San Bernardino Hospice Fraud Lawyer

When you help an elderly loved one move into a nursing home or an assisted-living facility in San Bernardino or elsewhere in Southern California, you should be able to expect that the facility will focus on appropriate care for your loved one. Yet hospice fraud is increasingly becoming a serious problem in California, and older adults in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities are receiving unnecessary hospice care in lieu of medical treatment that is actually needed. If you have concerns about hospice fraud, you should get in touch with a San Bernardino hospice fraud lawyer who can provide you with more information and assess your case.

How does hospice fraud tend to occur in San Bernardino nursing homes and assisted-living facilities? In many cases, hospice fraud will begin with contact from a nursing home or assisted-living facility.

Much too often, a family member of an elderly nursing home resident or assisted-living facility resident will receive a call from an employee at the facility who says the elderly resident requires hospital care because of an illness. However, the facility employee will often say, going into the hospital for treatment can result in significant costs and the risk of losing the nursing home or assisted-living spot. Instead, the facility will suggest that hospice care is an option and will not cost any additional dollars because hospice care will be completely covered through Medicare or Medi-Cal. The facility’s intention is to profit from the hospice care through billing fraud (i.e., Medicare or Medi-Cal fraud), and/or to receive kickbacks from the hospice provider.

Hospice fraud can result in irreparable harm to older adults in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities who need medical treatment as opposed to palliative care.

By learning about when hospice care is appropriate, you may be able to avoid a scam involving hospice fraud in Southern California. If you have an elderly parent or other loved one who has been victimized by hospice fraud, you can seek help from a San Bernardino lawyer.

Hospice care is only appropriate for patients who have a terminal illness and when you have “exhausted all other treatment options,” according to the Mayo Clinic. If an older adult in a nursing home or assisted-living facility has an illness or disease that may be treatable, hospice care is not appropriate.

Do you have concerns about hospice fraud or questions about your options if you have an elderly loved one who has been the victim of hospice fraud? It may be possible to file a claim with help from an experienced hospice fraud attorney in San Bernardino. Our firm has years of experience serving older adults and their families in Southern California, and we can speak with you today about filing a hospice fraud claim. Contact the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group to learn more about how lawsuits against facilities work when hospice fraud has occurred.