From: | "Weems, Joyce" |
Thanks for the excellent explanation! j
Joyce Weems
Pathology
Manager
Saint Joseph’s
Hospital of Atlanta
404-851-7376
404-851-7831 -
fax
-----Original
Message-----
From: TOMANDBOB@aol.com
[mailto:TOMANDBOB@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002
1:35 PM
To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Stark Law Off the topic
Dear
Histonetters: There has been a lot of talk about the Stark Law but no one
seems to know what exactly it is.
Enclosed is a website for those who want to know if the Stark Law applies to
them, researchers and clinics.
To briefly sum up, it was enacted in 1989, amended in 1993, 2002. It
applies to 10 designated health services areas including the clinical lab
services as well as to physicians, hospitals and other health care providers
and organizations.
It is not a criminal law. Its basic prohibitions are that physicians
cannot make a referral to an entity for the furnishing of "designated
health services" which may be payable by Medicare or Medicaid if the
physician has a financial relationship with the entity.
This is maybe why lab people are not allowed to get prices from other labs as
it may appear that the hospital is attempting to "fix" prices at a
rate which does not reflect a fair market value for the testing or service at
the asking hospital. The law also states there is no need to prove intent
to violate the law or to do something wrong. Penalties may be imposed if
violations are found.
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Tom Kuwahara
Senior Immunohistochemist
San Francisco, CA
Click here:
http://www.ehcca.com/presentations/ressummit/105c.PDF
Tom