These longstanding fraud and abuse laws prevented doctors from receiving kickbacks from hospitals in return for generating Medicaid, Medicare, or other federal healthcare program business.
However, due to a recent federal government push which promoted the adoption of electronic health records and prescribing systems by 2014, the policies have changed to allow the donation of hi-tech gifts, protecting doctors from prosecution.
Electronic health records help doctors provide higher quality patient care, improved efficiency and with less hassle, HHS secretary Mike Leavitt said. By removing barriers, these regulation changes will help physicians get these systems in place and working for patients faster.
The new rules come with restrictions, however: the donated software must be certified as being interoperable and must not limit compatibility with other systems.
