Hospice Where Most Patients Survive Charged With Fraud
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite,
Federal authorities have arrested a California couple running a hospice accused of defrauding Medicare, in the latest crackdown on suspected end-of-life care scams. Gladwin and Amelou Gill, a physician and psychologist married to each other, co-own 626 Hospice in San Dimas. Prosecutors say the pair billed Medicare $7.45 million for patients who did not meet the criteria for hospice care, many of whom were still alive five years after enrollment.
Thursday’s arrests were part of a larger federal operation targeting 15 individuals, more than half allegedly connected to hospice fraud. U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said some suspects may have coordinated schemes from prison. The group also includes nurses and other health care workers, according to local reports.
The investigation comes as attention on the hospice industry intensifies, particularly in Los Angeles County. A 2022 state audit highlighted warning signs such as unusually high patient survival rates, low caseloads, overlapping staff across multiple companies, and offices hosting multiple hospice providers. CBS News found that more than 700 of the roughly 1,800 hospices in the county showed multiple red flags. Federal oversight agencies estimate that suspected hospice fraud in 2023 reached about $198 million. The House Oversight Committee has launched its own inquiry, questioning Gov. Gavin Newsom about the state’s supervision of hospices. Meanwhile, California has suspended new hospice licenses through early 2027 to improve oversight.
“These defendants signed up beneficiaries who were not terminally ill and paid them to act as hospice patients,” Essayli told ABC 7. “Medicare then paid out millions—hundreds of millions—on false and fraudulent claims submitted by these fraudsters.”
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