4731.66 Prohibiting referrals and cross-referrals for designated health service. - Ohio Statutes

4731.66 Prohibiting referrals and cross-referrals for designated health service.

(A) Except as provided in sections 4731.67 and 4731.68 of the Revised Code, no holder of a certificate under this chapter to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, or podiatric medicine and surgery shall refer a patient to a person for a designated health service if the certificate holder, or a member of the certificate holder’s immediate family, has either of the following financial relationships with the person:

(1) An ownership or investment interest in the person whether through debt, equity, or other means;

(2) Any compensation arrangement involving any remuneration, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind.

(B) No person to which a certificate holder has referred a patient in violation of division (A) of this section shall bill the patient, any third-party payer, any governmental health care program, or any other person or governmental entity for the designated health service rendered pursuant to the referral.

(C) No person shall knowingly enter into an arrangement or scheme, including a cross-referral arrangement, that has a principal purpose of assuring referrals by a certificate holder to a particular person that, if the certificate holder directly made referrals to such person, would violate division (A) of this section.

Effective Date: 04-10-2001