OIG advisory opinion clarifies some call issues.
Although the advisory opinion issued by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General (OIG) specifically states it only applies to the pay-for-call arrangement at one hospital, experts say the ED manager can use the opinion to establish bench-marks for their own on-call arrangements. * At the very least, the OIG has made it clear that paying for on-call coverage is not in and of itself a violation of any statutes. * Any per diem rates paid to ensure that specialists agree to take call must be "reasonable" and meet "fair market value." * The fact that the specialists also may be paid for the services they provide may not necessarily mean your arrangement is improper.
D026683:Advisory Committees; D039602:After-Hours Care / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D019985:Benchmarking; D004470:Economics, Medical; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards; D012308:Risk Management; D013038:Specialization; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States; D014483:United States Dept. of Health and Human Services