HealthBlawg

David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog

    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS
    • Email
  • About
  • Archives
  • Podcast
  • Press
  • Awards/Reviews
  • HIPAA
  • HCSM

OIG nixes test tube labeling service by lab seeking dialysis center business

May 12, 2008

The OIG released an advisory opinion last Friday finding that a lab’s practice of labeling test tubes for free in order to get dialysis center business — to be initiated because "all the other labs are doing it" — could be considered an illegal kickback intended to induce referrals (though the OIG, of course, does not inquire into intent in the course of the advisory opinion process).

So were the owners of the lab that requested the opinion really planning to implement this approach, or was this simply a ruse to smoke out the competitors and get them to stop, thus leveling the playing field?  Only their lawyer knows for sure . . . .

— David Harlow

Filed Under: Fraud and Abuse, Health care policy, Health Law, OIG

you might also like:

  1. OIG advisory opinion OK's certain ambulance service support for county expenses

  2. Patients to Have Right to Access Lab Test Result Data

  3. Contractual joint ventures: the OIG hangs tough

« The good, the bad, and the different: accessing health care services on vacation overseas
Blawg Review: the whistleblower edition »

Follow me on Twitter

Tweets by healthblawg

HIPAAtools

Hipaatools

The HIPAA Compliance Toolkit

The Walking Gallery

The Walking Gallery

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Categories
  • Archives
  • Podcast Interviews
  • HIPAAtools
  • HIPAA Compliance
  • Health Care Social Media
  • Speaking
  • In the Press
  • Blogroll

David Harlow

David Harlow

HealthcareNOW Radio

Connect with David

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Email
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Book Me: Speaking
  • About
  • The Harlow Group LLC
Copyright © 2006–2021
HealthBlawg is a publication of The Harlow Group LLC. See Copyright notice and disclaimer.
Fair use with attribution and a link is encouraged. Click for more on David Harlow.
[footer_backtotop text="Back to top" href="#"]