California's Hospice Fraud

Vance anti-fraud task force charges 15 people in $50M+ California hospice fraud scheme

Federal prosecutors have charged 15 people in Southern California in connection with a wide-ranging scheme that allegedly defrauded Medicare of more than $50 million through sham hospice operations, authorities said April 2.

Eight defendants — including nurses, a chiropractor, and a purported psychologist — were arrested in coordinated raids across the Los Angeles area, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors allege the defendants operated fraudulent hospice companies that enrolled patients who were not terminally ill and billed Medicare for unnecessary or nonexistent services. In some cases, beneficiaries were recruited with monthly cash payments to sign up for hospice care, according to court documents.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a plan to review every hospice in California by the end of the year, along with a nationwide moratorium on certain medical equipment tied to fraudulent billing, according to FOX.

Read more... all thanks to the initital investigation by Nick Shirley.