dont worry about AMCs, they are illegal.

[caligas]

http://www.beckersasc.com/anesthesi...risks-for-anesthesiologists-and-for-ascs.html

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[person2006]

http://www.beckersasc.com/anesthesi...risks-for-anesthesiologists-and-for-ascs.html

Shutting this b s down would be amazing.

 

[Consigliere]

That article has absolutely nothing to do with AMCs. AMCs are here to stay and will most likely employ the majority of anesthesiology residents.

 

[soonerfrog]

Plus this article's a year old.

 

[Impromptu]

I don't see how that was an AMC.

But to the issue of the article, I have had trouble understanding this. A surgery center is owned by some surgeons. The surgeons hire an anesthesiologist for wages. The surgeons bill for the "professional" services that the anesthesiologists had performed, rather than the anesthesiologist billing for them. The surgeons get the anesthesiologists payment, as well as the payment for the surgery.

What is the referral? Is it from the surgeon to the anesthesiologist? Is the kickback the professional fee? Or is it the wages of the anesthesiologist? Patients need an anesthetic in order to undergo a procedure. Shouldn't providing that be normal operating costs?

 

[aneftp]

I don't see how that was an AMC.

But to the issue of the article, I have had trouble understanding this. A surgery center is owned by some surgeons. The surgeons hire an anesthesiologist for wages. The surgeons bill for the "professional" services that the anesthesiologists had performed, rather than the anesthesiologist billing for them. The surgeons get the anesthesiologists payment, as well as the payment for the surgery.

What is the referral? Is it from the surgeon to the anesthesiologist? Is the kickback the professional fee? Or is it the wages of the anesthesiologist? Patients need an anesthetic in order to undergo a procedure. Shouldn't providing that be normal operating costs?

In my opinion that violates stark laws.

It's self referral if the surgeon collects even once penny of Medicare payments from anesthesia fees.

It's been a huge battle and still ongoing. The issue is it may become a mute point in the future with bundling of fees. Where surgeons can just say they are going to take 50%. The facility will take the other 45%. And leave anesthesia will 5% of the fees.

Normally anesthesia averages around 12% of the total fees collected.

 

[Socrates25]

In my opinion that violates stark laws.

It's self referral if the surgeon collects even once penny of Medicare payments from anesthesia fees.

It's been a huge battle and still ongoing. The issue is it may become a mute point in the future with bundling of fees. Where surgeons can just say they are going to take 50%. The facility will take the other 45%. And leave anesthesia will 5% of the fees.

Normally anesthesia averages around 12% of the total fees collected.

I assumed that bundled fees would go to an ACA into which the doctors and hospitals have representation. It would be the leadership of the ACA, which is not necessarily the same as hospital leadership, to divy up the bundled fees.

The bigger problem I see is that the ACAs are creating a new level of bureaucracy that didnt exist before. That new layer of upper/middle management is going to demand their cut of the fees too. Who knows how high that will be. 1 percent? 20 percent? Who can tell?