Some home health and hospice agencies in California have received notification of payment suspension from CMS contractor Qlarant, which serves as a Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC) and assists CMS in identifying and addressing fraud, waste and abuse. 
 
Twenty-three home health agencies and 447 hospices received the notification in mid-April, according to law firm Foley & Lardner LLP. For hospices, these suspensions were related to each agency’s live discharge rate from all of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. Industry experts note that the threshold triggering the suspensions is currently unknown. 
 
Payment suspension began for notified agencies on April 15, 2026, and will remain in effect until Qlarant completes an investigation. Providers whose payment was suspended may also be asked to share their medical records with Qlarant.