Stark Law prohibits physicians or their family members who own health care facilities from referring patients to those facilities if Medicare or Medicaid will pay for treatment. This is best described as which type of restriction?

• A. Referral restrictions
• B. Privacy restrictions
• C. Credentialing restrictions
• D. Payment restrictions

Answer: (B)

Stark Law centers on preventing self-referral through financial relationships. It restricts physicians and their immediate family from referring patients to health care facilities in which they have ownership, investment, or a compensated arrangement when Medicare or Medicaid payment is involved. This makes it a referral restriction—the aim is to keep referrals from being influenced by personal financial interests. Privacy restrictions would concern patient information protection, credentialing restrictions relate to privileging, and payment restrictions deal with billing or reimbursement, not the act of referring.