Fla. closes self-referral loophole

A Florida law has made it a felony for physicians to refer patients to an imaging center at which the doctor serves as a medical director. While there are laws that prevent doctors from receiving kickbacks for imaging clinic referrals, a loophole allowed doctors to be salaried medical directors for imaging centers--making self-referrals legal if not completely kosher. Lawmakers hope the provision will cut down on fraud. There have been a number of insurance investigations related to the doctor-clinic relationships.

How doctors receive money from outside interests has been a constant source of angst for regulators. Just last week The New York Times raised questions about the integrity of some tax-exempt charities with close ties to for-profit physician practices.

- take a look at this South Florida Business Journal article for more

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