of the long-awaited proposed changes “to modernize and clarify” the regulations that interpret the Physician Self-Referral Law (the “Stark Law”) released on October 9, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...more
Effective October 24, 2018, Congress enacted the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 (EKRA) as part of the “Substance Use–Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities...more
The federal government as well as many states are enacting legislation to address growing concerns over referrals for substance abuse treatment stemming from the increasing prevalence of opioid abuse. Tennessee, for example,...more
The Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act (the “SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act”) – which is intended to combat the spread and pernicious...more
Notwithstanding its name, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities Act of 2018 or the SUPPORT Act appears to regulate behavior that has nothing to do with...more
What the New Law Does and How Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities Are Impacted - Senate Bill 1228, also known as the Substance Use Disorder Patient Protection Act, was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and...more
The Ethics in Patient Referrals Act (“Stark”) prevents hospitals from paying employed or contracted physicians in the same way that physicians are or were paid by independent physician groups. Specifically, physician groups...more