As allegations of widespread hospice fraud in Los Angeles County continue to intensify, one physician has faced scrutiny after being tied to Medicare claims for thousands of patients across dozens of hospices.

Dr. Rajiv Bhuva has been linked to Medicare claims for nearly 2,800 patients across 126 California hospices in 2024, according to CBS News, which cited the last full year of available data. Bhuva is connected to more hospices than any other doctor, according to CBS News, which said that out of the 126 hospice companies where claims have been connected to him, 115 are in LA County.

CBS News has spent weeks doing a dive into alleged rampant hospice fraud in Los Angeles County. It found 742 hospice facilities out of the approximately 1,800 in LA County showed multiple red flags for fraud as defined by the state of California.

While the average California hospice doctor cares for approximately 140 patients annually, Bhuva’s numbers far exceeded that number, with CBS News finding 2,791 claims for terminally ill patients were submitted with his name on them in 2024.

HOUSE COMMITTEE LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO ‘RAMPANT’ CALIFORNIA HOSPICE FRAUD

The claims resulted in $71.7 million in Medicare reimbursements, according to CBS News. The outlet noted that only one other California doctor had received more Medicare reimbursements than Bhuva: Dr. Domingo Barrientos, whose reimbursements totaled $90.3 million. In 2024, Barrientos was convicted of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and is currently in federal prison.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has been outspoken about Medicare fraud in California, confirmed that Bhuva “had his ability to bill Medicare revoked this past March.”

“To all the fraudsters out there stealing from our seniors: run, don’t walk. Because we’re coming after you,” Oz wrote on social media.

Dr. Kristina Newport, chief medical officer at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, told CBS News that Bhuva would “have a superhuman schedule” to work with the number of patients he’s been connected to “in a meaningful way.”

Bhuva has not been charged with a crime, but the number of claims tied to his name, which span thousands of patients and over 120 hospices, has raised eyebrows.

VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK FORCE SUSPENDS 221 CALIFORNIA HOSPICE AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS SO FAR

In 2022, California’s state auditors warned that working for more than three hospice providers at one time would be an indicator of fraud.

“This pattern of individual administrators supposedly working for a large number of hospice agencies raises questions about whether they are actually participating in the operations of any or all of those agencies,” the auditor’s report reads.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom‘s office responded to a clip of CBS News’ reporting, saying that it was a federal matter, rather than a state issue.

“FACT: The state has no role in the Medicare billing or payment process. We are glad the Trump Admin is taking action to combat fraud. Now, if Trump could stop pardoning fraudsters—and hold them accountable—that would be great!,” Newsom’s press office wrote on X.

While the state does not process Medicare payments, it does license hospice providers, effectively determining which organizations can enroll in the federal program and bill taxpayers. State auditors have previously warned that California’s “weak controls have created the opportunity for large-scale fraud and abuse.”

Recently, Fox News Digital learned that an anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance suspended 221 providers in Los Angeles due to suspected fraud. This included a number of providers who were raided by federal authorities.

“The Administration’s War on Fraud once again yields results as more suspensions take place and fraudsters face justice for ripping off hard-working Americans and stealing their tax dollars and social services,” a Vance spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The Vice President and his task force are proud of these latest figures and expect to see this number continue to grow dramatically.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services and Bhuva’s office for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo and Preston Mizell contributed to this report.

Michigan Democrat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for U.S. Senate, doubled down on his decision to campaign with controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker while taking a swing at podcaster Joe Rogan.

When asked whether he would disavow Piker’s controversial statements, El-Sayed declined, and instead took aim at Rogan.

“I’m not here to disavow people’s views. I’m here to have a conversation about how to get money out of politics, put money back in pockets, and pass Medicare for all. That’s the conversation that folks are here to listen to,” El-Sayed said. “This whole gotcha game, platform policing, cancel culture, I thought we were over it. I thought that we lived through the whole discourse of ‘should have gone on Rogan,’ and there’s a lot that I would look at, but Rogan said that I’d disavow, and I’d still go on his show.”

