Journey Hospice
A hospice in Downingtown, Pennsylvania 19335
101 Plaza Drive Suite 1001, Downingtown, Pennsylvania 19335. (215) 649-7200.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026.
- 3 deficiencies cited in the last three years
- Not rated family caregiver rating
- Not available 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?
3 deficiencies cited in the last three years
The middle of the 22 hospices serving ZIP code 19335 had 2.5.
The last inspection on record was on Apr 30, 2024: an initial inspection by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care.
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 Apr 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.
Apr 30, 2024: initial inspection by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care3 deficiencies
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Content of plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(c)(2))
The inspectors’ words, 227 words
“Upon patient record review, 3 of 9 (Patient #1, 2, 3) did not have evidence the plan of care must includes all services necessary for the palliation and management of the terminal illness and related conditions, including the following: • A detailed statement of the scope and frequency of services necessary to meet the specific patient and family needs • The IDG demonstrates a proactive approach in developing each patient’s plan of care by planning ahead for anticipated patient changes and needs. Decisions should reflect the patient/family preferences rather than be solely a response to a crisis. Patient #1: CM (Case Manager) 1 visits weekly and 8 prn every 30 days. SC 1 visit monthly 6 prn every 30 days. Vol 1 visit weekly and 8 prn every 30 days. Patient #2: CM (Case Manager) 1 visits weekly and 8 prn every 30 days. MSW 1 monthly 4 prn every 30 days. SC 1 visit monthly 4 prn every 30 days. Patient #3: CM (Case Manager) 3 visits weekly and 8 prn every 30 days. SC and MSW 1 visit every 30 days and 8 prn every 30 days. Education provided regarding use of CM term vs SN/Nursing. PRN frequencies too broad. Education regarding specific scope of frequency and indication for adjust frequency as indicated by patient change in condition rather than broad quantity of PRN visits.”
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Coordination of services (42 CFR 418.56(e)(2))
“Upon client record review, 1 of 9 (Patient #5) did not have evidence that the IDG ensures that the care and services are provided in accordance with the plan of care. Patient #5: SOC 10/18/23 with initial frequency for SC 1/month. There is no documented visit for November.”
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Hospice aide assignments and duties (42 CFR 418.76(g)(2))
The inspectors’ words, 96 words
“Upon patient record review 1 of 9 (Patient #4) did not have evidence documentation in the patient record that a hospice aide provides services that are: • Ordered by the interdisciplinary group • Included in the plan of care • Permitted to be performed under state law by such hospice aide • Consistent with the hospice aide training Patient #4: HA assignment includes task of tub/shower. 9/8/23 note, there is a line drawn through the box rather than a check or “refuse”. It is not clear, as documented that task was complete and/or if patient refused.”
The one inspection in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2024 | Initial inspection by the Accreditation Commission for Health Care | 3 deficiencies cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since May 15, 2024.
- CMS doesn’t list its type of ownership.
- 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?
- CMS hasn’t published nursing time from Medicare claims for this hospice.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
Who owns it?
- Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Inc. owns 100% directly since Nov 15, 2017.
- 21 owners or officers are people: Renee Luchtman (managing employee (on the payroll), 70%); Jeannine M Richman (corporate officer); Anthony Steinbronn (corporate director); Sherry Outten (corporate officer); Sherry Outten (managing employee (on the payroll)); Edward P Noble (corporate officer); Edward P Noble (corporate director); Terry Shine (corporate director); Maria L Fogata (managing employee (under contract)); Kenneth J Vandongen (corporate director); Bardford Hildebrandt (corporate officer); Bardford Hildebrandt (corporate director); Colleen P Frankenfield (corporate officer); Colleen P Frankenfield (corporate director); Rafael Haciski (corporate director); Tracie L Bartholomew (corporate director); Ahmad Farooq (other role (CMS gives no detail), 0%); Juhan Runne (corporate officer); Juhan Runne (corporate director); Stephen Gewecke (corporate director); Lawrence Schumann (corporate director).
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Inc. | Owns 5% or more directly | 100% | Nov 15, 2017 |
What do families say?
- CMS gives no family caregiver survey rating: “The number of cases is too small to report Star Ratings.”
- CMS gives no Hospice Care Index for this hospice.
- 45.45% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025).
CMS, CAHPS Hospice Survey and Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
How does it compare nearby?
- Of the 22 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 19335, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 2.5; 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 |
|---|---|
| Journey Hospice This hospice | 3 |
| Penn Medicine Hospice | 8 |
| Vitas Healthcare Corporation Atlantic | 5 |
| Main Line Health Homecare & Hospice - Hospice | 0 |
| Brandywine River Valley Hospice | 0 |
| Amedisys Hospice of Greater Philadelphia | 1 |
| Hospice Compassus - Philadelphia | 0 |
| Caring Hospice Services | 4 |
| Ascend Hospice | 6 |
| Aseracare Hospice | 2 |
| Willow Tree Hospice | 0 |
| Crossroads Hospice of Philadelphia | 2 |
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.