What is important to understand about Stark is that it does not eliminate opportunities for appropriate physician-hospital collaboration, it simply requires that such collaboration be accomplished through carefully structured and documented arrangements that are "arms length," transparent, and...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 33
Few empirical studies of explicit financial incentives for quality exist, and more research is required to determine the effects of pay-for-performance programs on the quality of healthcare, according to a systematic review of the medical literature published in the August 15 edition of the...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 32
The Stark Amendments were created to prevent physicians from referring federally funded patients to a laboratory (Stark I) or more generally to a designated health service (Stark II) in which physicians or their immediate families have a financial interest. These amendments, in conjunction with...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 32
Hospitals and physician practices are increasingly hiring mystery shopping firms to check on their quality of patient care with anonymous patient surveyors who report their findings and experiences. Although healthcare mystery shopping made up only 2% of the $600 million in revenue for the...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 31
With the evolving roles of many of the allied health disciplines, more allied health practitioners (AHP) are being licensed as indepedent practitioners by the state. As a licensed independent practitioner (LIP), the AHP generally functions as a primary-care practitioner and by state authority...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 31
Physicians will be allowed to accept donations of electronic prescribing software, electronic medical records software, and training services from hospitals and health plans under expanded safe harbors to the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Department of Health and Human Services announced August 1...
