Hospice ‘license flipping’ still plagues sector, though regulations help

Hospice ‘license flipping’ still plagues sector, though regulations help 
Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 10/3/24  
“Shady” brokers allegedly continue to facilitate “license flipping” among fraudulent hospices, though new regulations have started bearing down on the practice. Soon after obtaining them, or before regulators can act on alleged malfeasance, according to several industry sources who spoke with Hospice News. The practice appears to stem from a rash of newly licensed hospices that have emerged in California, Nevada, Texas and Arizona – states identified by federal watchdogs as hotspots for hospice fraud. Many of these sales involve certain brokers who move the licenses between owners. “There’s a lot of shady people out there, and they put a high value on their agencies. Right now they’re selling like hot tamales from anywhere between $300,000 to $500,000 per license,” one former hospice leader told Hospice News on condition of anonymity. “They’re all done through the same brokers and the same people.”