(1) Except as otherwise provided in KRS § 205.510 to KRS § 205.630, no provider shall knowingly solicit, receive, or offer any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe, or rebate) for furnishing medical assistance benefits or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering, or arranging for or recommending purchasing, leasing, or ordering any goods, facility, service, or item for which payment may be received from Medicare or Medicaid.
(2) (a) No provider shall knowingly make, offer, or receive a payment, a rebate of a fee, or a charge for referring a patient to another provider for furnishing of Medicare or Medicaid benefits.
(b) Any conduct or activity which does not violate or which is protected under the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 1395nn or 42 U.S.C. § 1320A-7B(b), as amended, or federal regulations promulgated under those statutes, shall not be deemed to violate the provisions of this section and the conduct or activity shall be accorded the same protections allowed under federal law and regulation. Any conduct of activity by any provider which violates the provisions of 42 U.S.C. § 1395nn or 42 U.S.C. § 1320A-7B(b), as amended, where Medicare and Medicaid payment is involved, shall be deemed to violate the provisions of this section.
(3) Any person who violates subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor unless the combination or aggregation of offenses is valued at three hundred dollars ($300) or more, in which case it shall be a Class D felony. In addition to any other penalty authorized by law, any person who violates the provisions of subsection (2)(a) of this section shall not be entitled to bill or collect from the patient or any third-party payor and shall repay any payments due the Commonwealth for services provided which were related to the referral.
Effective: July 15, 1996
History: Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 371, sec. 22, effective July 15, 1996. — Created
1994 Ky. Acts ch. 512, Pt. 5, sec. 18, effective July 15, 1994.