Santa Maria Hospice, Inc.
A hospice in Santa Maria, California 93458
222 W Carmen Lane Suite #206, Santa Maria, California 93458. (805) 361-0264.
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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
- 6of 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 5 hospices serving ZIP code 93458 had 10.
The last inspection on record was on Sep 11, 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 Sep 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.
Sep 11, 2026: reaccreditation inspection by The Joint Commission6 deficiencies
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Timeframe for completion of assessment (42 CFR 418.54(b))
“Observed in Record Review. In 2 of 10 active patient records reviewed, the medical social worker and spiritual counselor failed to complete their initial assessments within five days after the election of the hospice benefit. In record RRNHV#5 the spiritual assessment was not completed until 15 days after admission. In RRNHV#6 the social work and spiritual care assessments were not completed until the sixth day following admission. This observation was reviewed with the Administrator and Director of Patient Care Services Designee.”
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Content of comprehensive assessment (42 CFR 418.54(c)(5))
“Observed in Record Review. In 8 of 10 active patient records reviewed, initial social worker comprehensive assessments were completed by telephone. The same was true of the initial spiritual comprehensive assessments in records RRNHV#3, RRNHV#4, and RRNHV#5 and did not comply with law and regulation. This observation was reviewed with the Administrator and Director of Patient Care Services Designee.”
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Content of plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(c)(2))
“Observed in Record Review. In 10 of 10 active patient records reviewed, visit frequencies for nursing were 1 per week plus 3 prn, and prn only for medical social and spiritual care after completion of the initial comprehensive assessment, regardless of patients’ needs. This observation was reviewed with the Administrator and Director of Patient Care Services Designee.”
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Review of the plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(d ))
“Observed in Record Review. In 10 of 10 active patient records reviewed, the hospice did not ensure that the comprehensive assessment was updated no less than every 15 days. In interdisciplinary group meeting notes patient decline, progress towards desired outcomes and goals, and plans for the following two weeks were not consistently documented. This observation was reviewed with the Administrator and Director of Patient Care Services Designee.”
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Prevention (42 CFR 418.60(a))
The inspectors’ words, 110 words
“Observed in Patient Home. In 2 of 3 home visits conducted, the organization did not implement infection control practices to prevent the transmission of infections. At the home visit for RRHV#1 an registered nurse donned gloves to check the patient’s skin on the back and buttocks, then picked up a pen to take notes without doffing the gloves and performing hand hygiene. At the home visit for RRHV#2 aa registered nurse donned gloves to check the foley catheter but did not doff gloves and perform hand hygiene prior to opening an irrigation tray for the catheter. This observation was reviewed with the Administrator and Director of Patient Care Services Designee.”
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Discharge or transfer of care (42 CFR 418.104(e)(1)(i))
“Observed in Record Review. In 1 of 2 live discharge records reviewed, a hospice discharge summary was not provided to the hospital where the patient was transferred in the record of RRDC#2. This observation was reviewed with the Administrator and Director of Patient Care Services Designee.”
The one inspection in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2026 | Reaccreditation inspection by The Joint Commission | 6 deficiencies cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Feb 5, 2018.
- 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): 9.4 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 6.3% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 65.5% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 77% at home, 2% in assisted living, 21% in a skilled nursing facility.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 9.4 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 6.3% |
| Visits near death | 65.5% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- 12 owners or officers are people: Anahit Khrimian (owns 5% or more directly, 50%); Anahit Khrimian (corporate officer, 50%); Anahit Khrimian (corporate director, 50%); Andy A Belichkov (owns 5% or more directly, 49%); Andy A Belichkov (corporate officer, 49%); Andy A Belichkov (corporate director, 49%); Varsenik Oganesyan (owns 5% or more directly, 1%); Ahmad K Nooristani (managing employee (under contract), 0%); Kaitlin Rose Halverson (managing employee (on the payroll)); Arlene C Gonzales (managing employee (under contract), 0%); Vergine I Armstrong (managing employee (on the payroll)); Andy A Belichkov (managing employee (on the payroll)).
- No private-equity firm among the owners CMS lists.
- No real-estate investment trust among the owners CMS lists.
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: 6 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
- 80.65% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 20.5% had visits from a nurse or social worker on at least 2 of their last 3 days (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 | 6 of 10 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 5 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 93458, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 10; 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 |
|---|---|
| Santa Maria Hospice, Inc. This hospice | 6 |
| Dignity Health Hospice | 11 |
| VNA Health | 13 |
| Central Coast Home Health, Inc. | 5 |
| Superior Hospice Inc. | 10 |
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.