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 […]
The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Fraud Enforcement Division has established a new task force spanning several federal agencies to join the battle against hospice fraud. The DOJ has launched the West Coast Health Care Fraud Strike Force, which is a multi-district enforcement initiative. It unites the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Section with the […]
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 More than 280 licenses have been revoked among new hospice operators entering the state during the last two years, the governor reported on Tuesday.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 […]
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 […]
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). […]
A hospice operator in California has recently been sentenced to serve four years and nine months in prison for their involvement in a nearly $16 million fraud and money laundering scheme. Karpis Srapyan, 35, along with Petros Fichidzhyan and Juan Carlos Esparza, allegedly operated four sham hospice companies, which were allegedly owned by “foreign nationals,” […]
A joint effort by several federal agencies has resulted in the capture of parties responsible for, in aggregate, more than $14.6 billion in health care fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) coordinated the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown in concert with the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), several U.S. Attorney’s offices […]
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 […]
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has rejected the sale of Amedisys’ (Nasdaq: AMED) home health and hospice assets to BrightSpring Health Services Inc. (Nasdaq: BTSG) and The Pennant Group (Nasdaq: PNTG) as a remedy to an ongoing lawsuit. Amedisys earlier this month announced the divestiture of a number of its home health and hospice […]
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is prioritizing hospice as the agency cracks down on health care fraud. Increased reimbursement oversight could be on the horizon, lending to a potential rise in whistleblower cases. DOJ counts hospice claims among the root causes of rising Medicare costs in recent years, according to Lisa Miller, deputy assistant […]
