Hospice of South Georgia
A hospice in Valdosta, Georgia 31602
2263 Pineview Drive, Valdosta, Georgia 31602. (229) 433-7000.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026.
- 1 deficiency cited in the last three years
- 5of 5 family caregiver rating
- 9of 10 CMS’s Hospice Care Index
Each figure’s source sits beside it, in its section below.
What these words mean3
- Star ratings
- CMS rates some kinds of place from 1 to 5 stars, more stars meaning better on CMS’s own measures for that kind: for a nursing home, its health inspections, staffing and quality measures. A rating is CMS’s summary of those measures; it doesn’t promise good care. Source: CMS, Care Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.
- 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?
1 deficiency cited in the last three years
The middle of the 19 hospices serving ZIP code 31602 had 0.
The last inspection on record was on Sep 18, 2024: a recertification inspection by the state.
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
1 deficiency in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Sep 2024. 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, 2024: recertification inspection by the state1 deficiency
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Content of comprehensive assessment (42 CFR 418.54(c))
The inspectors’ words, 229 words
“Based on review of the policy titled “;Interdisciplinary Team/Group Membership and Responsibilities,” clinical record review, and staff interview, it was determined the hospice failed to ensure the initial comprehensive assessments included assessments of spiritual needs were completed for two patients (P) (P1, P10) of 22 records sampled. Findings include: Review of the policy titled “;Interdisciplinary Team/Group Membership and Responsibilities,” Number HSG 41, dated August 2, 2023, reveals the following: Policy 6. The interdisciplinary team/ group responsibilities may include but are not limited to: a. Participation in the comprehensive assessment of any patient, as dictated by the identified needs of the patient, no later than five days after admission that includes at least medical, nursing, psychosocial, and spiritual evaluations of the patient, as well as the capability of the family unit in meeting the care needs of the patient and the need for bereavement services. 1. P1 was admitted to hospice on 8/12/2024. Further review of the clinical record failed to reveal documentation from a chaplain or documentation of a spiritual assessment. 2. P10 was admitted to hospice on 8/14/2024. Further review of the clinical record failed to reveal documentation from a chaplain or documentation of a spiritual assessment. On 9/18/2024 at approximately 10:00 am, an office interview with the Director and Program Development Manager confirmed that the clinical records for P1 and P10 lacked spiritual assessments and chaplain documentation.”
The one inspection in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2024 | Recertification inspection by the state | 1 deficiency cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Jul 9, 1993.
- Ownership: non-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): 27.1 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 19.2% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 91.4% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 93% at home, 2% in a skilled nursing facility, 4% in an inpatient hospice.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 27.1 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 19.2% |
| Visits near death | 91.4% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- South Georgia Health Alliance DBA Hospice of South Georgia owns 100% directly since Jul 7, 2006.
- 4 owners or officers are people: Hilda Hernandez Kee (managing employee (under contract), 0%); Hilda Hernandez Kee (runs it (operational or managerial control)); Susan Bowden (corporate director); Susan Bowden (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.
| Organisation | Role | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Georgia Health Alliance DBA Hospice of South Georgia | Owns 5% or more directly | 100% | Jul 7, 2006 |
What do families say?
- Family caregivers rate it 5 of 5 in CMS’s survey (Oct 1, 2023 to Sep 30, 2025): 88% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 90% would definitely recommend it.
- CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 9 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
- 97.99% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 60.8% 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 | 5 of 5 |
| 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 | 9 of 10 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 19 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 31602, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 0; this one had 1.
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 |
|---|---|
| Hospice of South Georgia This hospice | 1 |
| Pruitthealth Hospice-Valdosta | 0 |
| Affinity Hospice | 3 |
| Heart of Hospice Valdosta | 0 |
| Hospice of the Golden Isles | 0 |
| West Georgia Hospice | 0 |
| Hospice Satilla of Mem Hosp | 0 |
| Hospice of Tift Area | 2 |
| Hospice of Southwest Georgia | 7 |
| Pruitthealth Hospice-Macon | 2 |
| Gentiva | 9 |
| Pruitthealth Hospice-Cordele | 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.