Unbeknownst to patients or insurance carriers, there are many
clinics across the country that are not owned by the professionally
licensed health care providers who provide patient care.
Every state has statutes covering ownership issues. The American
Academy of Emergency Medicine provides information on their website
detailing this information. Click here.
The idea behind these laws is that it is in the best interest of the
patient that license professionals direct patient care, not
unlicensed (lay) owners.
Although the activities of these clinics may not involve fraud, lay
ownership has proven to be a problem within the fraud fighting
industry.
There are exceptions to these statutes in some cases pertaining to
hospitals, HMO's, etc.
Want to know whether or not your health care provider owns his own
business? Click TOOLBOX to find out how to check this out and who to
tell.