An experienced hospice operator has defended the industry, but acknowledged fraud exists.
But Kevin Tutunjian, founder of In the Arms of Grace Hospice in 2011, a completely legitimate, community-based organization in Los Angeles said the issues are ”nuanced” and many in the industry are legitimate and hard-working.
“Blatant fraud is someone who just bills Medicare without the individual knowing. That is one thing,” Tutunjian said.
“But there are organizations trying to do the right thing, but maybe they are just are ill-equipped to deliver quality care for whatever reason.”
Tutunjian told The Post that fraud does exist, but he doubts it’s anywhere in the billions. He called on authorities to consult the industry more when working out how to tackle claims of widespread fraud in the industry.
“I think if you came here like five years ago, maybe that would have been appropriate. But I think now it might not be the same,” He said, adding that he is specifically talking about hospice, and not home health.
In 2022 Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation placing a moratorium on new hospice licenses.
Tutunjian, who is also a long time California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA) board member, said by that time too many licenses had already been issued and created the perception of widespread fraud.
“Why did we issue so many licenses and then turn around and say, look how many hospices there are — they’re all committing fraud,” he said.
California has 2,836 licensed hospice agencies, with more than 1,800 in Los Angeles alone, according to a 2022 state audit report — by comparison New York had 43 and Florida had 44.
In 2019, Los Angeles County had six times the national average number of hospice agencies relative to its aged population.
Tutunjian said the focus, however, should be on educating the public on how to identify a compliant and high-quality hospice — starting with accreditation and having strong quality and compliance programs.
He added that families need to ask the right questions when evaluating a hospice, including finding what services are whether they provide any ancillary or specialty programs.
“Do they have a volunteer program? Do they have a bereavement care program? All of this is essential in evaluating the quality of a program,“ Tutunjian said. “It goes back to educating the public and the consumer on the right questions to ask.”
As Dr. Oz ramps up his investigation into California’s health sector, Tutunjian said he hopes organizations like his, that are on the frontlines, will be included in crafting solutions to prevent further waste, fraud and abuse.
“Providers and stakeholders need to be at the table, we need to be a part of the conversation, and we need to be a part of the solution,” he said.