First few Article Sentences
In recent years, hospitals, physicians and other providers have wrestled with the question of how to remedy violations of the dauntingly technical and complicated physician self-referral law, or “Stark Law.” The Stark Law prohibits accepting Medicare payments for services provided while a violation exists, but provides little guidance on the steps providers should take when they discover a violation and offers no mechanism to mitigate disproportionately harsh financial effects of minor, non-abusive violations. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new self-disclosure protocol have changed the landscape related to such situations.