A startling case out of California is raising fresh concerns about fraud in the U.S. health care system and how easily it can disrupt patients’ access to care.
During a recent congressional hearing (1), Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association, described what she says is widespread abuse in the hospice industry. Her testimony highlighted cases of “phantom” providers, organizations that appear legitimate on paper but don’t actually operate in any meaningful way.
“You’d be amazed at how many hospices … You can walk up to the door in California, and there is nobody there,” Clark told lawmakers. “There are five months’ worth of mail stacked up, and nobody’s there. And that passed a survey. How did that happen?”
In one striking example, she questioned how a hospice could be registered at what appeared to be a burrito stand or even a tire…
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