BEACON HOSPICE, AN AMEDISYS COMPANY

BEACON HOSPICE, AN AMEDISYS COMPANY is a For-Profit hospice center located in SPRINGFIELD, MA that provides care to about 91 patients on average each day. The primary medical condition that brought patients to this hospice facility was Dementia (34%) and most patients receive care at Nursing Facility (39%).

Hospice Report Card

How this grade is calculated:

This grade is a weighted average of up to four data sources to provide a comprehensive view of hospice quality.

Data Sources Used:

Family Caregiver Survey (CAHPS): 3.0/5 stars (40% weight)

Quality of Care (HCI): 10.0/10 score (35% weight)

Start of Care (HIS): 98.1% (15% weight)

Google Reviews: 3.9/5 stars (7 reviews) (10% weight)

Not Available:

• A minimum of two sources are required for a grade

• Google Reviews with fewer than 3 ratings have reduced weight

• Grades are capped at B+ when based only on administrative data (HCI/HIS) without human feedback (CAHPS/Google Reviews)

B-

Good Performance

Overall Score: 81.5/100

Contact Us

815 WORCESTER STREET

SPRINGFIELD, MA 1151

Get Directions

(413) 205-1229

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Overview

Facility Information

CMS Certification Number:221573

Ownership Type:For-Profit

Certification Date:February 15, 2007

Data Period:01/01/2023-12/31/2023

Patient Demographics

Patients Served Daily

Average Patients Per Day

How many patients this facility cares for each day on average

Most Common Conditions

Dementia

34.0%

Cancer

30.0%

Circulatory/Heart

15.0%

Other conditions: Other Conditions (11.0%), Stroke (7.0%), Respiratory (5.0%)

Patient Primary Diagnoses

The primary medical conditions that brought patients to this hospice facility

Care Settings

Where Patients Receive Care

The different locations where this hospice provides care to their patients

Most Common

Home

39.0%

of care days

Nursing Facility

39.0%

of care days

Assisted Living

21.0%

of care days

All Ratings

Family Caregiver Survey Rating:

3 out of 5

Quality of Care Rating (HCI):

5.0 out of 5(HCI: 10/10)

Start of Care Score (HIS Assessment):

4.9 out of 5(HIS: 98.1)

Google Reviews:

View on Google

Family Survey Rating

What is the Family Caregiver Survey?
The CAHPS Hospice Survey collects feedback from family members or friends who cared for hospice patients. It measures key aspects of the hospice experience from the family's perspective, including communication, timeliness, respect, and support quality.

How are scores calculated?
Family caregivers rate their experience in 8 key areas. The percentages shown reflect "top box" scores - the percentage of families who gave the highest possible rating (like "always" for communication or "definitely" for recommendations).

Why this matters:
Higher scores indicate families felt well-supported, informed, and satisfied with care. This reflects the hospice's ability to provide not just medical care, but emotional support and clear communication during one of life's most difficult times.

Star Rating:
Medicare combines all 8 survey areas into an overall star rating (1-5 stars) that helps families quickly compare hospices based on real family experiences.

Family Caregiver Survey (CAHPS)

3.0 out of 5 stars

3.0 Stars

State Average

3.8 stars

National Average

3.0 stars

Overall family satisfaction rating based on Medicare's CAHPS Hospice Survey. Higher star ratings mean families were more satisfied with communication, timeliness, respect, and support during their hospice experience.

Percentage of families who said the hospice team "always" communicated well with them. This includes keeping families informed about the patient's condition, treatment plans, and what to expect.

Worse

Communication

Team always communicated well

78.0%

State Avg: 81.6%

National Avg: 81.0%

Percentage of families who said they "always" got help as soon as they needed it from the hospice team. This measures responsiveness to urgent needs and concerns.

Better

Timely Help

Team always provided timely help

77.0%

State Avg: 76.8%

National Avg: 74.0%

Percentage of families who said the hospice team "always" treated the patient with respect. This reflects dignity, courtesy, and compassionate care throughout the hospice experience.

Better

Treated with Respect

Patient always treated with respect

91.0%

State Avg: 90.9%

National Avg: 89.0%

Percentage of families who felt the hospice team provided the "right amount" of emotional and spiritual support. This includes addressing fears, grief, and spiritual needs.

Worse

Emotional Support

Right amount of emotional/spiritual support

88.0%

State Avg: 90.2%

National Avg: 84.0%

Percentage of families who said the patient "always" got the help they needed for pain and symptoms. This measures effectiveness of comfort care and symptom management.

Worse

Pain & Symptoms

Patient always got help for pain/symptoms

68.0%

State Avg: 74.7%

National Avg: 74.0%

Percentage of families who said they "definitely" got the training they needed to care for the patient. This includes education about medications, comfort care, and what to expect.

