On August 1, 2006, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt announced final regulations establishing rules intended to support physician adoption of electronic prescribing and electronic health records. The rules issued by HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services creates two new exceptions in the Physician Self-referral Law, also known as the Stark law, and two new safe harbors in the federal anti-kickback statute that protect certain arrangements involving the donation of some forms of electronic health information technology and services to doctors and other designated healthcare providers. The rules are effective on October 10, 2006.
A Legal and Comparative Analysis of Stark and Anti-Kickback Regulations Available for HIMSS Members
For hospitals and physician practices considering establishing a collaborative relationship for donations of healthcare information technology, use the attached slides to help facilitate a decision. Designed as a general resource for the executive audience, supplement this general presentation with your organization-specific information to expedite the understanding of the legal issues, coupled with tools and resources to help faciliate a decision.