Talbot Hospice Foundation, Inc.
A hospice in Easton, Maryland 21601
586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, Maryland 21601. (410) 822-6681.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026. We couldn’t read Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ list since Oct 27, 2026: qcor.cms.gov now refuses our reader. This record is as of then.
- 3 deficiencies cited in the last three years
- 5of 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?
3 deficiencies cited in the last three years
The middle of the 3 hospices serving ZIP code 21601 had 3.
The last inspection on record was on Sep 11, 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
3 deficiencies 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 11, 2024: recertification inspection by the state3 deficiencies
-
Prevention (42 CFR 418.60(a))
The inspectors’ words, 105 words
“Based on direct observation on 09/10/2024, a Registered Nurse (RN) providing care to Patient #14 in the hospice house failed to follow infection control protocols, resulting in cross-contamination (when germs or dirt from something dirty get on something clean, spreading germs). The findings include: During direct observation of the RNs care for Patient #14 on 09/10/2024, it was noted that two barriers were placed on a table during the patient assessment. However, clean and dirty equipment were co-mingled (when two or more things get mixed together and are no longer separate) on these barriers, violating infection control standards that require separating clean and contaminated items.”
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Role (42 CFR 418.78(b))
The inspectors’ words, 145 words
“A review of the medical record for Patient #2 on 09/09/2024 revealed that there were two referral requests from volunteer services for companionship visits on 08/26/2024 and 09/05/2024. However, no documented activities or services from volunteer visits were found in the patients record. The findings include: A review of Patient #2s medical record on 09/09/2024 revealed a referral from volunteer services for companionship visits on 08/26/2024 and 09/05/2024. No documentation was found indicating that the visits occurred or that any volunteer services were provided. An interview was conducted with the Director of Volunteer Services on 09/10/2024, during which the director stated that there was no documentation of companionship visits being done. A review of the hospices volunteer documentation policy confirmed that documentation of volunteer visits must be completed within 72 hours and included in the patients clinical record, which was not done in this instance.”
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Training (42 CFR 418.100(g)(3))
The inspectors’ words, 141 words
“A review of the personnel file for the Clinical Manager on 09/10/2024 revealed that no competency skills evaluation was completed upon hire, as required, for clinical roles that involve direct patient care, case management, and caregiver supervision. Competency evaluations allow the agency to check if employees have the right skills to do their job safely and correctly and identify areas for improvement. Failure to complete competency evaluations increases the risk of patients receiving care from unqualified or untrained staff. The findings include: A review of the Clinical Manager’s personnel file on 09/10/2024 showed no documentation of a competency skills evaluation at the time of hire. The job description for the Clinical Manager states: “May include responsibility for direct patient care as RN case manager and caregiver supervisor, including admission, ongoing assessment, and treatments, etc., for patients admitted to home health (HH).””
The one inspection in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2024 | Recertification inspection by the state | 3 deficiencies cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Jan 9, 2015.
- 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): 15.1 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 12.1% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 94.3% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 46% at home, 37% in assisted living, 4% in a nursing facility, 13% elsewhere.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 15.1 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 12.1% |
| Visits near death | 94.3% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- 23 owners or officers are people: Rodanthe Hanrahan (corporate director); Joseph P Saunders (corporate officer); Joseph P Saunders (managing employee (on the payroll)); Melissa Kelly (corporate director, 0%); Robert Sanchez (managing employee (on the payroll)); Meredith Girard (corporate director, 0%); James Nash (corporate director); Mary Meintzer (managing employee (on the payroll)); Peter Gallagher (corporate director); Susan Phillips (managing employee (on the payroll)); Sherri Hobbs-Messick (corporate director, 0%); Elizabeth Lacorte (corporate director, 0%); Richard Tilghman (corporate director); Molly Kirsch (corporate officer); Molly Kirsch (managing employee (on the payroll)); Paul Tolzman (corporate director, 0%); Deborah Walsworth (corporate director); Cassandra Guy (corporate director); Osvaldina Daly (corporate director); Sheila Monahan (corporate director); Michael Joseph Fisher (corporate director); Christopher W Kerr (corporate director, 0%); Emily Jackson (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 5 of 5 in CMS’s survey (Oct 1, 2023 to Sep 30, 2025): 91% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 95% would definitely recommend it.
- CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 10 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); 70.2% 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 | 10 of 10 |
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 3 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 21601, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 3; this one had 3.
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 |
|---|---|
| Talbot Hospice Foundation, Inc. This hospice | 3 |
| Coastal Hospice Inc. | 30 |
| Compass Regional Hospice, Inc. | 3 |
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 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.