Where a physician has a financial relationship with a designated health service entity, an exception to the Stark law must be complied with to permit physician referrals to that entity for the furnishing of designated health services.  Among the entities that will commonly furnish designated health services are physician group practices, hospitals, academic medical centers, faculty practice plans, independent diagnostic testing facilities and other organizations. 

Other portions of StarkCompliancePlus provide detailed information regarding exceptions that will commonly be used to address financial and referral relationships involving physicians and/or their immediate family members, and common designated health service entities.  This portion of StarkCompliancePlus provides access to information on the full range of exceptions that are provided under the Stark law and final rule, with the listing organized base upon the type of financial relationship (e.g., ownership, compensation or both, provision of services, lease of space and/or equipment and others). 

Click on the links below for information regarding exceptions organized by the type and nature of financial relationship involved:

Ownership and/or compensation arrangements 

• Physician services exception
• In-office ancillary services exception; 
• Services furnished by an organization (or its contractors or subcontractors) to enrollees exception;
• Academic medical center exception;
• Implants furnished by an ASC exception;
• EPO and other dialysis-related drugs exception;
• Preventive screening tests, immunizations and vaccines exception;
• Intra-family rural referrals exception.
  

Ownership arrangements only

• Publicly traded securities exception;
• Mutual funds exception; and 
• Ownership of rural provider exception;
• Ownership of hospitals in Puerto Rico exception;
• Whole hospital ownership exception.
  

Compensation relationships

• Rental of office space exception;
• Rental of equipment exception;
• Bona fide employment relationships exception;
• Personal services arrangements exception;
• Physician recruitment exception; 
• Isolated transactions exception; 
• Certain arrangements with hospitals exception; 
• Group practice arrangements with hospital exception; 
• Payments by a physician exception; 
• Charitable donations exception;
• Non-monetary compensation exception; 
• Fair market value compensation exception;
• Medical staff incidental benefits exception;
• Risk sharing arrangements exception;
• Compliance training exception; 
• Indirect compensation arrangements exception (limited application);
• Referral services exception;
• Obstetrical malpractice insurance exception; 
• Professional courtesy exception; 
• Retention payments in underserved area exception; 
• Community-wide health information system exception;
• Electronic prescribing items and services exception;
• Electronic health records items and services exception.