Ep. 63 – Speaking Fees and Safe Harbors: Lessons from a Multi-Hundred Million Dollar Settlement

In April, a pharmaceutical manufacturer agreed to pay a multi-hundred million dollar settlement to resolve allegations of Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) violations. At the heart of the case were speaker programs, where physicians and prescribers allegedly received large speaking fees and lavish meals in exchange for prescribing one of the manufacturer’s medications.

This case serves as a critical reminder of the legal and ethical pitfalls surrounding sponsored events and payments from vendors and manufacturers of products and services your providers use or recommend to patients. On the podcast this week, we discuss guardrails providers should incorporate into their policy to avoid AKS violations.

Understanding the Anti-Kickback Statute

The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering or receiving remuneration in exchange for referrals of items or services reimbursed by federal government healthcare programs, like Medicare. This includes not only cash payments but also non-monetary items like:

• Free meals
• Travel and lodging
• Entertainment
• Other valuable perks

The concern is that such incentives may improperly influence medical decision-making, undermine patient care, and increase costs to federal government health care programs.

Key Allegations in the Settlement

The allegations in the case highlight several red flags:

• Excessive payments: Some physicians allegedly received thousands of dollars in speaking fees for minimal work, with one reportedly earning hundreds of thousands over several years.
• Lavish hospitality: Events were held at high-end restaurants, with attendees reportedly bringing guests.
• Frequent invitations: Certain prescribers are alleged to have attended multiple events within short timeframes, calling into question the legitimacy of the purpose of the events.
• Selection: Speakers and attendees were allegedly chosen because they were high-volume prescribers or the company wanted to increase their prescriptions.

What Organizations Should Do: Practical Tips

1. Review and update your policy
Now is a good time to evaluate your organization’s policy on accepting vendor-sponsored payments, travel, and event attendance. Make sure it includes clear guardrails to minimize risk.

2. Legitimate purpose
Ensure that all sponsored events have a bona fide educational or consultative purpose unrelated to referrals. Simply attending to enjoy a free meal or trip is not acceptable.

3. Reasonable compensation
Fees paid to providers should reflect fair market value for actual services provided. Excess fees invite scrutiny.

4. Reasonable benefits
Travel, lodging, and meals should be modest—not extravagant. Avoid luxury hotels, private flights, or expensive restaurants. Family or guests’ travel and meals should not be covered. Evaluate whether the event location is necessary and reasonable and based on legitimate factors unrelated to the provider’s request. If the provider is merely attending the event, then travel expenses may not be reasonable or appropriate.

5.  Fit within a Safe Harbor
For services being provided to the event sponsor by the provider, aim to structure these arrangements to fall under the Personal Services Safe Harbor, which protects legitimate service arrangements from AKS liability if key conditions (like fair market value compensation) are met.

6.  Monitor frequency and value
Track how often providers attend these events and the value of what they receive. Multiple offers from the same vendor can signal a potential problem.

7. Educate your providers
Ensure providers understand the policy through regular training, onboarding education, and periodic reminders. A policy only works if it’s followed.

Final Thoughts

Vendor-sponsored educational events and consulting opportunities are common in healthcare, but they come with significant legal and ethical risks. By putting appropriate guardrails in your policy, educating providers, and monitoring offers, healthcare organizations can protect themselves—and their patients—from the dangers of improper influence.

Need help?
Download our free Policy Checklist from our Free Resources to evaluate or revise your organization’s approach to sponsored events at thehealthcarecompliancepod.com.