(2) It is unlawful for any health care provider or any provider of health care services to offer, pay, solicit, or receive a kickback, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, for referring or soliciting patients. (3) (a) It is unlawful for any person or any entity to pay or receive, directly or indirectly, a commission, bonus, kickback, or rebate from, or to engage in any form of a split-fee arrangement with, a dialysis facility, health care practitioner, surgeon, person, or entity for referring patients to a clinical laboratory as defined in s. 483.803. (b) It is unlawful for any clinical laboratory to: 1. Provide personnel to perform any functions
entity for a service furnished pursuant to a referral prohibited under this section. (d) If an entity collects any amount that was billed in violation of this section, the entity shall refund such amount on a timely basis to the payor or individual, whichever is applicable. (e) Any person that presents or causes to be presented a bill or a claim for service that such person knows or should know is for a service for which payment may not be made under paragraph (c), or for which a refund has not been made under paragraph (d), shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $15,000 for each such service to be imposed and collected by the appropriate board. (f) Any health care provider or other entity that enters into an arrangement or scheme, such as a cross- referral arrangement, which the physician or entity knows or should know has a principal purpose of assuring referrals by the physician to a particular entity which, if the physician directly made referrals to such entity, would be in violation of this section, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $100,000 for each such circumvention arrangement or scheme to be imposed and collected by the appropriate board. (g) A violation of this section by a health care provider shall constitute grounds for disciplinary action to be taken by the applicable board pursuant to s. 458.331(2), s. 459.015(2), s. 460.413(2), s. 461.013(2), s. 463.016(2), s. 464.018, or s. 466.028(2). Any hospital licensed under chapter 395 found in violation of this section shall be subject to s. 395.0185(2). (h) Any hospital licensed under chapter 395 that discriminates against or otherwise penalizes a health care provider for compliance with this act. (i) The provision of paragraph (a) shall not apply to referrals to the offices of radiation therapy centers managed by an entity or subsidiary or general partner thereof, which performed radiation therapy services at those same offices prior to April 1, 1991, and shall not apply also to referrals for radiation therapy to be performed at no more than one additional office of any entity qualifying for the foregoing exception which, prior to February 1, 1992, had a binding purchase contract on and a nonrefundable deposit paid for a linear accelerator to be used at the additional office. The physical site of the radiation treatment centers affected by this provision may be relocated as a result of the following factors: acts of God; fire; strike; accident; war; eminent domain actions by any governmental body; or refusal by the lessor to renew a lease. A relocation for the foregoing reasons is limited to relocation of an existing facility to a replacement location within the county of the existing facility upon written notification to the Office of Licensure and Certification. (j) A health care provider who meets the requirements of paragraphs (b) and (i) must disclose his or her investment interest to his or her patients as provided in s. 456.052. 456.054—Kickbacks Prohibited (1) As used in this section, the term “kickback” means a remuneration or payment, by or on behalf of a provider of health care services or items, to any person as an incentive or inducement to refer patients for past or future services or items, when the payment is not tax deductible as an ordinary and necessary expense.
or duties in a health care practitioner’s office or dialysis facility for any purpose, including for the collection or handling of specimens, directly or indirectly through an employee, contractor, independent staffing company, lease agreement, or otherwise, unless the laboratory and the practitioner’s office, or dialysis facility, are wholly owned and operated by the same entity. 2. Lease space within any part of a health
care practitioner’s office or dialysis facility for any purpose, including for the purpose of establishing a collection station where materials or specimens are collected or drawn from patients. (4) Violations of this section shall be considered patient brokering and shall be punishable as provided in s. 817.505. 456.055—Chiropractic and Podiatric Health Care; Denial of Payment; Limitation A chiropractic physician licensed under chapter 460 or a podiatric physician licensed under chapter 461 shall not be denied payment for treatment rendered solely on the basis that the chiropractic physician or podiatric physician is not a member of a particular preferred provider organization or exclusive provider organization which is composed only of physicians licensed under the same chapter. 456.056—Treatment of Medicare Beneficiaries; Refusal, Emergencies, Consulting Physicians (1) Effective as of January 1, 1993, as used in this section, the term: (a) “Physician” means a physician licensed under chapter 458, an osteopathic physician licensed under chapter 459, a chiropractic physician licensed under chapter 460, a podiatric physician licensed under chapter 461, or an optometrist licensed under chapter 463. (b) “Beneficiary” means a beneficiary of health insurance under Title XVIII of the federal Social Security Act. (c) “Consulting physician” means any physician to whom a primary physician refers a Medicare beneficiary for treatment. (2) A physician may refuse to treat a beneficiary. However, nothing contained in this section shall be construed to limit a physician’s obligation under state or federal law to treat a patient for an emergency medical condition, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. (3) If treatment is provided to a beneficiary for an emergency medical condition as defined in s. 395.002(8)(a), the physician must accept Medicare assignment provided that the requirement to accept Medicare assignment for an emergency medical condition shall not apply to treatment rendered after the patient is stabilized, or the treatment is unrelated
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