Home Health & Hospice Week

San Diego Hospice filed for bankruptcy reorganization amid an extensive and ongoing investigation into its practice of admitting patients with more than six months left to live. At the same time, Scripps Health announced that it would purchase a hospice provider in the area, bringing fresh competition, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.

By the time San Diego Hospice filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, its patient count had dwindled from about 1,000 to only 450, the U-T says. The hospice’s downfall was its loose admissions policies, submitting claims for patients who were not likely to die within six months. Although the federal government has yet to specify an exact figure, San Diego Hospice expects to be forced to refund millions of dollars to Medicare.

San Diego Hospice is among the largest hospice and palliative care providers in the United States, providing not only care services but also education and fellowships, the U-T reports. Now, the hospice’s future is uncertain.