A Ventura County, California, physician has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for Medicare fraud for medically unnecessary hospice services. Dr. Victor Contreras worked for two hospices in Pasadena California — Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc., and Saint Mariam Hospice Inc. The owner of those companies, Jaunita Antenor, is a co-defendant in the case. […]
A California hospice owner and a freelance marketer have been convicted of Medicare fraud, totaling $3.2 million, and anti-kickback statute violations. Nita Palma of Glendale, California, in 2025 purchased Magnolia Gardens Hospice through her daughter and concealed her ownership from Medicare, according to the U.S. Justice Department. Palma had previously been banned from the Medicare […]
Hospices have grown increasingly frustrated by fraudulent operators in the space and how their activities affect legitimate operators’ financial health. This is the second of a two-part Hospice News series that explores how fraud, waste and abuse in the hospice space could create headwinds for the industry at large. Fraudsters misspend millions of Medicare dollars […]
Fraudulent operators in the hospice space have misspent millions of Medicare dollars in recent years. This problem has become so severe that it has become one of the defining issues facing the hospice industry, with providers and other industry stakeholders expressing concern about significant impacts to future payment, access, sustainability and utilization. This is the […]
Two individuals in California have been arrested for their roles in a $54 million scheme to defraud Medicare for hospice and diagnostic testing. One of the alleged perpetrators, Sophia Shaklian, has been charged with 16 counts of health care fraud and four for transactional money laundering. A second, Alex Alexsanian, is charged with one count […]
Community Healthcare of Texas CEO Viki Jingle has kept her finger on the pulse of potential hospice fraud occurring in her home state. She and her colleagues recently brought a range of concerns to a discussion with Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) in Community Healthcare’s second meeting with the Congress member. Van Duyne has been […]
“Shady” brokers allegedly continue to facilitate “license flipping” among fraudulent hospices, though new regulations have started bearing down on the practice. Some hospice owners have been selling their licenses soon after obtaining them, or before regulators can act on alleged malfeasance, according to several industry sources who spoke with Hospice News. The practice appears to […]
Fraudulent operators’ marketing strategies are morphing the competitive landscape, making it difficult for legitimate hospice providers to maintain visibility among patients and families. A mounting concern is that fraudsters stepping into the hospice industry have been implementing marketing and outreach practices that at times mirror strategies utilized by quality providers, according to Jeanne Chirico, president […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expanding its enhanced oversight for new hospices in fraud-ridden states, including California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas. The agency in July 2023 first announced a “provisional period of enhanced oversight” for new hospices in those states. A key component of the enhanced oversight includes a medical […]
A federal court has sentenced Dr. John Thropay, a former medical director for several hospice companies, to 37 months in prison for his involvement in a $2.8 million hospice fraud scheme. Among the companies for which Thropay worked was Blue Sky Hospice, located in Van Nuys, California. Between 2014 and 2016, he allegedly certified patients […]
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