Not long ago, a Ventura County family called Livingston for help. Their loved one was enrolled with another hospice but had not received a visit from one of its nurses in more than three weeks.
Consider what those weeks must have felt like. The family had made one of the most difficult decisions it would ever face. Instead of focusing on their loved one, they were left wondering when help would come and whether anyone was paying attention.
That’s the human cost of hospice fraud and neglect. It’s not only money improperly billed to Medicare. It’s pain that may go unmanaged, calls that go unanswered and precious time consumed by fear and frustration.
For most families, hospice is unfamiliar territory they may navigate only once or twice. The decision often comes amid fear, exhaustion and anticipatory grief. People at that moment should be met with honesty and…
This category refers to crimes committed by employees or insiders against their own organizations. It is often the most damaging because the perpetrator has authorized access to systems.
- Asset Misappropriation: The most common form, involving the theft of company resources. This ranges from simple “skimming” (taking cash before it’s recorded) to complex schemes involving the theft of inventory or intellectual property.
- Payroll Fraud: Employees may create “ghost employees” on the system, falsify their own timesheets to claim unworked overtime, or divert salary payments to their own accounts.
- Financial Statement Fraud: Management deliberately misrepresents the company’s financial health by inflating revenue or hiding liabilities to attract investors or meet performance bonuses.