(The Center Square) – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has advanced a motion to combat home health and hospice fraud.
The motion – which was approved Tuesday without discussion – directs the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to improve coordination between local, state and federal agencies that investigate and enforce fraud cases. The county is also calling on state and federal governments to strengthen oversight and enforcement.Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger are behind the motion, which coincides with what they call a “rise in fraudulent practices by some providers, including billing for care that was not delivered and enrolling patients using stolen identities.” The supervisors add that fraud puts patients at risk and undermines the health care system’s integrity.“Hospice and home health care are meant to protect and support some of our most vulnerable residents, making fraud in these sectors an especially serious breach of trust,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger told The Center Square Tuesday. “Los Angeles County cannot afford to let bad actors take advantage of gaps between local, state and federal oversight.”Barger added that strengthening coordination and accountability across all levels of government is “essential to safeguarding the patients and families who…..