Q: Which specific California FCA statutes in relevance to hospice fraud?

A: There are a few key California False Claims Act (FCA) statutes that would be relevant in a case of fraudulent hospice referrals and misrepresentation of a patient's health status:

1. California Government Code Section 12650 et seq. - This is the overarching California False Claims Act statute. It prohibits knowingly presenting a false or fraudulent claim for payment to the state or a political subdivision. Fraudulently referring patients to hospice by misrepresenting their health would likely violate this section.

2. Cal. Gov't Code § 12651(a)(1) - Prohibits knowingly presenting or causing to be presented a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval. Submitting hospice claims for patients fraudulently certified as terminally ill would violate this.

3. Cal. Gov't Code § 12651(a)(2) - Prohibits knowingly making, using, or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim. Falsifying health records to justify hospice referrals runs afoul of this section.

4. Cal. Gov't Code § 12651(a)(7) - Prohibits knowingly making or using a false record or statement material to an obligation to pay money to the state or knowingly concealing or improperly avoiding an obligation to pay the state. Falsely certifying patients for hospice to obtain Medicare payments implicates this provision.

5. Cal. Gov't Code § 12651(a)(8) - Added in 2012, this prohibits conspiring to commit any violation of the false claims act, including the provisions cited above.

So in summary, the key legal violations would center around Sections 12650, 12651(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(7) and (a)(8) of the California Government Code - all part of the state's comprehensive False Claims Act prohibiting fraud against government healthcare programs. Misrepresenting patients' terminal status to refer them to hospice and bill Medicare would clearly fall within the scope of fraudulent practices targeted by these statutes.