A California physician who billed a whopping $35 million in hospice care to Medicare final 12 months has had her billing license revoked.
The Publish has uncovered a community of physicians who seem like driving tens of thousands and thousands of questionable billing in California’s hospice system.
Dr. Fariba Javaherian is a registered dermatologist, however in line with Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies (CMS) billing knowledge obtained by The Publish, she is related to 63 hospice services throughout California both as a medical director, attending doctor or in another capability.
The Nationwide Supplier Identifier (NPI) registered with Dr. Javaherian, a novel 10 digit quantity given to particular person healthcare suppliers, was used for 1,662 distinctive sufferers throughout the 63 hospice companies and appeared on greater than 6,000 claims that billed $35,816,331.
Following the Publish’s intensive investigation, CMS revoked Javaherian’s license to invoice Medicare.
When requested for remark about Javaherian’s suspension to invoice Medicare, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz informed The Publish, “‘Do no hurt’ was ignored, and as a substitute, was a follow of devastating harm disguised as assist.”
“Dr. Javaherian’s white coat was a dressing up,” Oz added. Javaherian shouldn’t be accused of any wrongdoing.
“Even in the event you’re full time, all you do is hospice, when you get to the 150, 175, 200 [patient] vary and past, that’s while you’re pushing it and taking part in with hearth,” a hospice medical director who operates a number of services within the state informed the Publish. “Present me a health care provider who has 225 sufferers beneath their care … it’s not bodily doable to do a great job.”
Between Jan. 1, 2018 and Sept. 30, 2025, Javaherian’s NPI was used for greater than 31,000 claims at 130 totally different hospice companies, totaling greater than $173 million.
“CMS has been carefully monitoring Dr. Fariba Javeherian’s illicit actions,” stated CMS Spokesman Christopher Krepich. “In coordination with Vice President Vance’s Fraud Taskforce and appearing on substantial proof gathered, CMS revoked Medicare enrollment for Javaherian and took motion to cease paying suppliers with which she was carefully affiliated with.”
CMS confirmed the dermatologist was tied to dozens of hospice companies throughout the state, at the least 16 of of which have now had their licenses suspended as a result of Publish’s reporting.
“In doing so, CMS has additionally suspended these companies related to Dr. Javaherian from receiving funds or invoice medicare for any companies,” Krepich added.
A spokesperson for California Lawyer Normal Rob Bonta stated his workplace “can’t touch upon, even to substantiate or deny, potential or ongoing investigations.”
Dr. Javaherian denied working for 63 hospice companies, as an alternative claimed she was a sufferer of fraud and that her NPI was stolen by means of HospiceMD — a cloud-based digital medical information and software program platform.
NPI numbers are public and sometimes straightforward to search out.
“I’ve been doing it for 12 years and I’ve seen so many issues and I’ve been calling right here and there, stopping them. I known as HospiceMD, they stated, ‘no, physician, you can’t deactivate your account,’” Javaherian informed The Publish. “Hospice ought to deactivate your account.”
Javaherian alleged HospiceMD began fraudulent hospice services beneath her title.
“They begin hospice beneath me, they cost Medicare, in a matter of six months they disappear. It’s been occurring,” she stated, including that she is “not on their payroll.”
HospiceMD CEO Sahaar Jospeh informed The Publish the corporate is a third-party medical software program vendor for hospice companies, and “doesn’t create or handle any hospice companies itself, nor does HospiceMD handle particular person consumer accounts related to these hospice companies.”
“HospiceMD takes fraud complaints critically and encourages people who consider their title and/or credentials have been used to commit fraud, to report such claims to applicable authorities companies answerable for investigating these claims,” Jospeh stated. “Additional, HospiceMD complies with all lawful subpoenas and search warrants.”
HospiceMD has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Specialists informed The Publish that they haven’t heard of an NPI being stolen to fraudulently invoice Medicare.
“I don’t know anyone, nor have I heard of an instance the place anyone stated my NPI was stolen and that’s the place fraudulent actions is coming from,” a medical director for a hospice firm informed The Publish, including that he would “scream from the rooftops” and do every part in his energy to clear his title, if that did occur.
Javaherian claims she works for less than seven hospice companies and that she does “drawback fixing” for a selected wage between $500 and $2,500 monthly.
“For particular cash, like inside 5 hundred, relying on what number of sufferers, I’ve to do drawback fixing,” Javaherian stated. “Each 5 minutes I get a name from a affected person. Affected person is getting higher, affected person has a bedsore, affected person fell down.”
She went on to say that her sufferers ceaselessly die, with a “minimal 4 to 5 deaths per day.”
“We aren’t gods, however they’re presupposed to die and my sufferers are dying. Medicare is aware of me, I’m very open with them,” Javaherian stated. “I’ve an workplace, I’ve my sufferers, and I keep up a correspondence with all of them.”
CMS informed The Publish it has no report of Javaherian contacting the company, and billing knowledge reveals her sufferers don’t seem like dying on the price she claims.
In 2025, at Throne and Kaplan — two hospice companies the place Javaherian is listed as the one physician — no sufferers died.
The dermatologist went on so as to add that she routinely contacts the California Division of Public Well being (CDPH) relating to potential fraudulent exercise involving her NPI in addition to the Los Angeles County District Lawyer’s Workplace.
“I’ve been in touch with Division of Well being each single month,” she stated. “I ship them record of my hospices and I electronic mail them, I name them and stated, ‘you guys shield me if there may be anybody utilizing my data behind my again to begin the hospice and put sufferers beneath my title,’ they know that.”
However when The Publish requested Javaherian if she might present a kind of month-to-month emails she sends to CDPH, she refused, and even declined to supply the names of the seven hospices the place she claims to work.
“I’m accomplished with you, I defined to you on the report. I’ve nothing else to say,” Javaherian informed The Publish.
There isn’t a requirement for medical doctors working at hospice services to ship the CDPH month-to-month updates.
When requested to substantiate whether or not Javaherian reported fraudulent exercise utilizing her NPI and if she sends routine emails, CPDH replied it’s “wanting into it and haven’t any additional remark right now.”
“The California Division of Public Well being (CDPH) takes any allegation of fraud or abuse inside the state’s licensed well being care services extraordinarily critically,” a spokesperson for the company stated. “Safeguarding the integrity of hospice companies is crucial to sustaining public belief and guaranteeing that sufferers obtain applicable, high-quality care.”
Javaherian additionally stated the DA’s workplace began an investigation into her claims that her identification was stolen, including that she has “been working with them” and has had “dialog with them.”
A supply on the DA’s workplace informed The Publish that Javaherian did contact the workplace in early March, however they haven’t been in a position to get again in contact since and there’s no investigation to the very best of their data.
Javaherian can also be listed on claims with Domingo Barrientos, who pled responsible in 2024 to conspiracy to commit well being care fraud and ordered to pay $10,123,260 in restitution. He was sentenced to 63 months in jail.
At St. Teresa Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. in Burbank, Javaherian and Barrientos are listed as the 2 medical doctors, billing $703,000 and $2.7 million, respectively.
At Consolation Days Hospice in Encino, Ca., Javaherian had 90 sufferers and filed greater than 700 claims for a complete of $4.2 million, whereas Barrientos charged taxpayers practically $300,000, in line with knowledge obtained by The Publish.
The licenses for each hospice services have been terminated in 2025 as a result of it failed to fulfill federal requirements to be a Medicare-certified supplier.
Though Javaherian was related to Barrientos, she has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Within the better LA space, there may be roughly $3.5 billion in house well being and hospice fraud every year, a supply informed The Publish.
