Prominent hospice agrees to pay $3.2M in false claims case

FORT MYERS — Hope Hospice, one of the largest and most prominent end-of-life care facilities in the region, has agreed to pay $3.2 million to resolve a federal false Medicare claims case.

The allegations against Hope Hospice, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office, also include knowingly submitting false claims to Medicaid and TRICARE, a military insurance program. For all three programs, authorities contend Hope Hospice, a nonprofit with annual revenue of about $112 million, submitted false claims for care it provided to beneficiaries who were not terminally ill, and thus did not qualify for the service. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, the release states, and there has been no determination of liability or determination of wrongdoing.