|
Gifts from Industry
This issue is not addressed by Indiana law. The AMA has developed ethical policies to address gifts to physicians from industry. The information is available on the AMA’s Web site.
Discounts to Patients
This issue is not addressed by Indiana law. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General issued a 6-page guidance document entitled, “Hospital Discounts Offered to Patients Who Cannot Afford to Pay their Hospital Bills” on February 2, 2004. The ISMA provided a summary of this guidance in its August 7, 2006 ISMA Reports issue. On June 18, 2007, the OIG issued an addendum to the original guidance document.
Impaired Drivers
Indiana law does not require physicians to report patients who may be medically or physically impaired. However, Indiana law does provide immunity for physicians who voluntarily report patients to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles who the physician in good faith believes are not fit to operate a motor vehicle safely so long as the physician has personally examined the patient within the thirty (30) days prior to making the report. IC 9-24-10-7.5.
The AMA has developed “The Older Drivers Project,” which includes education, patient counseling and ethical policies.
Disclosure of Financial Interest
Indiana law requires physicians to disclose ownership interests in facilities to which they are referring a patient and obtain a written statement from the patient that such disclosure was made. ISMA provided a summary of this law in its May 20, 2006 newsletter. The law is available at IC 25-22.5-11-1 et seq.
Compliance Program
The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General published the “OIG Compliance Program for Individual and Small Group Physician Practices" on October 5, 2000.
Back to top | Back to Legal Homepage
|
