Editor’s Note: See also OIRA Watch/OIG Moving Ahead on Changes to Anti-Kickback Safe Harbor Protection for Drug Rebates to Plans, PBMs.
From: Skilled Nursing
OIG Wants to Revise Anti-Kickback Rules to Ease Care Coordination
By Alex Spanko
As the federal government increasingly emphasizes care coordination among players across the health care continuum, the industry’s top watchdog signaled that it could soon overhaul its anti-kickback regulations to help providers avoid pitfalls.
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But reaching those goals involves establishing close relationships with fellow providers, which could open the door to providing certain incentives that might fall under current federal anti-kickback statutes. For instance, OIG asked providers to weigh in on the risks or benefits associated with providing cash equivalents, gift cards, or in-kind services within value-based arrangements. The office also wants comment on whether to raise its definition of “gifts of nominal value” from $15 to $75 per patient each year, as well as more information about the subsidization of cybersecurity services across settings.
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