Medicare moratorium targets fraudulent hospice providers, not patient care

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have issued a six-month moratorium on new Medicare enrollment for hospices and home health agencies, but the move is designed to keep fraudulent providers out of the system.

Leadership at Hospice of Northwest Ohio said they support the moratorium because of fraudulent providers who have entered the system over the years. Those providers do not give the care they claim and then fraudulently bill Medicare or Medicaid.

The federal government is investigating fraudulent providers. The moratorium keeps them out but allows legitimate providers to continue operating.

“Ask questions to know the provider that you’re entrusting to the care of your loved one,” said Rick Russell of Hospice of Northwest Ohio. “Providers are out there taking advantage of misinformation. They’re taking advantage of confusion, provider confusion. So they’re using a very generic term, hospice. And they’re getting them to sign paperwork without a full understanding of what that means.”

The moratorium does not stop families from getting a loved one into a facility. Russell said there are plenty of legitimate providers in the area and across Ohio.

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