i am a nephrologist considering entering into a joint venture w/ a hospital. hospital has approval already for outpatient dialysis. can the hospital be the approved operator while i retain the equity in the unit? thanks

Yes it can. It would be certified as a hospital based provider. If you intend to have equity, you will need a separate entity to be formed with the hospital which will purchase the assets of the facility. The new entity will need to operate under a new freestanding Medicare provider number. There are many variations on this theme, but this is the short answer.

As I read your question again, I'll add this: You can have equity in the unit (again, the unit is certified as a freestanding provider) and the hospital could be contracted as the operator/manager. This is a simple contract for management services. E-mail me at feigal@diac.com if you have any other questions.