Today's Practice: Changing the Business of Medicine | Page 35
Physician-Syndicated “MSO Models”
4. Documentation that the MSO is not engaged
in interstate commerce.
5. Documentation of concrete actions that
demonstrate the company’s intent to comply with
state and federal law.
6. Documentation that the affiliated pharmacy,
lab etc. has passed self-audits, is current with its
compliance requirements, and is current with its
CLIA and similar licenses (for pharmacies:
request a DEA Diversion Control analysis).
7. Documentation in form of a written statement
that the affiliated pharmacy, lab etc. has never
once processed a sample, script, or referral that
has a federal payor (as primary or secondary
coverage) to ensure that service fees paid to the
MSO and distributed to the physicians have not,
directly or indirectly, been derived from
Medicare, Tricare, Medicaid, federal workers’
compensation, or other federal healthcare
programs.
8. Documentation in form of a certification that
the MSO and the affiliated pharmacy, lab etc. are
represented by different law firms to ensure that
the non-negotiable compliance requirement
of an arm’s length transaction is met.
Oberheiden | Elliott | Byrd | Sauter
WHAT IS YOUR EXPOSURE
LEVEL?
Physicians should take precautions to not become
targets of FBI or medical board investigations. If you
are a physician invested into a Physician-Syndicated
MSO, you should contact an experienced healthcare
fraud defense attorney for a free and confidential risk
assessment.
meet the authors:
DR. NICK OBERHEIDEN ESQ.
Managing Partner
Healthcare Fraud Defense Attorney
MICHAEL C. ELLIOTT, ESQ.
Former Federal Prosecutor
Department of Justice
Former Chief, Healthcare Fraud,
U.S. Attorney’s Office
LYNETTE S. BYRD, ESQ.
9. Documentation of all shareholder meetings
conducted according to the MSO company
agreement, including minutes and attendees.
Former Federal Prosecutor
Department of Justice
Civil Healthcare Investigations
10. Documentation in form of a statement from
the Chief Compliance Officer of the MSO that
certifies the entirely of the company’s compliance
efforts.
11. Documentation in form of a written
certification that the affiliated pharmacy,
laboratory, blood testing, implant company
etc. has never once paid commissions to
marketers for bringing in federal payor business.
MINDY M. SAUTER ESQ.
Former Federal Prosecutor
Department of Justice
Former Team Leader
Medicare Fraud Strike Force
TODAY’S PRA C T I C E: C HA NGI NG T HE BUS I NES S OF M EDI CINE
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