By Molly Corbett, President & CEO of Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association –
Not long ago, a Ventura County family called Livingston for help. Their loved one was enrolled
with another hospice but had not received a visit from one of its nurses in more than three weeks.
Consider what those weeks must have felt like. The family had made one of the most difficult
decisions it would ever face. Instead of focusing on their loved one, they were left wondering
when help would come and whether anyone was paying attention.
That’s the human cost of hospice fraud and neglect. It’s not only money improperly billed to
Medicare. It’s pain that may go unmanaged, calls that go unanswered and precious time
consumed by fear and frustration.
For most families, hospice is unfamiliar territory they may navigate only once or twice. The
decision often comes amid fear, exhaustion and anticipatory grief. People at that moment should
be met with honesty and compassion, not treated as billing opportunities.
At its best, hospice can be a gift. It provides comfort, dignity and symptom management while
helping patients live as fully as possible. It supports families, too, giving them more time and
space to be present with the person they love.
I believe that’s what makes the growing evidence of hospice fraud particularly heartbreaking.
Federal officials recently suspended payments to approximately 800 hospices and home health
agencies suspected of fraud in Los Angeles alone. Those providers accounted for $1.4 billion in
Medicare spending last year, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In
May, the agency also temporarily paused new Medicare enrollment for hospices and home health
agencies nationwide while it investigates suspicious providers and removes bad actors.
The moratorium does not prevent established hospices from accepting eligible patients, and
families should not delay needed care because of it. But the scale of the enforcement action
should prompt every family to ask questions before choosing a provider.
This is not a distant problem. Agencies based outside Ventura County solicit patients here, and
dishonest operators can evade detection by shifting their operations across county lines. They do
not limit themselves to one community or demographic. They exploit people at one of the most
vulnerable times in their lives.
Fraud can take several forms. A provider may enroll someone who is not terminally ill, bill for
services never delivered or accept a patient and then provide little or no care. Some people do not
realize they have been enrolled in hospice until they seek other medical treatment.
No family should be pressured to sign hospice paperwork. If you’re uncertain whether your
loved one qualifies, pause and speak with a trusted physician. Ask where the hospice’s office and
clinicians are located. Find out who its medical director is, how quickly a nurse can reach your
home and what support is available at night and on weekends. A trustworthy hospice will answer
those questions without hesitation.
Use Medicare’s Care Compare https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?providerType=Hospice
to confirm that the hospice participates in Medicare and review its available quality information.
A lack of public data does not automatically indicate wrongdoing, but it should prompt more
questions.
Families also have rights. Patients may change hospice providers or end hospice care. Review
Medicare statements to ensure every listed service was received. Report unfamiliar charges or an
enrollment you did not authorize to Medicare.
I’ve seen how deeply fraud harms people who are already vulnerable. One man told a clinician
on our palliative care team that he felt bullied into enrolling with a hospice he did not want and
he was not even eligible for hospice per Medicare’s guidelines. We also hear from families
whose hospice stopped answering calls, disconnected its telephone or simply disappeared.
The harm extends beyond those directly affected. These experiences can erode trust in hospice
altogether, causing families to miss care that could bring comfort, dignity and support.
At Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association, we’ve served this community since 1947,
and we believe quality care and careful compliance are inseparably linked. As a nonprofit, we
answer to our community, not shareholders. Putting patients before profits is not a slogan, it’s an
obligation to our neighbors, friends and families. Our history is more than a point of pride. It’s a
promise that we’ll be here when families call.
We’re not alone. Ventura County has several established hospices providing trusted,
compassionate care. Ask questions. Take your time. Expect transparency. Choose a provider
with qualified local clinicians and demonstrated commitment to patients and families.
Hospice fraud is real, and we must confront it. So is the extraordinary good that trustworthy
hospice teams provide every day. With stronger oversight and families who have good
information, we can protect that care and ensure hospice remains what it was always meant to
be: comfort, dignity and help when people need it most.
Corbett is president and CEO of Ventura-based Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association.
She joined Livingston in 2018 and became its CEO in 2023. Founded in 1947, Livingston has
served Ventura County for nearly 79 years and is the county’s only nonprofit home health and
hospice agency. For more information, call (805) 642-0239.
