[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 42, Volume 2]
[Revised as of October 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 42CFR415.60]

[Page 656]
 
                         TITLE 42--PUBLIC HEALTH
 
                             HUMAN SERVICES
 
PART 415--SERVICES FURNISHED BY PHYSICIANS IN PROVIDERS, SUPERVISING PHYSICIANS IN TEACHING SETTINGS, AND RESIDENTS IN CERTAIN SETTINGS--Table of Contents
 
   Subpart B--Fiscal Intermediary Payments to Providers for Physician 
                                Services
 
Sec. 415.60  Allocation of physician compensation costs.

    (a) Definition. For purposes of this subpart, physician compensation 
costs means monetary payments, fringe benefits, deferred compensation, 
and any other items of value (excluding office space or billing and 
collection services) that a provider or other organization furnishes a 
physician in return for the physician services. Other organizations are 
entities related to the provider within the meaning of Sec. 413.17 of 
this chapter or entities that furnish services for the provider under 
arrangements within the meaning of the Act.
    (b) General rule. Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this 
section, each provider that incurs physician compensation costs must 
allocate those costs, in proportion to the percentage of total time that 
is spent in furnishing each category of services, among--
    (1) Physician services to the provider (as described in 
Sec. 415.55);
    (2) Physician services to patients (as described in Sec. 415.102); 
and
    (3) Activities of the physician, such as funded research, that are 
not paid under either Part A or Part B of Medicare.
    (c) Allowable physician compensation costs. Only costs allocated to 
payable physician services to the provider (as described in Sec. 415.55) 
are allowable costs to the provider under this subpart.
    (d) Allocation of all compensation to services to the provider. 
Generally, the total physician compensation received by a physician is 
allocated among all services furnished by the physician, unless--
    (1) The provider certifies that the compensation is attributable 
solely to the physician services furnished to the provider; and
    (2) The physician bills all patients for the physician services he 
or she furnishes to them and personally receives the payment from or on 
behalf of the patients. If returned directly or indirectly to the 
provider or an organization related to the provider within the meaning 
of Sec. 413.17 of this chapter, these payments are not compensation for 
physician services furnished to the provider.
    (e) Assumed allocation of all compensation to beneficiary services. 
If the provider and physician agree to accept the assumed allocation of 
all the physician services to direct services to beneficiaries as 
described under Sec. 415.102(a), CMS does not require a written 
allocation agreement between the physician and the provider.
    (f) Determination and payment of allowable physician compensation 
costs. (1) Except as provided under paragraph (e) of this section, the 
intermediary pays the provider for these costs only if--
    (i) The provider submits to the intermediary a written allocation 
agreement between the provider and the physician that specifies the 
respective amounts of time the physician spends in furnishing physician 
services to the provider, physician services to patients, and services 
that are not payable under either Part A or Part B of Medicare; and
    (ii) The compensation is reasonable in terms of the time devoted to 
these services.
    (2) In the absence of a written allocation agreement, the 
intermediary assumes, for purposes of determining reasonable costs of 
the provider, that 100 percent of the physician compensation cost is 
allocated to services to beneficiaries as specified in paragraph (b)(2) 
of this section.
    (g) Recordkeeping requirements. Except for services furnished in 
accordance with the assumed allocation under paragraph (e) of this 
section, each provider that claims payment for services of physicians 
under this subpart must meet all of the following requirements:
    (1) Maintain the time records or other information it used to 
allocate physician compensation in a form that permits the information 
to be validated by the intermediary or the carrier.
    (2) Report the information on which the physician compensation 
allocation is based to the intermediary or the carrier on an annual 
basis and promptly notify the intermediary or carrier of any revisions 
to the compensation allocation.
    (3) Retain each physician compensation allocation, and the 
information on which it is based, for at least 4 years after the end of 
each cost reporting period to which the allocation applies.

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