DOJ Announces Settlement in Hospice Fraud Allegations

DOJ Announces Settlement in Hospice Fraud Allegations

Introduction

Gentiva, the successor to Kindred at Home, has agreed to pay $19.428 million to settle allegations of submitting false claims for hospice services at multiple U.S. locations, including South Bend.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that the settlement addresses claims that Kindred at Home and related entities knowingly submitted false claims and retained overpayments for hospice services provided to patients who were not terminally ill and, therefore, ineligible for hospice benefits under Medicare and other federal health care programs.

Gentiva’s hospice operations, based in Atlanta, include entities that previously operated under names such as Avalon, Kindred, SouthernCare, and SouthernCare New Beacon. The settlement involves specific hospice locations in South Bend, Indiana; Warwick, Rhode Island; Beaumont, Texas; Independence, Missouri; Demopolis, Alabama; Daphne, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; and Youngstown, Ohio.

The Justice Department emphasized the importance of the Medicare hospice benefit for vulnerable patients and reaffirmed its commitment to preventing exploitation of the program for financial gain. Additionally, the settlement resolves allegations that these entities knowingly concealed or avoided their obligations to repay the government for improper hospice claims.

The case highlights the Justice Department’s ongoing efforts to protect the integrity of federal health care programs and ensure that hospice benefits are used appropriately.