A nurse manager at hospice company AseraCare filed a federal False Claims Act suit against the company alleging that it enrolled patients in hospice care who did not meet the requirements for Medicare reimbursement and that the company coordinated its use of nursing care and hospice care to maximize reimbursements.  According to the allegations, the company would admit patients to a skilled nursing facility for the maximum amount of days for which Medicare provides full reimbursement and then subsequently admit those patients to hospice care.  The company has defended its actions, saying that “it is simply not possible to predict how patients will respond to challenging illnesses such as end-stage heart, lung and kidney disease, AIDS, and Alzheimer’s.” The government recently intervened in the case.

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