Home Health & Hospice Week
Physicians Convicted For Sham Hospice Certs, Kickbacks
Following a two-week trial in federal court, a jury convicted two California physicians of falsely certifying patients for hospice, the Department of Justice says in a release.
Sri Wijegoonaratna and Boyao Huang certified as terminal patients served by Covinabased California Hospice Care in an alleged $8.8 million Medicare scam, prosecutors said. CHC owner Priscilla Villabroza and her daughter paid patient recruiters for patients, had CHC nurses perform bogus assessments for them, and had the physicians falsely certify them in exchange for kickbacks. Wijegoonaratna also recruited patients for kickbacks. Then CHC personnel altered medical records when the hospice was audited by Medicare, prosecutors said.
Four other defendants in the scheme, including Villabroza, have pled guilty. Villabroza faces sentencing in June and the doctors are scheduled for sentencing in August.
Home Health & Hospice Week
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Physicians Convicted For Sham Hospice Certs, Kickbacks
Following a two-week trial in federal court, a jury convicted two California physicians of falsely [...] - Industry Note:
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