Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 225 - PROFESSIONS, OCCUPATIONS, AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
225 ILCS 47/ - Health Care Worker Self-Referral Act.

(225 ILCS 47/1)
Sec. 1.
Short title.
This Act may be cited as the Health Care Worker Self-Referral Act.

(Source: P.A. 87-1207.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/5)
Sec. 5. Legislative intent. The General Assembly recognizes that
patient referrals by health care workers for health services
to an entity in which the referring health care worker has an investment
interest may present
a potential conflict of interest. The General Assembly finds that these referral
practices may limit or completely eliminate competitive alternatives in the health care
market. In some instances, these referral practices may expand and improve care
or may make services available which were previously unavailable. They
may also provide
lower cost options to patients or increase competition. Generally,
referral practices are positive occurrences. However, self-referrals may
result in over utilization of health services, increased overall costs
of the health care systems, and may affect the quality of health care.
It is the intent of the General Assembly to provide guidance to health
care workers regarding acceptable patient referrals, to prohibit patient
referrals to entities providing health services in which the referring
health care worker has an investment interest, and to protect the
citizens of Illinois from unnecessary and costly health care expenditures.
Recognizing the need for flexibility to quickly respond to changes in
the delivery of health services, to avoid results beyond the
limitations on self referral provided under this Act and to provide minimal
disruption to the appropriate delivery of health care, the Health Facilities and Services Review Board shall be exclusively and solely authorized to
implement and interpret this Act through adopted rules.
The General Assembly recognizes that changes in delivery of health care has
resulted in various methods by which health care workers practice their
professions. It is not the intent of the General Assembly to limit
appropriate delivery of care, nor force unnecessary changes in the
structures created by workers for the health and convenience of their
patients.

(Source: P.A. 96-31, eff. 6-30-09.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/10)
Sec. 10.
Applicability.
This Act shall apply to referrals for health
services made on or after January 1, 1993. However, if a
health care worker acquired an investment interest before July 1, 1992,
this Act shall not apply to referrals made for health
services before January 1, 1996.

(Source: P.A. 87-1207.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/15)
Sec. 15. Definitions. In this Act:
(a) "Board" means the Health Facilities and Services Review Board.
(b) "Entity" means any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, or
other business that provides health services but does not include an
individual who is a health care worker who provides professional services
to an individual.
(c) "Group practice" means a group of 2 or more health care workers
legally organized as a partnership, professional corporation,
not-for-profit corporation, faculty
practice plan or a similar association in which:
(d) "Health care worker" means any individual licensed under the laws of
this State to provide health services, including but not limited to:
dentists licensed under the Illinois Dental Practice Act; dental hygienists
licensed under the Illinois Dental Practice Act; nurses and advanced practice registered
nurses licensed under the Nurse Practice Act;
occupational therapists licensed under
the
Illinois Occupational Therapy Practice Act; optometrists licensed under the
Illinois Optometric Practice Act of 1987; pharmacists licensed under the
Pharmacy Practice Act; physical therapists licensed under the
Illinois Physical Therapy Act; physicians licensed under the Medical
Practice Act of 1987; physician assistants licensed under the Physician
Assistant Practice Act of 1987; podiatric physicians licensed under the Podiatric
Medical Practice Act of 1987; clinical psychologists licensed under the
Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act; clinical social workers licensed under
the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act; speech-language
pathologists and audiologists licensed under the Illinois Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology Practice Act; or hearing instrument
dispensers licensed
under the Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act, or any of
their successor Acts.
(e) "Health services" means health care procedures and services
provided by or through a health care worker.
(f) "Immediate family member" means a health care worker's spouse,
child, child's spouse, or a parent.
(g) "Investment interest" means an equity or debt security issued by an
entity, including, without limitation, shares of stock in a corporation,
units or other interests in a partnership, bonds, debentures, notes, or
other equity interests or debt instruments except that investment interest
for purposes of Section 20 does not include interest in a hospital licensed
under the laws of the State of Illinois.
(h) "Investor" means an individual or entity directly or indirectly
owning a legal or beneficial ownership or investment interest, (such as
through an immediate family member, trust, or another entity related to the investor).
(i) "Office practice" includes the facility or facilities at which a health
care worker, on an ongoing basis, provides or supervises the provision of
professional health services to individuals.
(j) "Referral" means any referral of a patient for health services,
including, without limitation:
(Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/20)
Sec. 20.
Prohibited referrals and claims for payment.
(a) A health care worker shall not refer a patient for health services
to an entity outside the health care worker's office or group practice in
which the health care worker is an investor, unless the health care worker
directly provides health services within the entity and will be personally
involved with the provision of care to the referred patient.
(b) Pursuant to Board determination that the following exception is
applicable, a health care worker may invest in and refer to an entity,
whether or not the health care worker provides direct services within said
entity, if there is a demonstrated need in the community for the entity and
alternative financing is not available. For purposes of this subsection
(b), "demonstrated need" in the community for the entity may exist if (1)
there is no facility of reasonable quality that provides medically
appropriate service, (2) use of existing facilities is onerous or creates
too great a hardship for patients,
(3) the entity is formed to own or lease medical equipment which replaces
obsolete or otherwise inadequate equipment in or under the control of a
hospital located in a federally designated health manpower shortage area,
or (4) such other standards as
established, by rule, by the Board. "Community" shall be defined as a
metropolitan area for a city, and a county for a rural area. In addition,
the following provisions must be met to be exempt under this Section:
The Board shall make such a determination for a health care worker within
90 days of a completed written request. Failure to make such a
determination within the 90 day time frame shall mean that no alternative
is practical based upon the facts set forth in the completed written request.
(c) It shall not be a violation of this Act for a health care worker to
refer a patient for health services to a publicly traded entity in which he or
she
has an investment interest provided that:
(d) Any hospital licensed under the Hospital Licensing Act shall not
discriminate against or otherwise penalize a health care worker for
compliance with this Act.
(e) Any health care worker or other entity shall not enter into an
arrangement or scheme seeking to make referrals to another health care
worker or entity based upon the condition that the health care worker
or entity will make referrals with an intent to evade the prohibitions of
this Act by inducing patient referrals which would be prohibited by this Section
if the health care worker or entity made the referral directly.
(f) If compliance with the need and alternative investor criteria is not
practical, the health care worker shall identify to the patient reasonably
available alternative facilities. The Board shall, by rule, designate when
compliance is "not practical".
(g) Health care workers may request from the Board that it render an
advisory opinion that a referral to an existing or proposed entity under
specified circumstances does or does not violate the provisions of this
Act. The Board's opinion shall be presumptively correct. Failure to
render such an advisory opinion within 90 days of a completed written
request pursuant to this Section shall create a rebuttable presumption that a
referral described in the completed written request is not or will not be a
violation of this Act.
(h) Notwithstanding any provision of this Act to the contrary, a health
care worker may refer
a patient, who is a member of a health maintenance organization "HMO"
licensed in this State, for health services to an entity, outside the
health care worker's office or group practice, in which the health care
worker is an investor, provided that any such referral is made pursuant to
a contract with the HMO.
Furthermore, notwithstanding any provision of this Act to the contrary, a
health care worker may refer an enrollee of a "managed care community network",
as defined in subsection (b) of Section 5-11 of the Illinois
Public
Aid Code, for health
services to an entity, outside the health care worker's office or group
practice, in which the health care worker is an investor, provided that any
such referral is made pursuant to a contract with the managed care community
network.

