US EditionCalifornia Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Hospice Fraud
Fifteen hospices registered to one virtual office suite in Van Nuys collected $12.3 million from Medicare and Medi-Cal in 2023-2024, raising significant fraud concerns.
- On June 18, 2020, 15 hospices were registered to Suite 205 at 14545 Friar St., later collecting $12.3 million from Medicare and Medi‑Cal in 2023–2024.
- The property and address at Merabi Professional Medical Plaza advertised virtual offices for $99 per month, with suite letters A–P used to create distinct listings, according to property owner Kambiz Merabi.
- Inspectors found immediate jeopardy at one provider when Patient 9 was ambulatory and five patients risked losing eligibility; that hospice received $1.3 million from Medicare in 2023.
- Federal and state agencies have decertified providers and are pursuing records as CMS recently froze payments to 10 tenants and decertified three hospices, while California Attorney General Rob Bonta called fraud rates "unacceptable."
- The regional hospice count climbed sharply between 2018 and 2024, rising from 722 to 1,799 in the five‑county Greater Los Angeles area, while CMS instituted the 36‑month rule and engaged industry stakeholders in 2024.
39 Articles
39 Articles
California’s ‘Ground Zero’ for Fraud Exposed as Dozens of Fake Hospice Companies Found in LA Office Building
by Frank Bergman, Slay News: Investigators are sounding the alarm over a nondescript office building in Los Angeles being described as California’s “ground zero” of large-scale hospice fraud. It comes as investigators uncover alarming patterns tied to taxpayer-funded healthcare programs in the state. The Merabi Professional Medical Plaza in Van Nuys, a 32,000-square-foot building, has reportedly been […]
The Epoch Times
The Constitution StudyCalifornia Faces Scrutiny Over Hospice Fraud–What to Know
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, posted an Instagram video this week detailing ongoing fraud among hospice and health care facilities in Los Angeles County. Investigations have focused on Los Angeles County, where officials said state regulators did little to stop fraud. Investigators believe the start of the hospice fraud can be traced as far back as 2010. “The normalization of hospice fraud in Ca…
'WOW!' CBS goes full Nick Shirley in California · American Wire News
CBS News is being accused of going “full Nick Shirley” after reporting on alleged Medicare hospice fraud in California. “There’s a stretch in Los Angeles with 500 registered hospice companies within just three miles of each other. And 89 in a single building,” the network said in sharing its video on X. “But when we visited, we found empty offices, piled-up mail, and phone lines dead.” “Medicare hospice fraud can happen in a few different ways,”…
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