Heritage Hospice, Inc.
A hospice in Marietta, Georgia 30066
3315 Hilltop Drive, Marietta, Georgia 30066. (770) 423-5959.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CMS’s own record is on Care Compare.
The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026.
- 1 deficiency cited in the last three years
- 1of 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 55 hospices serving ZIP code 30066 had 3.
The last inspection on record was on Sep 22, 2026: a complaint 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 Jun 2024. Most serious: Standard-level. The last 3 years, to Nov 5, 2026.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 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 | Nov |
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.
Jun 5, 2024: complaint inspection by the state1 deficiency
-
Coordination of services (42 CFR 418.56(e)(3))
The inspectors’ words, 499 words
“Based on clinical record review, staff and family interviews, it was determined the hospice failed to ensure that care and services provided are based on all assessments of the patient and family needs by failing to deactivate an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) for one patient (P) (P#1) of four sampled patients. Findings Include: Clinical record review for P#1 revealed admission to the inpatient hospice unit (IPU) on 4/9/2024 at 7:00 p.m. P#1 expired at the in-patient unit on 4/10/2024 at 6:04 p.m. Review of the History and Physical (H&P) from the hospital identifies an implanted defibrillator inserted in the left chest. Review of the document titled “;Initial Nursing Assessment” by RN DD, dated 4/9/2024 reveals P#1 had a pacemaker with “;DIFF”. Review of the document titled “;Nursing Visit Record” by RN CC, dated 4/10/2024, revealed P#1 “;has a pacemaker but has been tachycardic and having an uneven pulse today.” Further review revealed an addendum to the visit record was added by RN CC on 6/5/2024 which revealed P#1s family member notified RN CC that P#1 was having “;muscle twitching” after the pronouncement of death. RN CC documentation revealed the RN placed the Medtronic magnet over P#1 heart and the twitching resolved. On 6/3/2024 at approximately 12:00 p.m., an interview with the Director of Clinical Operations (DCO) revealed the agency does not have a policy for deactivating implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). However, on 6/4/2024, a policy titled, “;Deactivating the ICDs (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators) of Hospice Patients” dated 6/24 was presented as a new policy. On 6/3/2024 at approximately 5:00 p.m., a telephone interview with the family member of P#1 revealed that the family was told at recently visited hospital that the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) would be turned off upon arrival at the in-patient unit (IPU). The family asked nurses on both 4/9/2024 and 4/10/2024 if the defibrillator had been turned off. The family was told the nurses would have to check with the doctor, but family never heard if the doctor was notified of the request. The family member counted nine times that P#1 “;jolted”- the family was holding P#1s hand and it “;clenched”. After three times, the family went to get the nurse and asked about the ICD and was told, “;I didnt even know she had one”. A magnet was applied, and the movements stopped. No one ever asked for the Medtronic’s card (card from the ICD company with contact information). On 6/4/2024 at approximately 2:20 p.m., a telephone interview with RN CC confirmed she observed P#1 experiencing “;muscle twitching” as reported by P#1s family and stated she was aware P#1 had an ICD but did not relate twitching with the ICD until the family questioned if it could be the defibrillator. She stated she then applied a magnet to the chest of P#1 and that the twitching resolved. She confirmed she did not get a physicians order for the magnet. RN CC further revealed she had not received any training on deactivating ICDs with a magnet.”
All 6 inspections in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2026 | Complaint inspection by the state | No deficiencies cited |
| Feb 11, 2026 | Recertification inspection by the state | No deficiencies cited |
| Feb 4, 2026 | Complaint and recertification inspection by the state | No deficiencies cited |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Complaint inspection by the state | No deficiencies cited |
| Jul 3, 2024 | Complaint inspection by the state | No deficiencies cited |
| Jun 5, 2024 | Complaint inspection by the state | 1 deficiency cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Aug 5, 2004.
- 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.
- 1 deficiency cited in the last three years came from an inspection 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): 80.4 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 20.9% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 95.5% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 91% at home, 4% in an inpatient hospice, 5% elsewhere.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 80.4 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 20.9% |
| Visits near death | 95.5% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- 6 owners or officers are people: Cynthia Rivers (owns 5% or more directly); Michele Ross (owns 5% or more directly); Michele Ross (corporate director); Shannon Collins (owns 5% or more directly); Shannon Collins (corporate director); Shannon Collins (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?
- Family caregivers rate it 1 of 5 in CMS’s survey (Oct 1, 2023 to Sep 30, 2025): 74% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 72% would definitely recommend it.
- CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 9 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
- 82.1% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 71.8% 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 | 1 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 55 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 30066, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 3; 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 |
|---|---|
| Heritage Hospice, Inc. This hospice | 1 |
| Amity Care | 3 |
| Hospice360 | Not given |
| Affinity Hospice | 6 |
| Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care of Georgia | 0 |
| Wellstar Community Hospice | 13 |
| Hospice Atlanta | 15 |
| Pruitthealth Hospice and Palliative Care-Atlanta | 0 |
| Gentiva | 10 |
| Vitas Healthcare Corporation of Georgia | 10 |
| The Weinstein Hospice | 5 |
| Compassus-Kennesaw | 5 |
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
-
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice General Information (yc9t-dgbk).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
-
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice Provider Data (252m-zfp9).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
-
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CAHPS Hospice Survey (gxki-hrr8).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
-
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).
-
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice All Owners (e983965e-1603-4cb8-82b5-c40090e380d1).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
-
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice Enrollments (25704213-e833-4b8b-9dbc-58dd17149209).
Released Sep 29, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 2026. Updated quarterly. Public domain (U.S. Government work).
-
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospice ZIP Data (95rg-2usp).
Released Aug 26, 2026 and checked Nov 5, 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 Nov 5, 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.