Ascend Hospice
A hospice in Worcester, Massachusetts 01604
352 Belmont Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01604. (508) 229-8390.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026.
- 2 deficiencies cited in the last three years
- 3of 5 family caregiver rating
- 10of 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?
2 deficiencies cited in the last three years
The middle of the 18 hospices serving ZIP code 01604 had 3.
The last inspection on record was on Aug 17, 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
2 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 19, 2025: reaccreditation inspection by the Community Health Accreditation Partner2 deficiencies
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Rights of the patient (42 CFR 418.52(c)(7))
The inspectors’ words, 219 words
“The patient has the right to receive information about the services covered under the hospice benefit. This standard was not met as evidenced by clinical record review and interview. In 1 of 2 (50%) discharged patient records where Medicare was the primary payor, the agency did not ensure that the Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage was provided to the patient as outlined in the “Notice Instructions for the Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC)” instructions (form CMS-10123). CLINICAL RECORD 15: A review of the clinical record revealed that the patient elected the hospice benefit and was admitted to hospice care on 01/11/2024. Medicare was the payor source for the hospice admission. The patient was recertified four (4) times. The Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) documented in the IDT team meeting note dated 10/17/24 that the patient had stabilized and that hospice services were no longer required. The patient was discharged from hospice care on 10/28/2024. A documented and signed Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC) was present in the record dated 10/28/2024. The agency did not ensure that the NOMNC was provided to the patient at least two calendar days before Medicare-covered services ended. The Administrator (Personnel Record 1) was interviewed on 09/19/2025 and stated, “The Notice of Non-Coverage should not have been signed and given to the patient on the date of discharge,””
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Level of activity (42 CFR 418.78(e))
The inspectors’ words, 264 words
“It is required that hospice volunteers provide day-to-day administrative or direct patient care services in an amount that, at a minimum, equals five percent (5%) of the total patient care hours of all paid hospice employees and contract staff. The hospice documents the cost savings achieved through volunteers. This standard was not met as evidenced by document review and interview. A review of the agency’s Volunteer Program documents revealed that the agency did not ensure that hospice volunteers provided day-to-day administrative or direct patient care services in an amount that, at a minimum, equals five percent (5%) of the total patient care hours of all paid hospice employees and contract staff. DOCUMENT: The Volunteer Coordinator (VC) (Personnel Record 9) provided documentation of the agency’s Volunteer program. The agency-maintained documentation of volunteer hours and overall cost savings; however, the utilization did not equal, at minimum, five percent (5%) of the total patient care hours of all paid hospice employees and contract staff. In 2024, the agency documented a percentage of volunteer use of 0.31%. The Volunteer Coordinator (VC) (Personnel Record 9) was interviewed on 09/19/2025. The current VC is new to the role (started 07/2025) and stated, “We know we have work to do with the volunteer program to get up to five percent.” A review of the agency’s Volunteer Program documents revealed that the agency did not ensure that hospice volunteers provided day-to-day administrative or direct patient care services in an amount that, at a minimum, equals five percent (5%) of the total patient care hours of all paid hospice employees and contract staff.”
All 2 inspections in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2026 | Complaint inspection by the state | No deficiencies cited |
| Sep 19, 2025 | Reaccreditation inspection by the Community Health Accreditation Partner | 2 deficiencies cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Nov 18, 2005.
- 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.
- 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): 14.3 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 5.3% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 89.3% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 13% at home, 42% in assisted living, 34% in a nursing facility, 11% in a skilled nursing facility.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 14.3 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 5.3% |
| Visits near death | 89.3% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- Care Alternatives Hospice Services, LLC owns 100% directly since Apr 16, 2003.
- 11 owners or officers are people: David Baruch (managing employee (on the payroll), 100%); David Baruch (runs it (operational or managerial control), 100%); Allison S. Tambolleo (corporate director, 100%); Allison S. Tambolleo (managing employee (on the payroll), 100%); Min K Song (managing employee (under contract), 100%); Min K Song (corporate director, 100%); Chieke Udom (managing employee (under contract), 100%); Chieke Udom (corporate director, 100%); Daniel E Straus (owns 5% or more through other companies, 43.25%); David Baruch (corporate officer); Victoria Santos (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Care Alternatives Hospice Services, LLC | Owns 5% or more directly | 100% | Apr 16, 2003 |
| Care Solutions LLC | Owns 5% or more through other companies | 100% | Dec 1, 2021 |
| Health Resource Partner LLC | Owns 5% or more through other companies | 100% | Dec 1, 2021 |
| North American Medical Management -New Jersey Inc. | Owns 5% or more through other companies | 71.91% | Dec 1, 2021 |
| Care One Ancillary Holdings, LLC | Owns 5% or more through other companies | 28.09% | Dec 1, 2021 |
What do families say?
- Family caregivers rate it 3 of 5 in CMS’s survey (Oct 1, 2023 to Sep 30, 2025): 78% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 86% would definitely recommend it.
- CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 10 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
- 98.36% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 71.9% 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 | 3 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 | 10 of 10 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 18 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 01604, 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 |
|---|---|
| Ascend Hospice This hospice | 2 |
| VNA Care Hospice Inc. | 6 |
| Jhc Hospice | 0 |
| Notre Dame Hospice | 4 |
| Health Alliance Home Health and Hospice | 1 |
| Care Central VNA & Hospice | 4 |
| Compassus - Greater Western Massachusetts | 3 |
| New England Hospice II, LLC | 10 |
| Overlook Hospice Services | 1 |
| Hospice Services of Western & Central Mass | 7 |
| Trinity Hospice, LLC | 3 |
| Beacon Hospice, An Amedisys Company | 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.