CMS Imposes 6-Month Medicare Enrollment Freeze on Hospices, Home Health Agencies as Fraud Crackdown Widens
Updated
Updated · CMS · May 13
CMS Imposes 6-Month Medicare Enrollment Freeze on Hospices, Home Health Agencies as Fraud Crackdown Widens
10 articles · Updated · CMS · May 13
Six months of nationwide enrollment moratoria took effect for new Medicare hospice and home health providers, and the freeze also covers certain majority-ownership changes used to mask control by bad actors.
CMS said the move targets systemic fraud in two high-risk sectors and is meant to stop operators from evading scrutiny by shifting across state lines while investigators intensify data-driven reviews.
773 hospices and 23 home health agencies in Los Angeles alone have already had payments suspended, with $70 million frozen so far under the broader anti-fraud push.
Current Medicare providers can keep serving patients, but CMS said it will accelerate removals, site visits, tougher screening and claim reviews; with an earlier DMEPOS action, the agency now has 3 moratoria in place.
With a nationwide ban on new providers, how will the government ensure patients can still access essential home and hospice care?
Can AI truly stop billions in Medicare fraud, or will criminals just learn to outsmart the new digital gatekeepers?
Why has one county become a $3.5 billion hub for hospice fraud, and can the problem truly be solved nationwide?