The Ethics in Patient Referrals Act of 1989: what will it mean to physicians?

In 1988, Rep. Fortney H. "Pete" Stark (Democrat-California) introduced legislation entitled "The Ethics in Patient Referrals Act of 1988" (H.R. 5198), which died when the 100th session of Congress ended. At that time, Rep. Stark made it clear that he would submit another version of this legislation, and on February 9, 1989, his revised legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives. This article summarizes the contents of this legislation--potentially the most important development ever with respect to joint ventures involving referring physicians--and analyzes what its enactment could mean to physicians.