Phillips & Cohen partner Peter Chatfield contributed the fraud-fighter’s perspective to a Modern Healthcare article about possible pending changes to the Stark Law, a key regulation that penalizes healthcare providers for making medial decisions based on financial self-interest.
Some observers are skeptical that changing the Stark rule by itself will speed the sluggish growth of value-based payment. They argue that other factors such as providers’ failure to streamline clinical processes and unrealistic savings targets are at least as important in slowing progress
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Others worry that new safe harbors and other relief from Stark and anti-kickback rules could open the door to fraud and patient harm, as well as giving hospitals camouflage to engage in anti-competitive conduct that boosts prices.
“Fraud prevention is always trying to catch up to the innovations of entrepreneurial rip-off artists coming up with new ways of cheating the system,” said Peter Chatfield, an attorney with Phillips & Cohen in Washington who represents healthcare whistleblowers.
Read the full article, “Providers hope for Stark overhaul to boost value-based payment,” on Modern Healthcare’s website.