Daphne L. Kackloudis is a member of the firm, she heads BMD Columbus’ health care practice, and she chairs BMD’s Empowerment and Opportunity (DE&I) Committee. Daphne’s success –and that of her clients – is rooted in the nexus between traditional health care legal services and health care public policy. She has broad and deep experience in health care operations, service delivery, payment systems, and compliance, as well as Medicaid, public policy, and government affairs. Daphne advises health care trade associations and health care providers as outside counsel and in-house as a member of her clients’ senior leadership teams.
Stop Violating Professional Courtesy & Patient Discount Laws
Writing off patient copays and offering colleagues professional courtesy discounts can quickly make you an OIG target. The problem is that both federal and state professional courtesy and patient hardship discounting laws are complex and confusing, and there are about a million ways to violate them.
Sure, there are legitimate reasons for you to waive patient copays or write off some or all of what they owe, but this can also look like inducement, which is illegal. And although it’s common to offer professional discounts, if not implemented correctly, it can be considered an enticement for future referrals violating the Anti-Kickback statute.
Even innocent discounting mistakes can land you in hot water with the OIG, and the ensuing penalties and fines can bury even the most financially healthy practice. Fortunately, with a little help, you can avoid scrutiny when dealing with professional courtesy discounts and avoid the headaches and stress that come with it.
Healthcare attorneys Ashley Watson, Esq. and Daphne Kackloudis, Esq., are here to help. During their 60-minute online training, you will learn the right and wrong ways to write off amounts due correctly and offer discounts to patients, business associates, fellow physicians, vendors, and others. Ashley and Daphne help you overcome the complexities of professional courtesy and patient hardship discounting laws and provide you with the tools you need to comply.
Here are just a few of the step-by-step strategies you’ll learn to comply with patient and professional courtesy discount rules by attending this info-packed online session:
- Identify which providers and family members never to offer discounts to
- Pin down the exact language you must include in your professional courtesy policy
- Differentiate the legal requirements of free services from discounted ones
- Secure the legal definition of “routine” waivers so you can avoid them
- Translate the False Claims Act legalese into actionable steps to avoid scrutiny
- Determine what “professional courtesy” actually entails in the OIG’s eyes
- Train staff to avoid discount compliance do’s and don’ts
- Define what the AMA means when advising physicians to “use their judgement”
- See how private payers define discounts and if their rules line up with Medicare’s
- Identify when you can write off copays vs. the entire patient bill
- And much, much more…
IMPORTANT: This training applies to federal, State, AND commercial payers. By attending, you’ll receive easy-to-implement tactics that will help you avoid violations and related penalties. You’ll receive step-by-step strategies to help you comply.
Unless you have specific experience breaking down legalese and implementing policies to comply with complex legal healthcare statutes, you should NOT tackle this on your own. Instead, invest 60 minutes of your time, and get access to leading healthcare attorneys that will walk you through the process.
Register for this online training today to master the best ways to find hidden legal landmines while you’re trying to comply with nuances of complex professional courtesy and patient hardship discounting laws. Don’t wait, Register today!
Meet Your Experts
Ashley Watson
Esq.Healthcare Attorney
Ashley is Assistant General Counsel at a large hospital network in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to this, Ashley was a healthcare attorney in BMD’s Columbus office. She worked with nonprofit and for-profit health care providers, health care trade associations, individuals, and businesses. Ashley is experienced in healthcare public policy and regulatory compliance, legislative and government affairs, grant administration, and healthcare program operations.
Reviews
Well planned, good time management and good slides.