DEM SENATE PRIMARY ERUPTS IN KEY STATE AS CANDIDATE TEAMS UP WITH RADICAL STREAMER: ‘AMERICA DESERVED 9/11’

It is unclear whether El-Sayed has been asked to appear on Rogan’s podcast. However, the Michigan Democrat has previously spoken about the regret that some expressed after then-Vice President Kamala Harris lost the 2024 presidential election, with many saying that she should have agreed to appear on Rogan’s show. Many credited President Donald Trump‘s willingness to appear on unconventional podcasts such as “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “Flagrant” for his win, saying the interviews helped him reach a wider audience.

Rogan has been painted as a controversial due to his political views and statements on health issues, such as his stance on the COVID-19 vaccination. He was criticized for using Ivermectin to treat his COVID-19, with many critics referring to the medication as a horse dewormer.

“The Joe Rogan Experience” is the number one podcast on Spotify, followed by “Good Hang with Amy Poehler” and “This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von.”

WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY ONLINE AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS

El-Sayed made the argument about Piker that many made about Rogan, saying that the Twitch streamer could help him reach a wider and younger audience. He scheduled two appearances with the streamer, which took place at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.

Piker is no stranger to controversy. The Twitch streamer has faced backlash for comments that many have claimed are anti-American and antisemitic. Piker, who was raised a Muslim, has repeatedly rejected claims he is antisemitic and often says he has used his platform to fight it despite what critics say about his rhetoric.

The Twitch streamer infamously said that “America deserved 9/11,” though he later said the remark was “inappropriate.” He was later criticized for downplaying mass rapes carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, saying it “doesn’t matter if f—— rapes happened on October 7. It doesn’t change the dynamic for me.”

Piker has recently become a point of division within the Democratic Party. Some candidates have chosen to campaign with him while others warn that legitimizing him gives Republicans political fodder. El-Sayed faced criticism when his events with Piker were announced, with ADL Michigan Regional Director Elyssa Schmier calling the decision “another example of the growing normalization of extreme anti-Zionism in mainstream spaces.”

Fox News Digital reached out to El-Sayed’s team and Rogan’s representatives for comment.

A Wisconsin couple was arrested after allegedly starving their six children for years, forcing them to eat mold, bugs and dog food as they endured repeated abuse, authorities said.

Casey Cano, 38, and Mary Cano, 35, face six counts each of repeated physical abuse of a child causing great bodily harm and child neglect, along with one count of causing a child under 13 to view or listen to a sex act, according to court records.

Prosecutors alleged that from January 2018 through April 2022, the couple repeatedly beat their children with belts, leaving welts and causing bleeding at their home in Crawford County, Wisconsin, News 8 Now reported.

The outlet reported that the parents also withheld food from their children as punishment.

ALABAMA TEACHER ARRESTED, FIRED AFTER ALLEGED BEATING OF SON CAPTURED ON CAMERA

The children described abusive living conditions and were allegedly prevented from eating for several days, driving them to eat mold, bugs, dog food and grass due to extreme hunger, according to the criminal complaints.

One of the children said their sibling wore a diaper for three days without changing as “punishment,” News 8 Now reported.

The children were removed from the home around April 2022 in connection with a separate sexual abuse case involving another child, the complaints state.

CALIFORNIA PARENTS CONVICTED OF STABBING, DECAPITATING 2 CHILDREN AND FORCING OTHER KIDS TO SEE BODIES

ABC affiliate WXOW reported that the children were between the ages of 1 and 9 during the alleged abuse.

The outlet added that the alleged beatings began when the children were as young as three months old.

The charges show that Mary Cano’s charges have a “party to a crime” modifier, indicating that she did not stop the alleged criminal activity.

Casey and Mary were previously convicted of the sexual assault of a 12-year-old in 2022, WXOW reported.

A new investigation into the couple began last December, and both individuals were arrested in March and have posted bond.

The couple’s next court appearance has not been scheduled.