Gift Card Bribes

Is giving out gift cards to receptionists, MAs and prior auth staff normal in the SP world as way to get scripts? Is it legal? Seeing lots of gift cards being passed out as bribe to use certain SP. Do doctors know or even care? If it's not legal and SP and office breaking some compliance law how do they get away with it? Happening all over Southeast.

 

It's not even done on down-low anymore. Anti-kickback violation, Sunshine Act, the list goes on. There are some really good SP reps that don't go down that road but majority do. Gift cards, boozy dinners with the female "nurse," it's no secret. Southern states it's bad, NY, NJ. It's slimy as F**k.

 

Most SP reps don't. I know of the LA optum manager who got promoted by growing his business in just this manner. On the DL he would tell his reps how he was successful with his methods. He was investigated by compliance ,some how made it out alive & and still managing the southeast.