Physician Self-Referral Regulations Proposed Rule

Modernizing and Clarifying the Physician Self-Referral Regulations Proposed Rule

On October 9, CMS issued a proposed rule to modernize and clarify the regulations that interpret the Medicare physician self-referral law (often called the “Stark Law”), which has not been significantly updated since it was enacted in 1989. The proposed rule supports the CMS “Patients over Paperwork” initiative by reducing unnecessary regulatory burden on physicians and other health care providers while reinforcing the Stark Law’s goal of protecting patients from unnecessary services and being steered to less convenient, lower quality, or more expensive services because of a physician’s financial self-interest. Through the Patients over Paperwork initiative, the proposed rule opens additional avenues for physicians and other health care providers to coordinate the care of the patients they serve – allowing providers across different health care settings to work together to ensure patients receive the highest quality of care.

For More information:

• Proposed Rule: Public comments due by December 31
• Press Release

See the full text of this excerpted CMS Fact Sheet (Issued October 9).