Regulatory reform, better data and more state-federal and other stakeholder partnerships are necessary to combat health care fraud in the United States, including among hospices. This was a key message in a recent hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Hospice fraud has been rampant in certain states. Unscrupulous providers […]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has filed a civil rights complaint against U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, alleging that hospice fraud investigations in the state may be targeting certain racial communities. The complaint was recently filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to […]
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has provided an update on how the state is tackling fraudulent activity in the hospice space amid rising federal concerns. More than 280 licenses have been revoked among new hospice operators entering the state during the last two years, the governor reported on Tuesday. Despite the progress, state regulators and […]
State regulators and investigators have increasingly sharpened focus on alleged False Claims Act (FCA) violations among hospices. Greater oversight of both billing and tax reporting is anticipated in coming years that could carry potential impacts on how hospices do business. FCA cases often hinge on the question of patient eligibility for hospice care based on […]
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and other agency officials met with hospice and home health organizations in Nevada and California in efforts to combat fraud. Oz, CMS COO Kimberly Brant and Director for Medicare Chris Klomp paid a visit to Nathan Adelson Hospice in Nevada and […]
Six republican U.S. House of Representatives congressmen have penned a letter to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) urging stronger oversight amid rising fraud concerns in California. The letter was recently inked by Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), Dr. John Joyce (R-Pa.), Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Jason Smith (R-Mo.), […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are ramping up investigations into hospice fraud amid rising program integrity concerns in the space. Unscrupulous operators have increasingly targeted vulnerable aging populations, said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz during a recent press conference. The trend has resulted in […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a new initiative designed to help curb fraudulent billing and tax evasion tactics commonly used by unscrupulous hospice operators. The agency announced its new Fraud Tax Project, an effort to improve program integrity, in a recent letter to the U.S. Department of Health & […]
Two California-based individuals were recently sentenced to prison for their alleged involvement in a nearly $16 million hospice fraud and money laundering case. Juan Carlos Esparza, 33, and Susanna Harutyunyan, 39, were two of the five “foreign nationals” who allegedly operated four sham hospice companies in California, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should investigate home health and hospice fraud and reconsider the data behind the agency’s determination of home health payment rates. On Thursday, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) submitted a letter to CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz calling for CMS to thoroughly investigate fraudulent billing practices in Los […]
