WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor

Ch. 376

certain health care practitioners are subject to certain disciplinary action under
certain circumstances; requiring certain health care practitioners to dispose of
certain beneficial interests or terminate certain compensation agreements by a
certain date under certain circumstances; providing for a delay in the applicability
of certain provisions of this Act; specifying that certain provisions of law do not
apply to certain persons; establishing a certain criminal penalty and providing for the
imposition of a certain fine; requiring the Institute for Governmental Service and the
William Donald Schaefer Center for Public Policy jointly to conduct a study of the extent
to which health care practitioners in Maryland have beneficial interests in or
compensation arrangements with health care entities to which they make certain
referrals; requiring the study to make comparisons of the frequency of patient referrals
and the cost of services between certain health care practitioners; requiring the study to
evaluate if certain referral arrangements result in higher costs of health care and
unnecessary utilization of health care services; requiring the Institute for Governmental
Service and the William Donald Schaefer Center for Public Policy to make certain
reports; and generally relating to referrals of patients by health care practitioners
and their reimbursement by third party payors.

BY repealing

Article - Health Occupations

Section 1-206

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1991 Replacement Volume and 1992 Supplement)

BY adding to

Article - Health Occupations

Section 1-301 through 1-306 to be under the new subtitle "Subtitle 3. Patient

Referrals"
Annotated Code of Maryland
(1991 Replacement Volume and 1992 Supplement)

BY adding to

Article - Health - General

Section 19-712.4

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1990 Replacement Volume and 1992 Supplement)

BY adding to

Article 48A - Insurance Code

Section 354MM, 470CC, and 477MM

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1991 Replacement Volume and 1992 Supplement)

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