LeadingAge has urged the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to end the temporary hospice and home health moratoria in advance of the November expiration date. The association of nonprofit aging service providers recently submitted the request in a letter to CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. The six-month national moratoria on new home […]
Lynn Galbraith, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The Anaheim, California, former co-owner of Azure Hospice Care admitted to submitting more than $2.2 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for hospice services for patients who were not terminally ill, federal […]
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Fraud Division has designated home health and hospice as among its top enforcement priorities. The agency plans to use innovative data analysis to target fraud schemes in these industries, according to a Thursday memorandum. The agency plans to further crack down on healthcare fraud by increasing the headcount of […]
Two Nevada-based hospices are facing fraud allegations. In one case, a provider’s billing privileges have been revoked for the next decade. Meanwhile, a hospice physician has been indicted for their alleged involvement in a fraud scheme that bilked millions of Medicare dollars. Hospice Physician Indicted in $95M Kickback Scheme A Nevada-based physician has been indicted […]
Program integrity issues have heated up in the hospice industry in recent years, garnering negative public attention around end-of-life care delivery. Hospices are seeking ways to ensure strong access and sustainability as they weather the impacts. This Hospice News Elevate podcast features a conversation with Croí Health CEO Renee McInnes about the scope of fraudulent […]
A California-based physician was recently arrested after pleading guilty to charges of healthcare fraud. Dr. Sanjoy Banerjee, was a medical director for Fountain Hospice, based in Los Angeles. Two other medical directors at the hospice, Luis Artavia and Mark Samonte, also face charges for their alleged involvement in a fraud scheme that bilked more than […]
Over a two-week period, a state and federal initiative has charged 455 fraudsters who were involved in schemes totalling $6.5 billion in alleged false claims, according to the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ). About 90 physicians and other licensed medical professionals face charges. States such as California, Arizona and Nevada are among the regions facing hospice […]
U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) have introduced a new bill designed to establish a public reporting outlet that better connects consumers to regulatory fraud enforcement efforts. The ReportScams.gov Act, if enacted, would establish an online portal for Americans to report scams and receive help from law enforcement and federal agencies. The […]
Hospices are ramping up their compliance strategies to survive a regulatory onslaught aimed at stopping fraudulent activity in the industry. Fraudsters have increasingly stepped into certain geographic regions in recent years and obtained Medicare certifications. The program integrity issues have ignited a regulatory crackdown that has come with unintended consequences for some legitimate providers and […]
The California Department of Public Health has proposed emergency hospice regulations to address fraudulent activity in the state. The proposal includes the establishment of more stringent criteria to better evaluate the legitimacy of new hospice businesses. The emergency regulations, if implemented, would develop new evaluation processes for hospice Medicare license applications including qualifications of operating […]
