CMS Announces Historic Changes to Physician Self-Referral Regulations
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized changes to outdated federal regulations that have burdened health care providers with added administrative costs and impeded the health care system’s move toward value-based reimbursement. The Physician Self-Referral Law, also known as the “Stark Law,” generally prohibits a physician from sending a patient for many types of services to a provider that the physician owns, is employed by, or otherwise receives payment from—regardless of what that payment is for. The old federal regulations that interpret and implement this law were designed for a health care system that reimburses providers on a fee-for-service basis, where the financial incentives are to deliver more services. However, the 21st century American health care system is increasingly moving toward financial arrangements that reward providers who are successful at keeping patients healthy and out of the hospital, where payment is tied to value rather than volume.
“Stay Protected” Publication Available December 1stA new publication targeting our provider community, “Stay Protected – Get a Flu Shot” will be available for order on December 1st. And best of all, there is no charge! In order to request your copies, simply set up an account on the CMS Product Ordering page here: https://productordering.cms.hhs.gov/pow/?id=pow_login; and once approved, you can order the publication by either searching by the title (above), or entering pub. no. 12115. General delivery time is approximately one week. |
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