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
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...
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 30
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) announced in its July 12 issue that authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest, including specific financial interests and relationships relevant to the subject of the manuscript. Beginning in January 2007, JAMA will require...
Credentialing Resource Center Digest - Volume 7, Issue 30
Sometimes well-intentioned medical staff leaders limit their effectiveness by confusing disruptive behavior with impairment. If an underlying impairment is the cause of disruptive behavior, our impulse is to heal it by providing a therapeutic intervention. But in many cases, the problematic...