Smoky Mountain Home Health and Hospice, I N C
A hospice in Newport, Tennessee 37821
222 Heritage Blvd, Newport, Tennessee 37821. (423) 623-0233.
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The short answer
Record last released by CMS on Oct 23, 2026.
- 1 deficiency 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?
1 deficiency cited in the last three years
The middle of the 7 hospices serving ZIP code 37821 had 6.
The last inspection on record was on Mar 23, 2025: 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
1 deficiency in 1 month of the last 36. Last cited Mar 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.
Mar 12, 2025: recertification inspection by the state1 deficiency
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Content of plan of care (42 CFR 418.56(c))
The inspectors’ words, 275 words
“Based on agency policy review, medical record review and interview, the agency failed to implement a bowel regimen for 2 Patients (#9 and #6) of 19 patients reviewed for opioid medications. The findings include: Review of the agency policy, “;Bowel Management,” undated revealed “;...the use of pain medications is usually the major cause of constipation...Untreated constipation can lead to more serious condition...impaction or bowel obstruction...and a daily bowel program can prevent such problems...” Review of the agency policy, “;Pain Management,” dated 2022, revealed “;...Nursing and therapy...will follow the established plan of care...” Medical record review revealed Patient #9 was admitted to the agency on 11/6/2024 with diagnoses including Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Medical record review of the Hospice Plan of Care dated 11//2025, showed Patient #9 had been ordered Morphine sulfate 10mg/ml (milligrams/milliliter-an opioid used to treat pain) administer 5-10 milligrams intramuscularly every 4-6 hours as needed and oxycodone 15 mg oral tablet; take 1 tab oral 3 times a day. Medical record review of the medication profile summary showed Patient #9 had not been ordered medications for constipation. Medical record review revealed Patient #6 was admitted to the agency on 2/28/2025 with diagnoses including Alzheimers Disease. Medical record review the Hospice Plan of Care dated 2/28/2025, showed Patient #6 had been ordered acetaminophen-hydrocodone 325-5 mg (an opioid used to treat pain) oral tablet every 6 hours as needed for pain. Medical record review of the Hospice Plan of Care showed Patient #6 had not been ordered medications for constipation. During an interview on 3/12/2025 at 11:30 AM the Administrator confirmed the agency failed to implement a bowel regimen for Patients #9 and #6 who received opioids.”
All 2 inspections in the last three years
| Date | Visit | What the record says |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2025 | Recertification inspection by the state | No deficiencies cited |
| Mar 12, 2025 | Recertification inspection by the state | 1 deficiency cited |
Is it certified?
- Medicare-certified hospice since Jun 23, 1994.
- 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): 9.4 nurse care minutes per routine home care day, 7.1% of skilled nursing minutes at weekends and a visit near death for 96.2% of patients who died.
- Where its patients were cared for (Jan 1, 2024 to Dec 31, 2024): 56% at home, 19% in assisted living, 24% in a nursing facility.
CMS, Hospice Provider Data. Released Aug 26, 2026. Updated quarterly.
| Measure | This provider |
|---|---|
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care day | 9.4 min |
| Skilled nursing minutes at weekends | 7.1% |
| Visits near death | 96.2% of patients who died |
Who owns it?
- 5 owners or officers are people: Tammy M Francis (owns 5% or more directly); Tammy M Francis (corporate director); Tammy M Francis (managing employee (on the payroll)); Mark E Holland (managing employee (under contract)); Kellye Yow (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): 87% rated it 9 or 10 out of 10, and 93% would definitely recommend it.
- CMS’s Hospice Care Index: 10 of 10 (Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024).
- 97.38% of patients were assessed on all seven of CMS’s measures at the start of care (Oct 1, 2024 to Sep 30, 2025); 75.3% 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 7 hospices CMS’s data show serving patients in ZIP code 37821, where this hospice’s office is, the middle number of deficiencies cited in the last three years was 6; this one had 1.
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 |
|---|---|
| Smoky Mountain Home Health and Hospice, I N C This hospice | 1 |
| Amedisys Hospice An Adventa Company | 7 |
| Beacon Hospice | 0 |
| Covenant Hospice | 6 |
| Gentiva | 20 |
| University of TN Medical Center Home Care Services | 3 |
| Caris Healthcare | 6 |
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.