Practice Management

 View Only

  • 1.  Request by hospital to have rads buy own lead protective equipment

    Posted 03-16-2018 11:28
    I had a strange request by hospital radiology leadership that due to budget constraints would the radiologists be willing to purchase their own lead aprons and eye protection even though this has always been provided by the health system.  I know my answer will be an absolute no but I wanted to find out if anyone else has experienced this with their hospital partners?

    Regards,
    John Griffith
    Administrator
    Dakota Radiology

    ------------------------------
    John Griffith RT (R,MR,CT)
    Administrator
    Dakota Radiology
    Rapid City SD
    (605) 342-2852
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Request by hospital to have rads buy own lead protective equipment

    Posted 03-16-2018 11:40

    Not here.

    This would open a can of worms...

    J

     

    Jeffrey A. Lynch, MS, RT, R, MR

    Practice Director

    Radiology and Nuclear Consultants

    Office:  630 653 3284

    Cell:     773 406 8800

     

     




    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Request by hospital to have rads buy own lead protective equipment

    Posted 03-16-2018 11:41
    John,
    Interesting request. Yes I have seen such a request before but it was along time ago.  Let me preface my input bu telling you I am not an attorney -I would certainly seek advice from counsel as the matter they are speaking of gets paid on the technical component - not the professional component.  Some might view such a "financial arrangement" as an anti-kickback issue - a payment in consideration for your PSA.  If counsel suggests the same, it is easier to go back to the hospital and tell them you cannot do so due to regulatory matters - rather than just telling them to go pound sand.
    I would be interesting and instructive to hear about this from one of our esteemed and learned  lawyer members of RBMA

    ------------------------------
    Douglas Smith FRBMA
    President & CEO
    Phase 4 Radiology Business Strategies, LLC
    Canton GA
    770-213-4605
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Request by hospital to have rads buy own lead protective equipment

    Posted 03-16-2018 15:53
    ​I am extremely reluctant to ever suggest that a radiology group agree to make payments to hospitals for items or services that are within the scope of a hospital's bundle of non-physician component reimbursement. The issue is the anti-kickback law. The key to the analysis is whether payment for the item or service is done for the purpose of inducing a referral source. Because the OIG (correctly in my view) considers hospitals to be a referral source to radiology groups by controlling - through the contracting process - which radiologists receive the flow of Medicare and Medicaid patients, such an arrangement should not be entered into if one purpose of the arrangement is to secure the contract. Whether this request from the hospital does that requires a deeper factual analysis.

    ------------------------------
    Thomas Greeson JD, FRBMA
    Partner
    Reed Smith LLP
    Mc Lean VA
    (703) 641-4242
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


Related Content