Hospices Misspent Millions in Covid Aid, Federal Watchdog Says

Selected hospices nationwide used millions of dollars of Covid-19 provider relief funding on unallowable expenses, a federal watchdog said.

An audit of 30 hospices by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released Thursday discovered six hospices claimed a total of $8.3 million of unallowable relief fund expenditures and inaccurately reported $1.5 million of lost revenues, and one hospice claimed $4 million in expenditures that may not have been allowable.

The HHS provided around $178 billion to eligible providers for health care-related expenses or lost revenue attributable to Covid-19 under its provider relief fund. According ...