Caris Healthcare
A hospice in Ringgold, Georgia 30736
127 Battlefield Crosssing Court, Suite 127, Ringgold, Georgia 30736. (706) 944-9110.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026.
- 2 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?
2 deficiencies cited in the last three years
The middle of the 19 hospices serving ZIP code 30736 had 3.
The last inspection on record was on Nov 15, 2023: 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
2 deficiencies in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Nov 2023. 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.
Nov 15, 2023: recertification inspection by the state2 deficiencies
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Phys, occupnl therapy & speech-lang pathology (42 CFR 418.72)
The inspectors’ words, 98 words
“Based on staff interview, record reviews, the hospice agency failed to have written agreements for the non-core services of physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and dietary consultation. Review of written agreements of contracted providers, who work with the agency to provide patient care, failed to contain written agreements for the provision of non-core services of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, and dietary consultation. On 11/15/23 at 11:00 a.m., an interview was conducted with the Administrator, Regional Director of Clinical Care (RDCC), and Regional Director of Operations (RDO). RDO confirmed that there was no formal written agreements.”
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Content (42 CFR 418.104(a)(7))
The inspectors’ words, 348 words
“Based on record reviews and staff interview, it was determined the hospice agency failed to obtain a written physicians order to admit to hospice services for10 patients (P) (P#5, P#6, P#7, P#8, P#9, P#10, P#11, P#12, P#13, and P#14) of 10 sampled patients. Findings include: 1. Record review of P#5 admitted 11/1/2023 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 2. Record review of P#6 admitted 9/3/2023 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 3. Record review of P#7 admitted 9/28/2023 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 4. Record review of P#8 admitted 1/28/2022 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 5. Record review of P#9 admitted 12/27/2021 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 6. Record review of P#10 admitted 5/4/2023 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 7. Record review of P#11 admitted 10/28/2022 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 8. Record review of P#12 admitted 8/11/2023 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 9. Record review of P#13 admitted 6/520/23 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. 10. Record review of P#14 admitted 6/8/2023 reveals the physician order to admit to hospice failed to be included in the chart. On 11/14/2023 at 1:00 p.m., an interview was conducted with the Regional Director of Clinical Care (RDCC) who confirmed each patient did not have a written order to admit to hospice services with an Medical Doctor (MD) signature and date of the order. The RDCC stated “;we (the agency) use the patients referral as the order to admit to hospice”. The RDCC stated she understood each patient should have a written order to admit to hospice services signed and dated by an MD.”
The one inspection in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 2023 | Recertification inspection by the state | 2 deficiencies cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since May 25, 2016.
- Ownership: other.
- 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): 9.6 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 6.3% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 92.5% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 28% at home, 1% in assisted living, 71% in a nursing facility.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 9.6 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 6.3% |
| Visits near death | 92.5% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- Caris Healthcare owns 100% directly since Jan 1, 2015.
- 3 owners or officers are people: Taylor Moses (managing employee (on the payroll)); Michael E Wilson (managing employee (under contract)); Paul W Saylor (corporate officer).
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caris Healthcare | Owns 5% or more directly | 100% | Jan 1, 2015 |
| National Health Corporation | Owns 5% or more through other companies | Jun 11, 2021 | |
| Nhc-Op LP | Owns 5% or more through other companies | Jan 1, 2015 | |
| National Healthcare Corporation | Owns 5% or more through other companies | Jun 11, 2021 |
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).
- 100% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 63.7% 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 | 8 of 10 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 19 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 30736, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 3; this one had 2.
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 |
|---|---|
| Caris Healthcare This hospice | 2 |
| Hamilton Medical Center- Hospice | 2 |
| Hearth Hospice | 13 |
| Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center Heyman Hospice Care | 14 |
| Pruitthealth Hospice-Calhoun | 1 |
| Amedisys Hospice of Dalton | 7 |
| Heartlite Hospice | 0 |
| Affinis Cartersville | 0 |
| Tapestry Hospice of Northwest Georgia, LLC | 3 |
| Eternal Faith Hospice and Palliative Care | 6 |
| Hospice of Chattanooga Holdings, LLC | 14 |
| Gentiva | 20 |
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.