Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma recently indicated that CMS will form an interagency group to evaluate physician concerns about the Stark Law, according to reports by multiple outlets including Modern Healthcare and Fierce Healthcare.
Verma stated that CMS, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, HHS General Counsel, and the Department of Justice will work together to ease providers’ concerns about the law. However, she also noted that meaningful changes to the Stark Law are likely to require Congressional action.
The federal Stark Law prohibits qualified physicians from providing therapeutic medical devices directly to Medicare patients who require treatment for conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The AASM considers the Stark Law to be an unnecessary regulation and an example of burdensome government overreach. Therefore, the AASM continues to advocate for a Stark Law exception that will allow board-certified sleep medicine physicians to provide long-term care for Medicare patients with OSA.
To discuss how the Stark Law impacts your sleep practice, please contact AASM advocacy staff at (630) 737-9700 or policy@aasm.org.
