(a) Notwithstanding Section 650, or any other provision of law, it is unlawful for a licensee to refer a person for laboratory, diagnostic nuclear medicine, radiation oncology, physical therapy, physical rehabilitation, psychometric testing, home infusion therapy, or diagnostic imaging goods or services if the licensee or their immediate family has a financial interest with the person or in the entity that receives the referral.
(b) For purposes of this section and Section 650.02, the following shall apply:
(1) “Diagnostic imaging” includes, but is not limited to, all X-ray, computed axial tomography, magnetic resonance imaging nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography, mammography, and ultrasound goods and services.
(2) A “financial interest” includes, but is not limited to, any type of ownership interest, debt, loan, lease, compensation, remuneration, discount, rebate, refund, dividend, distribution, subsidy, or other form of direct or indirect payment, whether in money or otherwise, between a licensee and a person or entity to whom the licensee refers a person for a good or service specified in subdivision (a). A financial interest also exists if there is an indirect financial relationship between a licensee and the referral recipient including, but not limited to, an arrangement whereby a licensee has an ownership interest in an entity that leases property to the referral recipient. Any financial interest transferred by a licensee to any person or entity or otherwise established in any person or entity for the purpose of avoiding the prohibition of this section shall be deemed a financial interest of the licensee. For purposes of this paragraph, “direct or indirect payment” shall not include a royalty or consulting fee received by a physician and surgeon who has completed a recognized residency training program in orthopedics from a manufacturer or distributor as a result of their research and development of medical devices and techniques for that manufacturer or distributor. For purposes of this paragraph, “consulting fees” means those fees paid by the manufacturer or distributor to a physician and surgeon who has completed a recognized residency training program in orthopedics only for their ongoing services in making refinements to their medical devices or techniques marketed or distributed by the manufacturer or distributor, if the manufacturer or distributor does not own or control the facility to which the physician is referring the patient. A “financial interest” shall not include the receipt of capitation payments or other fixed amounts that are prepaid in exchange for a promise of a licensee to provide specified health care services to specified beneficiaries. A “financial interest” shall not include the receipt of remuneration by a medical director of a hospice, as defined in Section 1746 of the Health and Safety Code, for specified services if the arrangement is set out in writing, and specifies all services to be provided by the medical director, the term of the arrangement is for at least one year, and the compensation to be paid over the term of the arrangement is set in advance, does not exceed fair market value, and is not determined in a manner that takes into account the volume or value of any referrals or other business generated between parties.
(3) For the purposes of this section, “immediate family” includes the spouse and children of the licensee, the parents of the licensee, and the spouses of the children of the licensee.
(4) “Licensee” means all of the following:
(A) A physician as defined in Section 3209.3 of the Labor Code.
(B) A nurse practitioner practicing pursuant to Section 2837.103 or 2837.104.
(C) A certified nurse-midwife as described in Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 2746) of Chapter 6, acting within their scope of practice.
(5) “Licensee’s office” means either of the following:
(A) An office of a licensee in solo practice.
(B) An office in which services or goods are personally provided by the licensee or by employees in that office, or personally by independent contractors in that office, in accordance with other provisions of law. Employees and independent contractors shall be licensed or certified when licensure or certification is required by law.
(6) “Office of a group practice” means an office or offices in which two or more licensees are legally organized as a partnership, professional corporation, or not-for-profit corporation, licensed pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1204 of the Health and Safety Code, for which all of the following apply:
(A) Each licensee who is a member of the group provides substantially the full range of services that the licensee routinely provides, including medical care, consultation, diagnosis, or treatment through the joint use of shared office space, facilities, equipment, and personnel.
(B) Substantially all of the services of the licensees who are members of the group are provided through the group and are billed in the name of the group and amounts so received are treated as receipts of the group, except in the case of a multispecialty clinic, as defined in subdivision (l) of Section 1206 of the Health and Safety Code, physician services are billed in the name of the multispecialty clinic and amounts so received are treated as receipts of the multispecialty clinic.
(C) The overhead expenses of, and the income from, the practice are distributed in accordance with methods previously determined by members of the group.
(c) It is unlawful for a licensee to enter into an arrangement or scheme, such as a cross-referral arrangement, that the licensee knows, or should know, has a principal purpose of ensuring referrals by the licensee to a particular entity that, if the licensee directly made referrals to that entity, would be in violation of this section.
(d) No claim for payment shall be presented by an entity to any individual, third party payer, or other entity for a good or service furnished pursuant to a referral prohibited under this section.
(e) No insurer, self-insurer, or other payer shall pay a charge or lien for any good or service resulting from a referral in violation of this section.
(f) A licensee who refers a person to, or seeks consultation from, an organization in which the licensee has a financial interest, other than as prohibited by subdivision (a), shall disclose the financial interest to the patient, or the parent or legal guardian of the patient, in writing, at the time of the referral or request for consultation.
(1) If a referral, billing, or other solicitation is between one or more licensees who contract with a multispecialty clinic pursuant to subdivision (l) of Section 1206 of the Health and Safety Code or who conduct their practice as members of the same professional corporation or partnership, and the services are rendered on the same physical premises, or under the same professional corporation or partnership name, the requirements of this subdivision may be met by posting a conspicuous disclosure statement at the registration area or by providing a patient with a written disclosure statement.
(2) If a licensee is under contract with the Department of Corrections or the California Youth Authority, and the patient is an inmate or parolee of either respective department, the requirements of this subdivision shall be satisfied by disclosing financial interests to either the Department of Corrections or the California Youth Authority.
(g) A violation of subdivision (a) shall be a misdemeanor. In the case of a licensee who is a physician and surgeon, the Medical Board of California shall review the facts and circumstances of any conviction pursuant to subdivision (a) and take appropriate disciplinary action if the licensee has committed unprofessional conduct. In the case of a licensee who is a certified nurse-midwife, the Board of Registered Nursing shall review the facts and circumstances of any conviction pursuant to subdivision (a) and take appropriate disciplinary action if the licensee has committed unprofessional conduct. Violations of this section may also be subject to civil penalties of up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each offense, which may be enforced by the Insurance Commissioner, Attorney General, or a district attorney. A violation of subdivision (c), (d), or (e) is a public offense and is punishable upon conviction by a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) for each violation and appropriate disciplinary action, including revocation of professional licensure, by the Medical Board of California, the Board of Registered Nursing, or other appropriate governmental agency.
(h) This section shall not apply to referrals for services that are described in and covered by Sections 139.3 and 139.31 of the Labor Code.
(i) This section shall become operative on January 1, 1995.
(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 265, Sec. 1.5. (AB 890) Effective January 1, 2021.)