WASHINGTON – Physicians with an ownership interest in specialty hospitals could be barred from referring patients to these facilities if a bipartisan amendment gets added to the final Medicare prescription drug benefit legislation. The amendment, sponsored by Sens. John Breaux (D-Louisiana), Don Nickles (R-Oklahoma), and Blanche Lincoln (D-Arkansas), got a boost late last month with a General Accounting Office (GAO; Washington) report that confirmed what the senators suspect: specialty hospitals such as those focused on cardiovascular care negatively impact services provided by general hospitals.