Report 2021-123 Recommendation Responses
Report 2021-123: California Hospice Licensure and Oversight: The State's Weak Oversight of Hospice Agencies Has Created Opportunities for Large-Scale Fraud and Abuse (Release Date: March 2022)
Recommendation for Legislative Action
To ensure that Public Health appropriately addresses the complaints it receives, the Legislature should require it to do the following: Establish time frames within which Public Health must initiate and complete its investigations of hospice complaints.
Description of Legislative Action
AB 2673 (Chapter 797, Statutes of 2022) requires, upon receipt of a complaint, the department to make a preliminary review and, unless the department determines that the complaint is willfully intended to harass a licensee or is without any reasonable basis, it shall make an onsite investigation within 10 business days after receiving the complaint, except when the visit would adversely affect the licensing investigation or the investigation of other agencies including, but not limited to, law enforcement agencies. In either event, the complainant shall be promptly informed of the department's proposed course of action.
- Legislative Action Current As-of: January 2023