Los Angeles Hospice Fraud Lawyer

When you have an older parent in an assisted-living facility who requires additional medical care, you could hear from the facility about the possibility of placing your parent in hospice care to avoid a skilled nursing facility or a hospital setting even though your parent does not have a terminal illness. What should you think?

These circumstances are becoming relatively common, and they may involve hospice fraud perpetrated by assisted-living facilities and hospice providers. Before you make any decisions, you should seek advice from a lawyer. If your parent or other elderly loved one has already been placed in hospice care and you have concerns, you should seek advice from a Los Angeles hospice fraud lawyer as soon as possible.

In order to fully understand why hospice care is not a solution for an ill person who is not dying — and why fraud may be involved in such recommendations — it is important to understand what hospice care entails. According to the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA), hospice is a specific type of medical care “for people with an anticipated life expectancy of 6 months or less, when cure isn’t an option, and the focus shifts to symptom management and quality of life.”

Hospice care is typically “provided primarily where a person lives, where that is a private residence, nursing home, or community living arrangement, allowing the patient to be with important objects, memories, and family.” The Hospice Foundation of America also clarifies that hospice is a Medicare benefit and is covered by federal or state benefit programs, as well as by Medicaid in most states. According to the HFA, it is critical to understand that hospice is “not a replacement for nursing home care or other residential care.” Indeed, patients in hospice care do not receive curative treatments, and a patient’s health can deteriorate when she or he should not actually be in hospice.

How can you know if your elderly family member is being targeted in a hospice fraud scheme? Any of the following should be red flags that lead you to seek advice from a hospice fraud attorney in Los Angeles County:

• Patient could still receive curative treatments
• Patient is expected to live for more than six months based on current health
• Patient has been recruited for hospice care in any capacity
• Patient is not getting the medical care she, he or they need; and/or
• Patient’s health is deteriorating despite the fact that the patient should be improving.

To learn more about patients for whom hospice care is appropriate and inappropriate, you can explore information provided by the Hospice Foundation of America.

If you have concerns about hospice fraud, it may be possible to file a claim. One of our experienced hospice fraud attorneys in Los Angeles can speak with you today about your elderly loved one’s circumstances and the details of the case. Contact the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group today for more information.