A look at hospice oversight:

CHICAGO (AP) — A significant number of Medicare hospice programs were not checked by state inspectors for nine years and were long overdue for certification, according to a federal report released Tuesday.

Three states — California, Illinois and Michigan — were furthest behind, accounting for 41 percent of the past-due certifications, according to the report by the inspector general’s office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Of the hospices surveyed, 46 percent were cited for at least one health deficiency, such as missing or inadequate patient-care plans.

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