Sharing Surgical Load

Question: A solo practitioner wishes to share his surgical load with another physician outside his practice. Is there a way he can do this and still be compensated as the referring physician?

Answer: You would still bill for and be compensated for the care you did provide the patient, such as an E&M to establish the need for surgery. But, short of making the other physician a partner in or employee of your practice, I can’t see any way for you to share in the surgery revenue or get a fee for referrals. Generally, antikickback rules prevent physicians from getting paid per referral (quite rightly, really, since it can encourage physicians to over-refer). On the other hand, you’ll have a lighter workload.