Cipher Hospice
A hospice in Burbank, California 91502
427 S Victory Blvd Suite 104, Burbank, California 91502. (747) 272-5835.
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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.
- 10 deficiencies cited in the last three years
- Not rated family caregiver rating
- Not available 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?
10 deficiencies cited in the last three years
The middle of the 159 hospices serving ZIP code 91502 had 5.
The last inspection on record was on Sep 18, 2025: a reaccreditation inspection by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care.
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
10 deficiencies in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Sep 2025. 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 18, 2025: reaccreditation inspection by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care10 deficiencies
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Content of comprehensive assessment (42 CFR 418.54(c)(4))
“Upon patient record review, 9 of 14 (Patients # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14) did not have evidence in the patient record that the comprehensive assessment takes into consideration the imminence of death. Patients # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14: The initial comprehensive assessment for these patients, did not contain evidence of consideration related to the imminence of death.”
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Content of plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(c)(2))
The inspectors’ words, 140 words
“Upon patient record review, 14 of 14 (Patients # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14) did not have evidence the plan of care must includes all services necessary for the palliation and management of the terminal illness and related conditions, including the following: • A detailed statement of the scope and frequency of services necessary to meet the specific patient and family needs • The IDG demonstrates a proactive approach in developing each patient’s plan of care by planning ahead for anticipated patient changes and needs. Decisions should reflect the patient/family preferences rather than be solely a response to a crisis. Patients # 1 - 14: The POC for each medical record contained orders for the LVN visits PRN without a scope, and the MD visits without a frequency or a scope.”
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Content of plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(c)(5))
“Upon patient record review, 1 of 14 (Patient # 2) did not have evidence the plan of care must include all services necessary for the palliation and management of the terminal illness and related conditions, including equipment and supply needs. Patient # 2: Patient had supplies in the home that included moisture barrier sheets, gloves, and wipes. There were not supplies listed on the patient’s POC dated 9/15/25.”
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Review of the plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(d))
The inspectors’ words, 91 words
“Upon client record review, 2 of 14 (Patients # 1, 2) did not have evidence that the IDG in collaboration with the attending physician reviewed, revised and documents the individualized plan as frequently as the patient’s condition requires but no less frequently then every 15 calendar days. Patient # 1: The POC dated 9/6/25 did not contain the Chaplains signature for participation with the IDG. Patient # 2: The POC dated 9/1/25 did not contain the MSW’s signature, and 9/15/25 did not contain the Chaplain’s signature for participation with the IDG.”
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Competency evaluation (42 CFR 418.76(c))
The inspectors’ words, 192 words
“Upon personnel record review, 1 of 11 (Personnel # 8) did not have evidence in the personnel file that the following competency assessment was performed by the aide with a patient: (This standard applies to all Hospice Aides providing care/service who are directly employed by the hospice or through a contractual agreement.) ·Communication skills, including the ability to read, write, and verbally report clinical information to patients, caregivers, and other hospice staff. ·Reading and recording temperature, pulse, and respiration ·Safe transfer techniques and ambulation. ·Normal range of motion and positioning ·Appropriate and safe techniques in personal hygiene and grooming that include-- ·(A) Bed bath ·(B) Sponge, tub, and shower bath ·(C) Shampoo, sink, tub, and bed ·(D) Nail and skin care ·(E) Oral hygiene ·(F) Toileting and elimination The other subject areas in this section may be evaluated through written examination, oral examination or after observation of a Hospice Aide with a patient. Personnel # 8: The hospice aide 2024 competency did not contain evidence of an evaluation of the competency for communication skills, including the ability to read, write, and verbally report clinical information to patients, caregivers, and other hospice staff.”
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Hospice aide assignments and duties (42 CFR 418.76(g)(1))
The inspectors’ words, 150 words
“Upon patient record review, 1 of 14 (Patient # 11) did not have evidence in the patient record that hospice aide assignments and duties are: • Assigned to a specific patient by a registered nurse that is a member of the interdisciplinary group • Written patient care instructions for a hospice aide must be prepared by a Registered Nurse who is responsible for the supervision of a hospice aide as specified under paragraph (h) of 418.76 • There is evidence in the patient record that the plan of care; indicate what tasks are to be done by the Aide and the frequency of these tasks. The use of “PRN” or “per patient choice”, for any task, whether personal care or non-personal care tasks, are not acceptable Patient # 11: The hospice aide care plan dated 6/23/25 contained an order to “change bed linens”. The task did not have a frequency.”
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Governing body and administrator (42 CFR 418.100(b))
“Upon observation, there was no evidence the hospice is directed by a Board of Directors/governing body which assumes full legal authority and responsibility for the operation of the hospice. Agency was unable to produce contracts and personnel files for review until day 2 of survey.”
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Training (42 CFR 418.100(g)(3))
“Upon personnel record review, 3 of 11 (Personnel # 1, 2, 3) did not have evidence that a skills competency assessment, specific to each discipline had been conducted for all personnel including volunteers initially during orientation. Personnel # 1, 2, 3: The personnel files did not contain evidence of an initial competency assessment being conducted upon hire.”
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Discharge or transfer of care (42 CFR 418.104(e))
“Upon client record review, 1 of 14 (Patient # 4) did not have evidence that the hospice forwarded a summary and a copy of the patient record, if requested, to a facility when transferring the patient to that facility. Patient # 4: The patient record did not contain evidence that a copy of the transfer summary or a copy of the patient record was sent to the facility where the patent was transferred.”
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Discharge or transfer of care (42 CFR 418.104(e)(2))
“Upon client record review, 3 of 14 (Patients # 5, 6, 7) did not have evidence that if a patient revokes the election of hospice care or is discharged from hospice in accordance with §418.26, the hospice must forward to the patient’s attending physician: • A copy of the hospice discharge summary • The patient’s clinical record, if requested Patients 5, 6, 7: The patient’s record did not contain evidence of a discharge summary or patient record being forwarded to the attending physician following the revocation of hospice services.”
The one inspection in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2025 | Reaccreditation inspection by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care | 10 deficiencies cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Oct 6, 2022.
- CMS doesn’t list its type of ownership.
- 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?
- CMS hasn’t published nursing time from Medicare claims for this hospice.
- 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.
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 gives no Hospice Care Index for this hospice.
CMS, CAHPS Hospice Survey and Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 159 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 91502, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 5; this one had 10.
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 |
|---|---|
| Active Hospice Care, Inc. | 5 |
| Valley’s Best Hospice, Inc. | 16 |
| Lakeview Hospice Care Inc. | 25 |
| California Hospice Corp. | 2 |
| Encore Hospice, Inc. | Not given |
| Faith in Angels Hospice | 0 |
| Visiting Nurses Hospice, Inc. | Not given |
| American Hospice, Inc. | 16 |
| Healing Hands Care, Inc. | Not given |
| A-1 Hospice Care Inc. | 5 |
| Regal Hospice Health, Inc. | 7 |
| Visiting Angels Hospice, Inc. | 2 |
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.