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Ava Kofman

Ava Kofman was a reporter on ProPublica’s national desk.

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Ava Kofman was a reporter on ProPublica’s national desk. She joined the newsroom in January 2019 after working as a contributing writer at The Intercept, where she covered technology and artificial intelligence. Her reporting and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The New York Review of Books and n+1, among other publications. In 2021, she reported with colleagues on toxic air pollution across the United States. The team’s examination of the country’s “Sacrifice Zones,” which helped spur several reforms, was a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize and a National Magazine Award for Public Interest. Kofman’s 2022 investigation of the hospice industry prompted congressional hearings and policy changes. It received the 2023 Hillman Prize for Magazine Journalism, a National Press Club Award and the Barlett and Steele Award for Outstanding Young Journalist. Kofman is a two-time Livingston Finalist, and her work has also been honored by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Association of Health Care Journalists, and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.

Sacrifice Zones

EPA Finalizes New Standards for Cancer-Causing Chemicals

The regulation specifically targets ethylene oxide, which a ProPublica analysis found was the single biggest contributor to excess industrial cancer risk from air pollutants nationwide.

The Hospice Hustle

Medicare Certifies Hospices in California Despite State Ban on New Licenses

The agency has rolled out sweeping changes to target end-of-life care providers that were billing for unneeded services, but some fraud hot spots continue to evade scrutiny.

The Hospice Hustle

Hospices in Four States to Receive Extra Scrutiny Over Concerns of Fraud, Waste and Abuse

Federal regulators have announced enhanced oversight of new hospices in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas, targeting providers highlighted by a ProPublica investigation.

Inside the Secretive World of Penile Enlargement

How a doctor’s two-decade quest to grow the penis is leaving some men desperate and disfigured.

The Hospice Hustle

Regulators Overhaul Inspections of Hospice Providers

A report last year from ProPublica and The New Yorker revealed a $22 billion hospice industry rife with fraud and exploitation. CMS announced reforms that go into effect immediately.

The Hospice Hustle

Pressure Mounts for Hospice Reform

As part of a growing national dialogue around hospice abuse, trade groups and government watchdog agencies are pushing regulators to make changes.

The Hospice Hustle

Congress and Industry Leaders Call for Crackdown on Hospice Fraud

Following a ProPublica-New Yorker investigation into the hospice industry, members of the Comprehensive Care Caucus and national trade groups are demanding reform.

The Hospice Hustle

How to Research Your Hospice (and Avoid Hospice Fraud)

A guide for readers, patients and caregivers.

The Hospice Hustle

Endgame: How the Visionary Hospice Movement Became a For-Profit Hustle

Half of all Americans now die in hospice care. Easy money and a lack of regulation transformed a crusade to provide death with dignity into an industry rife with fraud and exploitation.

Patrick Radden Keefe Gets to the Bottom of It

The author of “Rogues” talks about craft, cracking cold cases and his aversion to “cinematic” journalism.