Hearth Record

Valley Hospice

A hospice in Paramus, New Jersey 07652

15 Essex Road, Paramus, New Jersey 07652. (201) 291-6000.

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 Nov 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 17 hospices serving ZIP code 07652 had 6.

The last inspection on record was on Nov 27, 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 Nov 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.

Nov 27, 2024: recertification inspection by the state1 deficiency

  • Prevention (42 CFR 418.60(a))

    The inspectors’ words, 470 words

    “Based on observations, staff interviews, and a review of facility documents, it was determined the facility failed to ensure that the disinfection of reusable patient care equipment are in accordance with facility policy, in two of four home visits (Patient (P) 2 and P4). Findings include: On 11/25/24 at 12:45 PM, Staff (S)11, Home Health Aide (HHA), was observed providing care for Patient (P)4. At 1:50 PM, patient care was completed and P4 signed S11’s tablet using his/her finger. S11 did not disinfect the tablet prior to leaving the P4’s house. At 1:53 PM, when questioned about the process for cleaning the tablet, S11 stated that he/she usually disinfects the tablet before leaving the patient’s home but did not want to make P4 uncomfortable by disinfecting the tablet in the home. S11 stated that he/she would disinfect the tablet in his/her car before the next patient visit. On 11/27/24 at 9:30 AM, a review of mandatory education on infection control provided to clinical staff was conducted. Facility document titled “Infection Prevention Clinical” last reviewed 10/18/22 stated “...Care of Electronic Device: Store tablet in separate reuse bag compartment... Use stylus for patient signature...” On 11/27/24 at 10:03 AM, an interview was conducted with S1, Director of Hospice, and S12, Director of Compliance and Operations. When questioned about cleaning of equipment, S12 stated that equipment should be cleaned before staff leave the patient’s home. S12 also stated that the expectation is for staff to provide a stylus to the patient to sign the tablet rather than using their finger. On 11/25/24 at 1:45 PM, Staff (S) 9, Registered Nurse, was observed providing care for Patient (P) 2. S9 placed the pulse oximetry (pulse ox) monitor on the patient’s finger while listening to the patient’s heart and lung sounds with a stethoscope. At 1:50 PM, upon completion of the assessments, S9 placed the pulse ox monitor and the stethoscope back into the clinician’s bag without cleaning the equipment. When the cleaning of equipment was discussed, S9 confirmed that the pulse ox monitor and stethoscope should have been cleaned prior to putting them back into the bag. Facility policy, titled, “Infection Control: Bag Technique”, revised 5/24, states, “... 4. Clean Stethoscope ... pulse ox ... with alcohol wipe before and after patient contact. Once cleaned with alcohol return equipment to the reuse section of the clinician bag ...” On 11/27/24 at 10:02 AM, S1, Hospice Director, S12, Director of Compliance and Operations, and S24, Education Supervisor, were asked what the process was after using vital signs equipment on a patient and before putting the equipment back into the clinician bag. S1, S12, and S24 all confirmed that the vital signs equipment after patient use should be wiped down with alcohol pad and then returned to the front compartment of the clinician bag. N.J.A.C. 8:42C-10.2(b)”

    Rule L0579. Standard-level.

The one inspection in the last three years
Inspections on record
DateVisitWhat the record says
Nov 27, 2024Recertification inspection by the state1 deficiency cited

Is it certified?

  • Medicare-certified hospice since Dec 31, 1987.
  • Ownership: other.
  • 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): 13.3 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 8.2% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 93.5% of patients who died.
  • Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 54% at home, 28% in assisted living, 1% in a nursing facility, 17% in a skilled nursing facility.
Source:

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

Staffing measures
MeasureThis provider
Nurse care minutes per routine home care day13.3 min
Skilled nursing minutes at weekends8.2%
Visits near death93.5% of patients who died

Who owns it?

  • 14 owners or officers are people: Michelle Restrepo (managing employee (on the payroll), 5%); Josette Portalatin (corporate officer, 5%); Donald E Strangfeld (corporate director); Kathryn Yeomans (corporate director); Denise Ratcliffe (corporate director); Paulette Laurenzi (corporate director); Barry Poskanzer (corporate director); Kathleen Burke (corporate director); David F Ludwig (corporate director); Cynthia J Halaby (corporate director); Steven L Nickles (corporate director); Anne Goheen Crane (corporate director); Robert W Brenner (corporate director); John W Albohm (corporate director).
  • 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.

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 86% would definitely recommend it.
  • CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 10 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
  • 99.54% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 65.2% had visits from a nurse or social worker on at least 2 of their last 3 days (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
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 threshold10 of 10

How does it compare nearby?

  • Of the 17 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 07652, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 6; 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 17 hospices CMS lists serving ZIP code 07652
PlaceDeficiencies, 3 years
Valley Hospice This hospice1
Vhs Hospice Services of New Jersey3
Amedisys Hospice7
Visiting Nurse Association of Englewood, Inc.1
Hospice of New Jersey, LLC18
Ascend Hospice5
Compassionate Care Hospice of Clifton, LLC6
Holy Name Hospice7
Life Source Services LLC6
Vitas Healthcare Corporation Atlantic4
Grace Healthcare Services LLC6
Serenity Hospice Care11

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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