When is the line crossed? It is perfectly acceptable for an HME provider to provide services to its patients that the provider's competitors do not provide. This is good business. These are classified as "value-added services."
On the other hand, when a provider offers "something of value" to induce a prospective customer (a Medicare beneficiary) to buy something from the provider (as opposed to buying something from the provider's competitor), then this may result in a prohibited inducement in violation of the beneficiary inducement statute and the Medicare anti-kickback statute. The line between a value-added service and a prohibited inducement can be unclear.
AAHomecare will host the webinar scheduled for Aug. 29, 2013. To register, click here.