Oz confirms that Medicare’s physician payments have been waived amid concerns about hospice fraud
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As allegations of widespread hospice fraud in Los Angeles County continue to intensify, one doctor has faced scrutiny after being tied to the Medicare claims of thousands of patients at multiple hospices.
Dr. Rajiv Bhuva is linked to Medicare claims for nearly 2,800 patients at all 126 California hospices by 2024, according to CBS News, which cited the last full year of data available. Bhuva is connected to more hospices than any other doctor, according to CBS News, which said that of the 126 hospices he was contacted about, 115 were in LA County.
CBS News has spent weeks delving into allegations of fraud running rampant in Los Angeles County. It found 742 of the nearly 1,800 hospice facilities in LA County displayed multiple red flags for fraud as defined by the state of California.
While the average California doctor treats about 140 patients a year, Bhuva’s numbers far exceeded that number, and CBS News found 2,791 terminally ill patient claims submitted with his name on them in 2024.
HOUSE COMMITTEE LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO ‘RAMPANT’ CALIFORNIA HOSPICE
A room is shown in the extended care unit at Valley Health Hampshire Memorial Hospital on June 17, 2025 in Romney, WV. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
These claims resulted in Medicare reimbursements of $71.7 million, according to CBS News. The outlet noted that only one other California doctor had received more Medicare reimbursements than Bhuva: Dr. Domingo Barrientos, whose return was $90.3 million. In 2024, Barrientos was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and is currently in federal prison.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has gone public about Medicare fraud in California, confirmed that Bhuva “had his ability to pay for Medicare revoked this past March.”
“To all the scammers out there stealing from our elders: run, don’t walk. Because we’re coming after you,” Oz wrote on social media.
Dr. Kristina Newport, chief medical officer at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, told CBS News that Bhuva will have a “superhuman schedule” to interact with the number of patients he is connected to in a “beneficial way.”
Bhuva has not been charged yet, but the number of claims filed in his name, which includes thousands of patients and more than 120 hospices, is staggering.
Stock photo of a hospice nurse visiting an elderly patient receiving hospice care. (Stock)
THE VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK FORCE HAS SERVED 221 CALIFORNIA HOSPITATION AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS TO DATE.
In 2022, California state auditors warned that working for more than three hospice providers at the same time could be an indicator of fraud.
“This approach of certain managers who are said to be working for a number of hospices raises questions as to whether they participate in the operation of any of those institutions,” reads the auditor’s report.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office responded to a clip of the CBS News report, saying it was a federal issue, not a state issue.
“TRUTH: The state has no role in Medicare billing or the payment process. We are glad that the Trump Admin is taking action against fraud. Now, if Trump would stop pardoning fraudsters-and those involved-that would be great!,”Newsom’s press office wrote in X.
Although the state does not process Medicare payments, it licenses hospice providers, effectively determining which organizations can enroll in the state program and which taxpayers pay. State auditors have previously warned that “California’s lax controls have created an opportunity for massive fraud and abuse.”
Recently, Fox News Digital learned that an anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance has stopped 221 providers in Los Angeles for alleged fraud. This includes a number of providers who are being attacked by government authorities.
“The Administration’s War on Fraud continues to pay off as more arrests occur and fraudsters face justice for defrauding hard-working Americans and stealing their tax dollars and social services,” spokeswoman Vance told Fox News Digital. “The Vice President and his team are proud of these latest figures and expect to see this number continue to grow at an incredible rate.”
Several suspects are charged with defrauding a $50 million hospice operation in Los Angeles. (FBI)
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services and Bhuva’s office for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo and Preston Mizell contributed to this report.
