Hearth Record

Guiding Light Hospice

A hospice in Stockbridge, Georgia 30281

157 Burke St Suite 110, Stockbridge, Georgia 30281. (470) 507-4822.

CMS’s own record, on Care Compare

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The short answer

Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026.

The last 24 months 1 deficiency in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Jul 2024. Most serious: Standard-level. Every month

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 61 hospices serving ZIP code 30281 had 2.

The last inspection on record was on Jul 17, 2024: a recertification inspection by the state.

Source:

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 Jul 2024. Most serious: Standard-level. The last 3 years, to Oct 27, 2026.

1 deficiency by month over the last 3 years. Each cell is one month.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2023 NovDec
2024 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2025 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2026 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOct

Hover or focus a month to read it.

No visit on record Visited, nothing cited A stronger orange is more serious, on its source’s own levels, read onto four bands: from the least serious it publishes to the most
Source:

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.

Source:

CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.

Jul 17, 2024: recertification inspection by the state1 deficiency

  • Content of plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(c))

    The inspectors’ words, 417 words

    “Based on review of the policy “The Plan of Care,” clinical record reviews, and staff interview, it was determined the hospice failed to develop a plan of care that included all services necessary for the palliation and management of the terminal illness and related conditions and failed to reveal physician order for wound treatments provided for one patient (P) (P3) of 19 sampled patients. Findings include: Review of the policy titled, The Plan of Care,” Policy No. 9-017, revised May 2023 reveals the following: Policy The care provided to the patient must be in accordance with the plan of care. Procedure 10. Any change in the patients condition must result in a change in the plan of care prior to implementation of the new service. 12. The written plan of care will contain, but will not be limited to the following: T. Physician-directed instruction to patient and family/caregiver Review of Wound Flow Sheet reveals wounds on right leg and right thumb with wound assessments dated 5/14/2024, 5/21/2024, 5/28/2024, 6/4/2024, 6/11/2024 and 6/18/2024. Review of the Skilled Nursing Visit note,” dated 5/7/2024 reveals skin tear to dorsal right hand. Nursing documentation reveals patient applied Betadine (a brand name antiseptic solution) to the wound. Review of the Skilled Nursing Visit note dated 5/14/2024 reveals skin tear to right posterior outer hand/ thumb. Nursing documentation reveals wound cleansing/ dressing change was provided per care plan. The note further reveals that wound to the patients right shin had lost a large portion of scab and had triple antibiotic on it. Nurse instructed patient to paint with iodine (an antiseptic). Review of the Skilled Nursing Visit note dated 5/21/2024 reveals wound to right posterior outer hand/ thumb was cleansed with normal saline (a mixture of sodium chloride and water used to clean wounds) and painted with iodine. The nursing documentation further states the deepest part of the wound to the right lower extremity continues to form a scab with epithelization (final stage of wound healing and is pink/white in color) noted. Further review of the clinical record failed to reveal physician orders for wound treatment. On 7/16/2024 at approximately 2:00 pm, an interview with the Director of Clinical Services (DCS) confirmed the clinical record lacked physician orders for wound care. The DCS further stated the agency did not have a wound care policy. On 7/17/2024 at approximately 10:00 am, a “;Wound Care Policy for Guiding Light Hospice” policy was provided, but the DCS stated the governing body had not yet approved it.”

    Rule L0545. Standard-level.

The one inspection in the last three years
Inspections on record
DateVisitWhat the record says
Jul 17, 2024Recertification inspection by the state1 deficiency cited

Is it certified?

  • Medicare-certified hospice since Aug 4, 2021.
  • Ownership: for-profit.
  • No deficiency or on record in the last three years.
Source:

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.
Source:

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): 11 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 5.5% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 95.9% of patients who died.
  • Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 61% at home, 39% in assisted living, 1% in a nursing facility.
Source:

CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.

Staffing measures
MeasureThis provider
Nurse care minutes per routine home care day11.0 min
Skilled nursing minutes at weekends5.5%
Visits near death95.9% of patients who died

Who owns it?

  • Guiding Light Hospice Services, LLC owns 100% directly since Jul 18, 2023.
  • 4 owners or officers are people: Linda Trower (other role (CMS gives no detail), 100%); David Quarterman (owns 5% or more through other companies, 50%); Alexander Thomson (managing employee (on the payroll)); David Quarterman (corporate officer).
  • No private-equity firm among the owners CMS lists.
  • No real-estate investment trust among the owners CMS lists.
Source:

CMS, Hospice All Owners and Hospice Enrollments. Released Sep 29, 2026. Updated quarterly.

Organisations CMS lists
OrganisationRoleShareSince
Guiding Light Hospice Services, LLCOwns 5% or more directly100%Jul 18, 2023
2010 Trower Family TrustOwns 5% or more through other companies50%Nov 27, 2025

What do families say?

  • Family caregivers rate it 4 of 5 in CMS’s survey (Oct 1, 2023 to Sep 30, 2025): 84% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 87% would definitely recommend it.
  • CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 9 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
  • 92.28% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 68.8% had visits from a nurse or social worker on at least 2 of their last 3 days (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
Source:

CMS, CAHPS Hospice Survey and Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.

Ratings and measures, as published
MeasureRating
Family caregiver survey ratingCMS star rating from its survey of patients’ family caregivers, 1 to 54 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 threshold9 of 10

How does it compare nearby?

  • Of the 61 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 30281, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 2; this one had 1.
Source:

CMS, Hospice ZIP Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.

CMS, QCOR hospice inspection reports. Released Oct 23, 2026. Updated quarterly.

The 61 hospices CMS lists serving ZIP code 30281
PlaceDeficiencies, 3 years
Gentiva10
Affinity Hospice6
Aveanna Hospice1
Georgia Community Hospice1
Guiding Light Hospice This hospice1
Hospice Atlanta15
Hospice of Southwest Georgia7
Abbey Hospice0
Pruitthealth Hospice and Palliative Care-Atlanta0
Vitas Healthcare Corporation of Georgia10
Pruitthealth Hospice-Swainsboro2
Adoration Hospice1

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

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.

Source:

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.

How to read a record

Four things every record does, shown on an example record made up for this guide.

An example record, made up for this guide

An example nursing home

Made up for this guide: no real place is shown

Not fully inspected in over two years (CMS flag)

11 health citations at the latest inspection cycle

The state average is 14.3.

Source:

CMS, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 28, 2026. Updated monthly.

From the homeNone yet. Replies and paid listings aren’t open, and when they open they will sit here, below the record.

1 of 4

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Who published it, when, and how often it changes sit beside each fact, with a link to the agency’s own file.

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