Stark, anti-kickback rulemaking underway at HHS

HHS is ramping up its work to overhaul Stark Law and anti-kickback regulations in what HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan characterized as a "sprint" to reform rules as part of the shift toward paying for value.The department hopes to have a notice of proposed rulemaking out on both Stark Law reform and new health system exceptions for the anti-kickback statute this year in what observers expect will be a long regulatory process.In a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Wednesday, Hargan said the department has a lot of ideas and possibly would conduct the rulemaking in two rounds.