After the federal government’s victory against Tuomey Hospital, we have seen an increasing number of large False Claims Act (FCA) settlements with hospitals involving Stark Law allegations. Despite the intricacies of Stark Law compliance, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has not shown much leniency in its treatment of these cases, as shown by two recent settlements involving Columbus Regional Healthcare System and North Broward Hospital District. This On the Subject explores some “lessons learned” from these settlements as well as DOJ’s emerging interpretation of the Stark Law that may put vertically integrated health systems’ physicians arrangements at risk for scrutiny.
Read the full On the Subject.