Home Health & Hospice Week
Kickbacks Lead To Jail Time for California HH And Hospice Owner
First defendant sentenced in $2 million fraud case. Commit the crime, do the time — 18 months, specifically, for the owner of three home health and hospice agencies in the Sacramento area. Liana Karapetyan and her husband Akop Atoyan, owners of ANG Health Care Inc., Excel Home Healthcare Inc., and Excel Hospice Inc., paid and directed others to pay kickbacks to multiple individuals for beneficiary referrals, the Department of Justice notes in a release. The kickback recipients included John Eby, a registered nurse who worked for a hospital; Anita Vijay, the director of social services at a skilled nursing and assisted living facility; Anita’s husband Jai Vijay; and Mariela Panganiban, another SNF director of social services. Medicare paid the agencies at least $2 million for services purportedly provided to beneficiaries referred in exchange for kickbacks, the DOJ says. All six defendants have pleaded guilty in the case. A federal judge has sentenced Karapetyan to 18 months in prison, the DOJ says. The other five await sentencing, although Atoyan has already been ordered to repay $5 million.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Reimbursement:
HHAs Mobilize To Ward Off Punishing 4.2% Medicare Pay Cut
New legislation could save agencies from a $1.33 billion cut — for now. Home health [...] - Hospice:
Final Rule Ups Hospice Rate Increase To 3.8% — But That’s Still Not Enough
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Finalized Wage Index Fix Falls Short
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Hospice SFP Program Plows Ahead
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HOPE Tool Proceeds On Testing Front
CAHPS star ratings arrive next month. Medicare continues to work diligently on an assessment tool [...] - Industry Notes:
Kickbacks Lead To Jail Time for California HH And Hospice Owner
First defendant sentenced in $2 million fraud case. Commit the crime, do the time — [...] - Industry Notes:
Guide Patients With MSP Website
If you have patients who are struggling financially, you may be able to steer them [...] - Industry Notes:
Check Out New Good Faith Estimate Resource For No Surprises Act Help
You have access to a new tool to help you cover your No Surprises Act [...] - Industry Notes:
Private Equity's Hospice Dealings Under The Public Microscope, Again
Private equity firms’ investments in the hospice market are continuing to draw scrutiny, this time [...] - Industry Notes:
Health System Closes HHA, But Entertains Future Reopening
Jennie Stuart Health is the latest health system to close its home health agency’s doors. [...] - Industry Notes:
Venerable RI Agency Restructures
Visiting Nurse Home & Hospice in Newport, Rhode Island, is undertaking “cost reduction and reorganization [...] - Industry Notes:
IRS, State Attorney General Drop The Hammer In 2 Home Care Cases
Medicare fraud isn’t the only kind of fraud home care providers can get busted for. [...]
