Blanket Waivers relaxing kickback law restrictions standing in the way of desperately needed COVID-19 tests continue to play a crucial role in the federal government’s response to the Public Health … [Read more...]
Compliance Corner
What to Do If Stark Is Keeping You from Providing Emergency COVID-19 Testing
March 30, 2020
Scenario: A local physician group wants to team up with your lab to provide COVID-19 testing for its Medicare, Medicaid and private pay patients. Although the deal would also be lucrative, the primary … [Read more...]
Compliance Perspectives: New Laws & the Top 5 Challenges Lab Compliance Officers Face in 2020
January 2, 2020
Labs remain at the forefront of the federal government’s suspicious persons list and health care fraud enforcement agenda. But in addition to the customary laws that labs are used to, the government … [Read more...]
ENFORCEMENT
Quest Pays $88.7K to Settle Specimen Collection Fee Kickback Charges Against Its Subsidiary
November 20, 2019
Case: After self-disclosing, Quest has settled kickback claims against its wholly-owned subsidiary, Quest Diagnostics TB LLC, for $88,780. The OIG alleges that from June 2011 to December 2016, the lab … [Read more...]
ENFORCEMENT
Enforcement Trends: New Takedown Is Evidence that Genetic Testing Has Become an Enforcement Priority
October 29, 2019
It’s a pretty good sign that fraudulent billing of genetic lab testing has become a priority for federal fraud enforcers when it gets its very own “takedown.” Known as Operation Double Helix, the … [Read more...]
ANTITRUST
Enforcement Trends: New Emphasis on MD Practices Puts Labs at Growing Risk of Antitrust Enforcement
September 30, 2019
In addition to the usual Medicare and Medicaid anti-fraud laws, labs have a new liability risk to contend with: stepped-up federal and state enforcement of antitrust laws. The driving force behind … [Read more...]
ENFORCEMENT
Kickbacks: Massachusetts Practice Latest Provider Busted for Taking Kickbacks from Millennium
July 29, 2019
A northern Massachusetts medical practice became the latest downstream provider to pay the OIG a five-figure fine to settle kickback claims in the form of accepting free point-of-care test cups from … [Read more...]
SAFETY
Ergonomics in the Laboratory Setting
July 28, 2019
By Dan Scungio, MT (ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ) bio Sometimes when I am talking about lab safety and the topic turns to ergonomics, I get an unusual reaction from the audience—laughter. It … [Read more...]
COMPLIANCE GUIDANCE
Enforcement Trends: DOJ Changes to Yates Memo Make It Easier for Labs to Get Credit for Cooperating with Investigators
July 1, 2019
For the past five years, the DOJ has followed an enforcement policy designed to hold directors, officers and other top corporate officials responsible for the wrongdoing their companies commit. Last … [Read more...]
ENFORCEMENT
Case of the Month: Feds Target Doctors Who Took Kickbacks from HDL
June 28, 2019
When it comes to breaking up lab kickback schemes, federal enforcers start with the lab that paid the kickbacks and then turn to the downstream providers that accepted them. This was the pattern in … [Read more...]
