California Doctor Stripped of Billing Privileges

A California doctor, Dr. Fariba Javaherian, has had her billing license revoked after submitting $35 million in claims to Medicare for hospice care in 2025. The revocation comes after an investigation by The Post uncovered a network of questionable billing practices linked to the physician.

Extensive Network of Hospice Affiliations

Dr. Javaherian is a registered dermatologist, but Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data shows she was associated with 63 hospice facilities across California in various capacities, including medical director and attending physician. Her National Provider Identifier (NPI) was used for 1,662 unique patients and appeared on over 6,000 claims totaling $35,816,331.

Massive Billing Volume Raises Concerns

Between January 1, 2018, and September 30, 2025, Dr. Javaherian’s NPI was used for more than 31,000 claims across 130 hospice agencies, amounting to over $173 million in billed charges. A hospice medical director told The Post that managing such a high volume of patients is “not physically possible to do a good job.”

CMS Response and Investigation

CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz stated, “‘Do no harm’ was ignored, and in its place, was a practice of devastating damage disguised as help.” CMS Spokesman Christopher Krepich confirmed the agency has been monitoring Dr. Javaherian’s activities and, in coordination with the Vice President’s Fraud Taskforce, revoked her Medicare enrollment and halted payments to affiliated providers.

License Suspensions Follow Reporting

At least 16 hospice agencies linked to Dr. Javaherian have had their licenses suspended following The Post’s reporting. CMS has also suspended these businesses from receiving Medicare funds.

Doctor Denies Wrongdoing, Claims Fraud

Dr. Javaherian denied working with 63 hospice agencies, claiming she is a victim of fraud and that her NPI was stolen through HospiceMD, a cloud-based electronic medical records platform. She alleges that agencies fraudulently bill Medicare under her name and then disappear.

HospiceMD Responds

HospiceMD CEO Sahaar Joseph stated the company is a third-party software vendor and does not manage hospice agencies or individual user accounts. The company complies with all lawful subpoenas and encourages reporting of fraudulent activity to government agencies.

Ongoing Investigations and Connections to Fraudulent Activity

The California Attorney General’s office has declined to comment on potential investigations. Dr. Javaherian is also linked to claims involving Domingo Barrientos, who pled guilty to health care fraud in 2024 and was sentenced to 63 months in prison. Both were listed as doctors at St. Teresa Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc., billing a combined $2.7 million.