Essential Care Group, Inc.
A hospice in South El Monte, California 91733
1170 Durfee Ave Suite K, South El Monte, California 91733. (818) 561-4705.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026. We couldn’t read Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ list since Oct 27, 2026: qcor.cms.gov now refuses our reader. This record is as of then.
- 6 deficiencies cited in the last three years
- Not rated family caregiver rating
- 8of 10 CMS’s Hospice Care Index
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean2
- Inspection (survey)
- A visit by state inspectors, often unannounced, who check a place against the rules it must meet. For nursing homes and other places Medicare pays, CMS calls these visits surveys: a standard survey of a nursing home comes at least every 15 months, and a complaint survey whenever a complaint calls for one. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 488.308.
- Deficiency, citation, violation
- What inspectors write up when a place didn’t meet a rule: the rule, what they saw, and when. CMS calls it a deficiency; states may say citation or violation. It is the inspectors’ finding, not a court’s, and the place is usually asked for a plan to correct it. Source: CMS, statement of deficiencies (Form CMS-2567); each state’s licensing agency.
What did inspectors find?
6 deficiencies cited in the last three years
The middle of the 145 hospices serving ZIP code 91733 had 6.
The last inspection on record was on Mar 12, 2026: a reaccreditation inspection by The Joint Commission.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, Hospice ZIP Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
When those deficiencies happened
6 deficiencies in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Mar 2026. Most serious: Standard-level. The last 3 years, to Oct 27, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nov | Dec | ||||||||||
| 2024 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2025 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct |
Hover or focus a month to read it.
Hearth Record drew this from the dates and levels in the source’s own records.
Each deficiency, as cited
Rule titles as CMS’s inspectors cite them, set in sentence case.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Mar 12, 2026: reaccreditation inspection by The Joint Commission6 deficiencies
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Update of comprehensive assessment (42 CFR 418.54(d))
“Observed in Record Review. In 2 of 12 patient records reviewed, the hospice had not updated the comprehensive assessment no less frequently than every 15 days. In the chart for RRNHV#5, the last documented RN visit occurred 29 days prior to the date of the survey. In the chart for RRNHV#7, the last documented RN visit occurred more than 40 days prior to the survey. This was discussed with the Alternate DPCS.”
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Content of plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(c)(4))
“Observed in Record Review. In 1 of 12 patient records reviewed, the plan of care (POC) included unclear medication orders. In the chart for RRNHV#6, the current med orders included 2 orders for Roxanol 20mg/1mL, 0.5 mL and 1.0 mL, both to be given every 2 hours sublingually as needed for severe pain. Ordered upon admission. Additionally, the Bisacodyl suppository order was duplicated 4 months apart and both remain on the current list. This was discussed with the Alternate DPCS.”
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Coordination of services (42 CFR 418.56(e)(2))
The inspectors’ words, 109 words
“Observed in Record Review. In 1 of 12 patient records reviewed, care had not been provided according to the individualized plan of care (POC). In the chart for RRNHV#8, at the end of the most recent month, a new wound care order was obtained which read Cleanse Stage 2 R buttocks pressure injury with normal saline, apply Medihoney to wound bed, cover with Optifoam dressing, apply barrier cream to periwound skin, and change dressing every 3 days and PRN for soiling or dislodgement.. At a subsequent visit, a nurse documented, Area cleansed with normal saline, ointment applied, and repositioning provided during visit. This was discussed with the Alternate DPCS.”
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Program data (42 CFR 418.58(b)(2)(ii))
“Observed in Data Session. While the HCO collected data, there was minimal analysis performed over time to determine trends in performance. This was discussed with the QAPI Nurse.”
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Supervision of hospice aides (42 CFR 418.76(h)(1)(i))
“Observed in Record Review. In 2 of 7 patient records reviewed, in which aide services were provided, the RN had not supervised the aide at least every 14 days. In the chart for RRRNHV#5, there had been no documented supervision of the hospice aide for more than 30 days at the time of the survey. In the chart for RRNHV#7, the last documented RN visit occurred more than 40 days prior to the survey. This was discussed with the Alternate DPCS.”
