To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to clarify the application of the in-office ancillary services exception to the physician self-referral prohibition for drugs furnished under the Medicare program.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · December 11, 2023
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
This bill modifies Medicare rules to make it easier for doctors to refer patients to their own offices or affiliated facilities for certain medications and drug-related supplies. Currently, federal physician self-referral rules restrict doctors from referring patients to businesses they have financial interests in, but this bill clarifies that an exception exists for drugs and supplies needed to administer those drugs furnished in doctors' offices. The legislation specifically targets guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in September 2021 and May 2023 that had restricted these arrangements, requiring those guidance documents to be withdrawn and deemed never published. The bill applies retroactively to services provided on or after May 11, 2023, and affects senior Medicare beneficiaries who may receive drugs and related supplies directly from their doctors' offices. No specific funding amount or additional implementation timeline is outlined in the legislation, as it primarily clarifies existing law rather than establishing new programs or appropriations.
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