Section 5-48.1-1 - Legislative findingsIt is found and declared as follows:
(1) Individuals and corporations sometimes establish joint ventures and other business arrangements to offer various diagnostic and therapeutic healthcare services and items to patients. While some of these arrangements assist in providing appropriate but unavailable services and items to patients, or help finance nearby facilities as a convenience to patients, others appear to constitute opportunities for investment. These arrangements can give rise to abuse by creating an environment in which healthcare providers could order unnecessary services from those facilities in which they own an interest. To limit this conduct, Congress of the United States amended the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b) to prohibit certain financial arrangements. This prohibition is contained in § 1128B(b) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b.(2) The provisions of the amendments to the Social Security Act, (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b), apply only to Medicare/Medicaid reimbursed services and a void exists with respect to services rendered at the state level, which are reimbursed by private payers.(3) Accordingly, in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of all residents of this state, it is deemed appropriate to adopt the standards prescribed in the federal statute as applicable to the delivery of all healthcare services and items in this state.R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-48.1-1