2 Hospice Operators Plead Guilty on $16M Medicare Scam

Two hospice operators in California have pleaded guilty on fraud and money laundering charges.The pair submitted false Medicare claims totalling close to $16 million. The scheme involved several conspirators, all of whom have been convicted or have pleaded guilty. Petros Fichidzhyan, Juan Carlos Esparza and Karpis Srapyan allegedly operated four sham hospice companies, which were […]

Trump’s Budget Bill Could Lead to 6% Hospice Payment Sequestration

The Republican-driven “One Big Beautiful Bill,” recently signed into law, could trigger a higher percentage of hospice payment sequestration, as well as additional burdens on providers. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) currently sequesters hospice payments by 2%. However, the new law could result in a 4% increase. The key issue is […]

Hospice Leaders Bring Legislative Priorities to Congress

Preserving telehealth flexibilities, Medicare Advantage issues and the federal government’s looming hospice Special Focus Program were top of mind for hospice leaders from Texas during a recent visit to Capitol Hill. About 13 member organizations of the Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice (TAHC&H) recently attended more than 26 meetings with congressional lawmakers in […]

United Palliative & Hospice Care Accused of $87M Hospice Scam

Three women associated with Houston-based United Hospice & Palliative Care (UPHC) have been charged with Medicaid and Medicare fraud after allegedly bilking more than $87 million in federal health care funds. The trio includes UPHC owner Dera Ogudo, an UPHC employee Victoria Martinez and a psychiatric hospital employee, Evelyn Shaw, ABC-13 Houston reported. The prosecutor’s […]

Compliance Pitfalls in Addenda to the Hospice Election Statement

Regulatory challenges have been brewing for the past five years following the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) move to revamp requirements to the hospice election statement. CMS’ final rule for Fiscal Year 2020 included a new requirement that hospices, upon request, provide an addendum to election statements detailing the care, treatment and […]

CMS Exploring Prior Authorizations for Some Medicare Services

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is exploring prior authorizations within traditional Medicare for some services. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation is launching a demonstration program called the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model, aimed at applying advanced technology to prior authorization processes within traditional Medicare. “WISeR will harness enhanced […]

Guilty Plea Entered in ‘Massive’ $16M California Hospice Fraud Scheme

Mihran Panosyan of Winnetka, California, has pleaded guilty for his alleged involvement in a money laundering scheme that bilked Medicare of nearly $16 million.  Panosyan entered a guilty plea on Monday to charges of Medicare billing fraud and laundering more than $4.6 million through sham hospice companies, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department […]