Reform required to end self-referral debate

The self-referral debate typically has two sides: One camp claims that self-referral improves patient care and lowers wait times, while the other insists it is a conflict of interest when Medicare patients are referred to practices by physicians with a financial affiliation.


To address the issue, Kilani said that Medicare needs to create a policy to ensure reimbursements are distributed fairly. By monitoring who has imaging equipment, the organization will know exactly where their funds are going. "No one even knows who they're paying," he said.

As a part of the reform, he recommends penalizing doctors who do not accurately report their digital imaging equipment ownership.

"If legislators want to reign in health care costs and better serve the public, they must close the loophole in the law that allows for self-referral," Bramwit added.

Kilani said that when he has spoken to those in the legislative field about the self-referral issue in the past, they typically chalk it up to a "turf war" between physicians.

"The self-referral issue isn't just a turf war," he explained. "It's a major waste of patient money. It's incredibly wasteful."

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