What is a Referral Under the Anti-Kickback Statute?

What is a Referral Under the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute?

(January 26,  2021): Under the Anti-Kickback Statute (Anti-Kickback Statute), what constitutes a referral? Notably, neither the term referral nor the term referring (as it is referred to in the law) are defined in the statute. While you may be tempted to argue that a referral only occurs when one party refers a beneficiary to another party for services or supplies that may be covered by a Federal health care provider, a Seventh Circuit case shows how broad this term is likely to be interpreted by the courts.

I.  The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute

At the outset, it is important to keep in mind that the Anti-Kickback Statute is a criminal statute. The statute makes it a crime to exchange (or offer to exchange), anything of value, in an effort to induce (or reward) the referral of Federal health care program business. See 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b. Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute can result in fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment for up to ten years. Under the Anti-Kickback Statute, a health care provider may be liable if he or she is found to be:

(b) Illegal remunerations

(1) Whoever knowingly and willfully solicits or receives any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe, or rebate) directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind—

(A) in return for referring an individual to a person for the furnishing or arranging for the furnishing of any item or service for which payment may be made in whole or in part under a Federal health care program, or

(B) in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering, or arranging for or recommending purchasing, leasing, or ordering any good, facility, service, or item for which payment may be made in whole or in part under a Federal health care program [1] , shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100,000 or imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both [2].

(2) Whoever knowingly and willfully offers or pays any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe, or rebate) directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind to any person to induce such person -(A) to refer an individual to a person  for the furnishing or arranging for the furnishing of any item or service for which payment may be made in whole or in part under a Federal health care program, or

(B) to purchase, lease, order, or arrange for or recommend purchasing, leasing, or ordering any good, facility, service, or item for which payment may be made in whole or in part under a Federal health care program, shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100,000 or imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both...

(h) Actual knowledge or specific intent not required

With respect to violations of this section, a person need not have actual knowledge of this section or specific intent to commit a violation of this section.   (emphasis added).[1]

 

A recent decision issued by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has provided a comprehensive analysis as to what it believes may constitutes a referral under the Anti-Kickback Statute. In the case, United States vs. Kamal Patel, a Chicago area doctor was found to be in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute because he allegedly referred one of his patients to a home health care provider in return for a monetary payment. The Patel case has important implications for physicians and other health care providers who wish to avoid liability under the Anti-Kickback Statute and, possibly in turn, under the False Claims Act.

II.  What is a Referral Under the Anti-Kickback Statute?

Dr. Patel practiced internal medicine and provided services for elderly patients. He prescribed home health care services to about ten patients per month. 95% of Dr. Patel’s patients were Medicare beneficiaries. The home health care provider, Grand Home Health Care (Grand), was among several providers available to Dr. Patel’s patients. After experiencing a decline in its patients, the owners of Grand met with Dr. Patel and offered to pay Dr. Patel for referrals on a per-patient basis. Grand started to provide services for 2 to 4 of Dr. Patel’s patients per month. After the patients selected Grand as the home health care provider, Grand was required to obtain Dr. Patel’s certification and recertification on the Medicare Form 485 for payment under Medicare. Grand would pay Dr. Patel $400 for each certification and $300 for each re-certification.

Importantly, Dr. Patel was not involved in the selection of Grand by his patients. The patients chose Grand among a number of choices given to them by Dr. Patel’s assistant. Moreover, Dr. Patel did not discuss the selection with the patients or their family members. Grand, however, could not be paid and reimbursed under Medicare without Dr. Patel signing the Form 785 certification form which stated that the home health care was medically necessary. Dr. Patel would also sign the re-certification form if home health care and treatment lasted longer than 60 days. Grand paid Dr. Patel $300 for each certification form, and $400 for each re-certification form signed. The certification form also stated that Dr. Patel “authorized” the services.

Dr. Patel was subsequently investigated and prosecuted under the Anti-Kickback Statute for referring patients to Grand in return for monetary payments. Dr. Patel argued that he had not referred his patients because the patients selected Grand without input or recommendation from him. The Court disagreed. The Court found that a broader definition of referring is mandated in order to promote the central purpose of the Anti-Kickback Statute to prevent Medicare and Medicaid fraud and to “protect doctors whose medical judgments might be clouded by improper financial considerations.”

