Home Health & Hospice Week
HHA Owner Draws 20 Years
A Miami home health agency owner has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice says in a release. Rafael Arias was also ordered to pay $66.4 million in restitution and to forfeit the gross proceeds traced to the $66 million Medicare home health fraud scheme. Arias admitted that between December 2007 and September 2015, he owned and operated more than 20 HHAs; concealed that ownership; paid kickbacks and bribes to patient recruiters; and submitted false claims for patients who weren't eligible and/or didn't receive services. Three other defendants in the case already pled guilty and were sentenced for the scheme. Patient recruiter and HHA co-owner Aylen Gonzalez received a 15-years prison sentence; patient recruiter and HHA co-owner Ana Gabriela Mursuli Caballero received a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence; and Rafael Cabrera, who participated in laundering and concealing the fraud proceeds, received a nearly six-year prison sentence.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Reimbursement:
MedPAC Report Urges Congress To Cut Home Health Pay By 5%
Expect 14.4 percent profit margin for 2018. Home health agencies would see cuts on top [...] - Know Your Facts:
Number Of HHAs, Episodes Fell In 2016
Drop in agencies occurred in fraud-prone areas, MedPAC says. Law- and policymakers are basing their [...] - Payment:
MedPAC Continues To Push Unified Post-Acute PPS
Under PAC PPS, home health stays would see downward adjustment. While home care providers may [...] - Hospice:
Rebounding Hospice Stats Underlie Rate Freeze Rec
Number of providers climbed 4%. Although spring is here, hospices are still feeling the chill [...] - Utilization:
RN Visits Tick Up Under Payment Reform
Social worker visits remain virtually unchanged under SIA policy. The jury is still out on [...] - Lawsuits:
Patient Steering Suit Ruling May Open Door To More Legal Action
Hospital-based agencies should review their processes, attorneys advise. A patient steering lawsuit filed by a [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
Beware Bumped Up Penalties In Budget Law
The Bipartisan Budget Act did more than change Medicare reimbursement. Get to know the substantial [...] - Industry Note:
Get Your First Look At OASIS-D
CMS has released new document. The first step to preparing for your new OASIS tool [...] - Industry Note:
MAC Survey Underway
Take the opportunity to grade your HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor. "The 2018 MAC Satisfaction Indicator [...] - Industry Note:
Don't Miss Preview Reports
You can check out your latest Hospice Compare preview reports now in your CASPER folder. [...] - Industry Note:
2 New Quality Measures Out
You have a little over a month to comment on two new quality measures regarding [...] - Industry Note:
IMPACT Act Call Scheduled
Tune in to a Medicare Special Open Door Forum on the IMPACT Act and improving [...] - Industry Note:
OH Hospice Buy Planned
Columbus, Ohio-based Stonehenge Partners Inc. has acquired Queen City Hospice and Capital City Hospice, reports [...] - Industry Note:
Chain Acquires In South
Encompass Health Corp. has agreed to acquire Birmingham, Alabama-based Camellia Healthcare and affiliated entities. Camellia, [...] - Industry Note:
Hospice Settles For $1.2M
A for-profit hospice chain and its CEO have agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle [...] - Industry Note:
HHA Owner Draws 20 Years
A Miami home health agency owner has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, the [...] - Industry Note:
Therapy Fraud Unsealed
The fraud crackdown in Miami continues. Co-owners of home health agency Florida Patient Care Corp., [...]
