Although often well-intentioned, offering free or discounted items or services to patients (e.g., gifts, rewards, writing off copays, free screening exams, free supplies, etc.) may violate federal and state laws governing...more
On Tuesday, February 27, the next installment of Rivkin Radler’s Healthcare Compliance Lunch & Learn series, will be presented by Rivkin Radler Partners, Geoffrey Kaiser and Benjamin Malerba. The program, “Prohibitions on...more
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) has offered an opinion on providing a gift card to certain Medicare Advantage plan enrollees who complete specific steps in an online patient...more
There has been a longstanding and regrettable practice in the healthcare industry of pharmaceutical and medical device companies giving physicians gifts as illegal inducements. Concerned about this continued trend, the U.S....more
With Advisory Opinion 18-09, the OIG continued its trend of approving arrangements between Medicare Supplemental Health Insurance (Medigap) insurers and preferred hospital network organizations (PHOs). As in prior advisory...more
A recent Office of Inspector General (OIG) advisory opinion approved a proposal under which a hospital has established a caregiver center that provides or arranges for free or reduced-cost support services to caregivers in...more
In what is becoming a steady trend, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) published another favorable opinion for an arrangement seeking to implement programs that support and engage family members who are increasingly...more
The OIG created an opening for nursing facility discounts to private payors when it approved a startup company's proposal to create a network of nursing facilities willing to offer discounts on the daily rates charged to...more
On September 13, 2017, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced his “Medicare for All Act of 2017” which, as the name implies, would expand Medicare to cover nearly every American. Although it is unlikely that the bill will...more
In Advisory Opinion 17-01, published March 10, 2017, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) approved an academic medical center's proposal to provide free or reduced-cost lodging and...more
More than two years since issuing the proposed rule, the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued the long-awaited and highly anticipated final rule (the Final Rule) that provides amendments to the Anti-Kickback...more
On November 13, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued Advisory Opinion 15-14. The Arrangement at issue is a charitable program designed to assist financially needy...more
On December 28, 2015, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) approved another patient assistance program in Advisory Opinion 15-16. The OIG analyzed contributions to a private charitable organization under the anti-kickback...more
On December 28, 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued OIG Advisory Opinion 15-17, approving a charity’s proposal to unveil a new patient assistance program dedicated to...more
On January 7, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued Advisory Opinion 16-01, approving yet another insurer’s proposed contract with a preferred hospital network. The...more
On November 20, 2015, OIG issued a favorable advisory opinion, Advisory Opinion No. 15-14, regarding a charitable organization’s arrangement to pay for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) services for patients afflicted with a...more