Re: The Stark Law
Kim L. Ruhl CPO
Description
Collection
Title:
Re: The Stark Law
Creator:
Kim L. Ruhl CPO
Date:
11/23/2004
Text:
List members,
Please correct me if I'm wrong. The purpose of Stark legislation was
to regulate financial self-referral incentives. The concern; unregulated
these incentives could corrupt medical judgement, incite unnecessary medical
procedures, subsidize marginal providers and discourage competition.
Sonya Richardson (whoever she might be) confirms the potential for
abuse in the second sentence of her email by stating, The impact of such a
practice allows an increase in referrals by an orthopedic practice and
allows the field to expand.
I think that is the point of Stark, Sonya. Increase and expansion
such as you describe only benefits one party, the self-referring physician.
You can slice it, dice it, and try to spin it any way you want; but
physician self-referral does not promote the mutually beneficial effects you
would erroneously lead everyone to believe. Self-referral constitutes
enormous temptation and generates multiple conflicts of interest.
Kickbacks and self-referral have consistently proven to have
detrimental cumulative results. They stifle legitimate competition,
bankrupt finite resources, inhibit technological progress, and are
inevitably a source of flagrant waste, abuse, and fraud.
For further enlightenment, edification, and reading pleasure you can
click on the following link:
<URL Redacted>
It was Herbert Hoover who once advised us;
Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the
incentive to progress.
Kim L. Ruhl CPO
----- Original Message -----
From: Sonyia Richardson
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 12:05 PM
Subject: Re: [OANDP-L] The Stark Law
The creation of an O&P facility that is owned by an Orthopedic practice
allows the field of O&P to continue to gain acceptance by the orthopedic
community. The impact of such a practice allows an increase in referrals by
an orthopedic practice and allows the field to expand. Because of this
merger, outcomes can now be created and developed which will give the field
more of a viable role and prove its effectiveness. Patients will benefit
because there is now more continuity of care. Physicians will not have to
guess as to whether their clients have followed up for their fitting because
they will have direct and open access to the orthotist or prosthetist.
Clients will have more continuity of care and providers will be open to
communicate directly with the physicians who rendered the referral. It
really just makes more sense. O&P providers complaining about such a merger
should ensure that they are practicing to their fullest potential and
meeting the needs of their clients and constituents. If needs were really
being met, these types of facilities would not need to be created.
----- Original Message -----
From: mollie < <Email Address Redacted> >
To: < <Email Address Redacted> >
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 6:13 PM
Subject: [OANDP-L] Physician self referral, The Stark Law, Are Doctors now
owning you?
The merger of the largest Orthopaedic practice in the US will take place ,
the first of next year. This practice has also opened it's own O and P
facility, Back to Action. This opening threatens the livelihood of seven
O and P practices in Charlotte, NC. Is this happening in your community? How
will you combat the emergence of your future new employer? The allowance of
physician self referral will threaten to take away the prospect for O and P
providers to own and run their own business. We need to combat the Stark
Law. Write your congress person, contact AOPA, and most importantly, if the
Ortho doc's do not have practitioners to work for them, then their O and P
practices cannot get off the ground.Practitioners should be discouraged from
working for Doctor owned practices ( don't let them sell out).
Thanks,
Martha E. Matthews,CO
Please correct me if I'm wrong. The purpose of Stark legislation was
to regulate financial self-referral incentives. The concern; unregulated
these incentives could corrupt medical judgement, incite unnecessary medical
procedures, subsidize marginal providers and discourage competition.
Sonya Richardson (whoever she might be) confirms the potential for
abuse in the second sentence of her email by stating, The impact of such a
practice allows an increase in referrals by an orthopedic practice and
allows the field to expand.
I think that is the point of Stark, Sonya. Increase and expansion
such as you describe only benefits one party, the self-referring physician.
You can slice it, dice it, and try to spin it any way you want; but
physician self-referral does not promote the mutually beneficial effects you
would erroneously lead everyone to believe. Self-referral constitutes
enormous temptation and generates multiple conflicts of interest.
Kickbacks and self-referral have consistently proven to have
detrimental cumulative results. They stifle legitimate competition,
bankrupt finite resources, inhibit technological progress, and are
inevitably a source of flagrant waste, abuse, and fraud.
For further enlightenment, edification, and reading pleasure you can
click on the following link:
<URL Redacted>
It was Herbert Hoover who once advised us;
Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the
incentive to progress.
Kim L. Ruhl CPO
----- Original Message -----
From: Sonyia Richardson
To: <Email Address Redacted>
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 12:05 PM
Subject: Re: [OANDP-L] The Stark Law
The creation of an O&P facility that is owned by an Orthopedic practice
allows the field of O&P to continue to gain acceptance by the orthopedic
community. The impact of such a practice allows an increase in referrals by
an orthopedic practice and allows the field to expand. Because of this
merger, outcomes can now be created and developed which will give the field
more of a viable role and prove its effectiveness. Patients will benefit
because there is now more continuity of care. Physicians will not have to
guess as to whether their clients have followed up for their fitting because
they will have direct and open access to the orthotist or prosthetist.
Clients will have more continuity of care and providers will be open to
communicate directly with the physicians who rendered the referral. It
really just makes more sense. O&P providers complaining about such a merger
should ensure that they are practicing to their fullest potential and
meeting the needs of their clients and constituents. If needs were really
being met, these types of facilities would not need to be created.
----- Original Message -----
From: mollie < <Email Address Redacted> >
To: < <Email Address Redacted> >
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 6:13 PM
Subject: [OANDP-L] Physician self referral, The Stark Law, Are Doctors now
owning you?
The merger of the largest Orthopaedic practice in the US will take place ,
the first of next year. This practice has also opened it's own O and P
facility, Back to Action. This opening threatens the livelihood of seven
O and P practices in Charlotte, NC. Is this happening in your community? How
will you combat the emergence of your future new employer? The allowance of
physician self referral will threaten to take away the prospect for O and P
providers to own and run their own business. We need to combat the Stark
Law. Write your congress person, contact AOPA, and most importantly, if the
Ortho doc's do not have practitioners to work for them, then their O and P
practices cannot get off the ground.Practitioners should be discouraged from
working for Doctor owned practices ( don't let them sell out).
Thanks,
Martha E. Matthews,CO
Citation
Kim L. Ruhl CPO, “Re: The Stark Law,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 6, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/223967.
