Good news for part-time physician employees: the OIG has given an advisory opinion allowing part-time physicians to be paid for seeing publicly insured patients without violating federal anti-kickback laws.

The specific proposed arrangement that the HHS' inspector general's office gave approval to was one in which two physicians would be employed part time by a physician group to perform endoscopies, but would continue to have their own individual medical practices, and take patients there.

While not particularly surprising, the opinion should reassure part-time employees that they are included in the employment exception of the federal anti-kickback laws, along with full-time employees.

To learn more about the opinion:
- read this Modern Physician Online piece [1]