The Court therefore concluded that the term referring under the Anti-Kickback Statute not only addresses an action by a physician in recommending home care services but also in authorizing such services. The Court found that the danger of fraud in the certification process is quite clear because a physician could refuse to certify the provider thereby increasing the cost of care and impeding the selection process of the patient. Also, the Court found that the doctor would have an improper incentive to certify or re-certify a provider when the care is not necessary or the services of the provider are not competent. Ultimately, the Court found that Dr. Patel acted as a financial gatekeeper to the patient selecting the provider of choice, making the patient’s independent choices at the outset meaningless if Dr. Patel did not provide certifications.

III.  “Certifications” and “Recertifications” Can Result in Liability:

In the Patel case, the physician there did not directly refer his patients to the home health care provider at issue. Yet, the Court found treated certifications and recertifications completed by Dr. Patel to be the same conduct as a referral because without the doctor’s authorization the provider could not be paid under Medicare. Accordingly, doctors must take extra care to monitor staff and the providers with whom they work with in treating payments. Both monetary payments and other forms of remuneration received from a home health agency must be carefully evaluated to ensure that the relationship does not run afoul of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Depending on the state, it may also be necessary for you to analyze any applicable state statutes that may criminalize such conduct. As this case reflects, referrals, certifications and recertifications can result in a violation of the statute.

The Patel case suggests that what is a “referral” may be broadly construed by a court to include any type of approval or authorization by the physician, including, but not necessarily limited to, the signing of a Medicare certification or recertification form.

IV.  Final Remarks:

It is important to keep in mind that the Anti-Kickback Statute is a criminal statute. Moreover, a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute may give rise to parties involved in the “referral” – both a referring (certifying or recertifying) physician, and the home health agency to whom the referral is being made. It is imperative that any and all home health Medical Director (and similar) relationships must be carefully vetted to ensure that the business relationship does not run afoul of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

Although not raised in the Patel case, it is important to also keep in mind that the Affordable Care Act, Public Law 111-148, can lead to civil False Claims Act liability under similar facts. As you will recall, the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress and subsequently signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010. While the overall purpose of the legislation was to make health care more accessible and affordable for millions of uninsured Americans, the statute also introduced a number of important revisions to the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, one of which expanded a health care provider’s potential liability for a Medicare or Medicaid-related kickback violation. While both the government and private relators had successfully argued (under an implied certification theory) that a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute may give rise to a violation of the False Claims Act, the Affordable Care Act effectively codified this theory. As 42 U.S.C. § 1320(a)-7b(g) now provides:

“(f) HEALTH CARE FRAUD.—

(1) KICKBACKS.—Section 1128B of the Social Security Act

(42 U.S.C. 1320a–7b) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

‘‘(g) In addition to the penalties provided for in this section or section 1128A, a claim that includes items or services resulting from a violation of this section constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of subchapter III of chapter 37 of title 31, United States Code.’’

As a result of this legislation, Federal prosecutors (and possibly whistleblowers) could have also pursued this case under the civil False Claims Act. Both physicians and home health care providers must be mindful that the damages and penalties under the False Claims Act can be quite severe. For false claims or statements made on or after June 19, 2020, the penalties that may be assessed vary from a minimum of $11,665 to a maximum penalty of $23,331, per false claim, plus treble damages.

What’s the answer for your organization? First and foremost, it is imperative that you develop, implement and adhere to the provisions and guidelines of an effective Compliance Plan. While no Compliance Plan can completely shield a health care provider from liability, your earnest efforts to fully comply with the law can go a long ways towards dispelling the argument that you knowingly (as defined under the False Claims Act) submitted a false claim to the government for payment.

Robert W. Liles, JD, MS, MBA serves as Managing Partner at Liles Parker, Attorneys and Counselors at Law. Robert represents home health agencies of all sizes around the country in connection with a full range of MAC and UPIC prepayment reviews, UPIC postpayment audits, suspension actions, and the revocation of a provider's Medicare billing privileges. He also handles home health False Claims Act cases. For a complimentary consultation, please call Robert at: 1 (800) 475-1906.

  • [1] A “Federal health care program” is defined as (1) any plan or program that provides health benefits, whether directly, through insurance, or otherwise, which is funded directly, in whole or in part, by the United States Government [not including health insurance provided to federal government employees] or (2) any state health care program, as defined in Section 1128(h) [42 U.S.C. §1320a-7(h)]. 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7b(f). Federal health care programs include Medicare and Medicaid.
  • [2] Among its many provisions, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (enacted February 9, 2018) increased the criminal penalties under the Anti-Kickback Statute from a maximum of $25,000 to a maximum of $100,000, per violation.  The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 also increased the potential period of incarceration from five years to ten years.