HHS OIG: Hospices Inappropriately Billed Medicare Over $250 Million for General Inpatient Care

Hospices billed one-third of general inpatient care (GIP) stays inappropriately, costing Medicare $268 million in 2012. Hospices were more likely to inappropriately bill for GIP provided in skilled nursing facilities than GIP provided in other settings. For-profit hospices were more likely than other hospices to inappropriately bill for GIP. HHS OIG also found that Medicare sometimes paid twice for drugs because they were paid for under Part D when they should have been provided by the hospice and covered under the hospice daily payment rate. Further, hospices did not meet all care planning requirements for 85 percent of GIP stays and sometimes provided poor-quality care.