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Authentication (42 CFR 418.104(b))
“Observed in Record Review. In 2 of 12 patient records reviewed, entries in the patient record were not appropriately authenticated and dated. In the charts for RRNHV#5 and RRNHV#6, there were multiple wound photos which did not include any patient identifiers nor a date of the photo. This was discussed with the Alternate DPCS.”
The one inspection in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2026 | Reaccreditation inspection by The Joint Commission | 6 deficiencies cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Jun 15, 2017.
- Ownership: for-profit.
- No For hospices, home health agencies, hospitals and dialysis facilities, CMS writes deficiencies at two levels. Standard is the usual one; condition-level is the more serious, when a problem is serious enough that the provider doesn’t meet a whole condition of taking part in Medicare. Source: CMS, State Operations Manual. deficiency or CMS’s most serious finding: the place’s failure to meet a rule caused, or was likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment or death to someone in its care. Source: CMS; 42 CFR 489.3. on record in the last three years.
CMS, Hospice General Information. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Has anything been proven against it?
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospices, so none are shown.
- 0 deficiencies cited in the last three years came from inspections that included a complaint investigation.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Who does the caring?
- From Medicare claims (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024): 11.7 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 11.2% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 95.8% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 100% at home.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 11.7 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 11.2% |
| Visits near death | 95.8% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- CMS’s ownership file has no owners listed for this hospice.
CMS, Hospice All Owners and Hospice Enrollments. Released Sep 29, 2026. Updated quarterly.
What do families say?
- CMS gives no family caregiver survey rating: “The number of cases is too small to report Star Ratings.”
- CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 8 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
CMS, CAHPS Hospice Survey and Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | Rating |
|---|---|
| Family caregiver survey ratingCMS star rating from its survey of patients’ family caregivers, 1 to 5 | Not rated |
| Hospice Care IndexCMS’s Hospice Care Index, 0 to 10 (higher is better): a point for each of ten measures from Medicare claims on which the hospice meets CMS’s threshold | 8 of 10 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 145 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 91733, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 6; this one had 6.
CMS, Hospice ZIP Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Place | Deficiencies, 3 years |
|---|---|
| Essential Care Group, Inc. This hospice | 6 |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital Hospice Program | 3 |
| Vnacare | 9 |
| Vitas Healthcare Corp | 18 |
| Mission Hospice | 15 |
| All Care Hospice | 9 |
| Accentcare Hospice & Palliative Care of California- Los Angeles | 6 |
| Bristol Hospice- Greater Los Angeles | 8 |
| Active Hospice Care, Inc. | 5 |
| Silverado Hospice-Los Angeles | 15 |
| Faith & Hope Hospice Care, Inc. | 6 |
| Hygieia Hospice | 0 |
What the record doesn’t say
- CMS doesn’t publish fines or other penalties for hospices, so none are shown.
- Only complaints that led to a citation appear; complaints that didn’t aren’t published.
- CMS ended its Special Focus Program for hospices with serious problems on Feb 14, 2025, so no hospice is marked as one.
- Hospice quality measures have a gap from October 2025: CMS replaced its patient assessment then, and public results from the new one (HOPE) are expected around November 2027.
Sources
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice General Information (yc9t-dgbk).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice Provider Data (252m-zfp9).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CAHPS Hospice Survey (gxki-hrr8).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, QCOR hospice inspection reports (Hospice Survey Reports - Oct 2021 through Sep 2026.xlsx).
Released Oct 23, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice All Owners (e983965e-1603-4cb8-82b5-c40090e380d1).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice Enrollments (25704213-e833-4b8b-9dbc-58dd17149209).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice ZIP Data (95rg-2usp).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Oct 27, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
If you believe something here is wrong, a correction starts with the agency whose record this copies: CMS. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare. If Hearth Record copied something wrongly, it will fix it and log the correction publicly, with its date: how corrections work.
This copy of the record was made on Oct 27, 2026.
From the hospice
The public record above comes first. Anything the hospice adds will appear here, below it, and say who wrote it.
Replies
None. Replies aren’t open yet. When they open, the hospice will be able to answer any finding for free, and the reply will show beside that finding, unedited and dated.
Paid listing
None. Paid listings aren’t open yet. When they open, anything paid for will say “Paid by the hospice”, and paying will never change a finding, a rating or the order of results.