(Source: P.A. 92-370, eff. 8-15-01.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/25)
Sec. 25.
Penalties.
(a) Any entity, other than a health care worker, that makes or causes to
be made a referral prohibited under Section 20 of this Act or presents or
causes to be presented a bill or claim for service that the entity knows or
should know is prohibited by Section 20 of this Act, shall be subject to
a civil penalty of no more than $20,000 for each referral, bill, or claim.
(b) Any violation of this Act by a health care worker shall constitute
grounds for disciplinary action by the applicable board or committee.

(Source: P.A. 87-1207.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/30)
Sec. 30. Rulemaking. The Health Facilities and Services Review Board
shall exclusively and solely implement the provisions of this Act pursuant
to rules adopted in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure
Act concerning, but not limited to:
(a) Standards and procedures for the administration of this Act.
(b) Procedures and criteria for exceptions from the prohibitions set
forth in Section 20.
(c) Procedures and criteria for determining practical compliance with
the needs and alternative investor criteria in Section 20.
(d) Procedures and criteria for determining when a written request for
an opinion set forth in Section 20 is complete.
(e) Procedures and criteria for advising health care workers of the
applicability of this Act to practices pursuant to written requests.

(Source: P.A. 96-31, eff. 6-30-09.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/35)
Sec. 35.
Administrative Procedure Act; application.
The Illinois
Administrative Procedure Act is hereby
expressly adopted and incorporated herein and shall apply to the Board as
if all of the provisions of such Act were included in this Act; except that
in case of a conflict between the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and this Act
the provisions of this Act shall control.

(Source: P.A. 87-1207.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/40)
Sec. 40.
Review under Administrative Review Law.
Any person who is
adversely affected by a final decision of the Board may have such decision
judicially reviewed. The provisions of the Administrative Review Law
and the rules adopted pursuant thereto shall apply
to and govern all proceedings for the judicial review of final
administrative decisions of the Board. The term "administrative decisions" is
as defined in Section 3-101 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(Source: P.A. 87-1207.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/50)
Sec. 50. Statutorily required referrals.
(a) With respect to statutorily required referrals for physical therapy services, occupational therapy services, athletic trainer services, or genetic counselor services, a patient shall be informed that he or she may request a referral for these services outside or independent of the authorized referring health care worker's group practice, facility, or health professional's or provider's office (hereinafter "practice"). This notice to the patient may take the following or a similar form:
(b) For the purposes of this Section, "referral" means the authority required by Illinois law for a physical therapist, occupational therapist, athletic trainer, or genetic counselor to provide services to a patient.

(Source: P.A. 96-1482, eff. 11-29-10.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/55)
Sec. 55. Application of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
Practices
Act. A violation of any of the provisions of this Act constitutes an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. All remedies, penalties, and authority granted to the Attorney General or State's Attorney by the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act shall be available to him or her for the enforcement of this Act. This Section does not apply to hospitals and hospital affiliates licensed in Illinois.

(Source: P.A. 100-1058, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
(225 ILCS 47/160)
Sec. 160.
This Act takes effect January 1, 1993.

(Source: P.A. 87-1207.)

Structure Illinois Compiled Statutes