Worse

Family Training

Definitely received needed training

73.0%

State Avg: 78.0%

National Avg: 67.0%

Percentage of families who rated the hospice 9 or 10 out of 10 (the highest ratings). This reflects overall satisfaction with the hospice experience.

Worse

Hospice Rating

Rated hospice 9 or 10 out of 10

75.0%

State Avg: 81.0%

National Avg: 79.0%

Percentage of families who said they would "definitely" recommend this hospice to others. This is a strong indicator of overall satisfaction and trust in the hospice.

Worse

Would Recommend

Would definitely recommend hospice

84.0%

State Avg: 85.4%

National Avg: 80.0%

Quality of Care Rating

What is the Hospice Care Index (HCI)?
The HCI is Medicare's official quality measure that evaluates hospices on 10 specific care indicators. It provides families with an objective way to compare hospice quality using real patient data from Medicare claims and patient records.

How are points earned?
Hospices earn exactly 1 point for each of 10 criteria they meet, such as: providing nursing visits in patients' final 3 days of life, maintaining consistent nursing schedules without gaps, avoiding unnecessary emergency hospitalizations, managing costs effectively, and ensuring adequate weekend care coverage.

Scoring methodology:
Each criterion has a national percentile threshold (typically 10th percentile). If a hospice performs better than this threshold compared to all hospices nationally, they earn 1 point for that criterion. Maximum score is 10 points.

Why this matters:
Higher HCI scores correlate with better pain management, more consistent nursing care, fewer traumatic emergency visits, better family support, and more cost-effective care delivery - all leading to improved comfort and peace of mind during end-of-life care.

Comparison vs. Scoring:
While national percentile thresholds determine points earned, the state and national averages shown provide context for how this facility compares locally and nationally.

Hospice Care Index (HCI)

5.0 out of 5 (HCI: 10.0/10)

10.0

State Average

National Average

8.8

The HCI is Medicare's comprehensive quality score that measures how well hospices provide end-of-life care. Hospices earn exactly 1 point for each of 10 specific criteria they meet (like nursing visits in patients' final 3 days, consistent care schedules, avoiding emergency hospitalizations), with each criterion having a national percentile threshold for scoring. While national thresholds determine the points earned, the averages shown below compare this facility's performance against state and national averages for reference.

This measures what percentage of care days required intensive hospice services (like continuous bedside care or inpatient care). Lower percentages are better because it means patients had their symptoms well-managed with regular home care, rather than needing costly emergency interventions.

Better

CHC/GIP Days

Percentage of days with intensive care services

0.0%

State Avg:0.5%

National Avg:0.5%

This tracks gaps between skilled nursing visits for patients receiving routine home care. Lower numbers are better because it means patients received consistent, regular nursing care without long periods between visits that could leave medical needs unaddressed.

Worse

Nursing Visits

Consistency of skilled nursing visits

58.4%

State Avg:54.0%

National Avg:53.8%

This measures patients who were discharged from hospice care within 7 days of admission while still alive. Lower rates are better because early discharges may indicate patients weren't properly assessed for hospice eligibility or didn't receive adequate support during their initial adjustment period.

Better

Early Discharges

Avoiding premature live discharges

4.3%

State Avg:8.0%

National Avg:7.0%

This tracks patients who were discharged from hospice after 180+ days while still alive. Lower rates are better because very long stays followed by discharge may suggest the patient wasn't appropriate for hospice initially, or their condition improved but discharge was delayed.

Better

Late Discharges

Appropriate timing of live discharges

39.4%

State Avg:39.5%

National Avg:40.1%

This measures disruptive care transitions, specifically unplanned hospitalizations that result in the patient being discharged from hospice. Lower rates are better because these transitions can be traumatic for patients and families, and may indicate inadequate symptom management at home.

Better

Transitions Type 1

Minimizing disruptive care transitions

5.3%

State Avg:7.9%

National Avg:8.1%

This tracks another type of disruptive transition - emergency department visits or hospitalizations during hospice care. Lower rates are better because hospice should be able to manage most symptoms and crises at home or in hospice facilities, avoiding stressful hospital visits.

Better

Transitions Type 2

Minimizing unnecessary hospitalizations

2.1%

State Avg:3.0%

National Avg:2.1%

This measures the average minutes of skilled nursing care provided per routine home care day. Higher numbers are better because more nursing time typically means better symptom management, medication oversight, and family support - all crucial for quality hospice care.

Worse

Skilled Nursing

Minutes of skilled nursing per routine home care day

12 min

State Avg:14.7 min

National Avg:17.0 min

This tracks whether patients receive nursing or social work visits on weekends. Higher percentages are better because hospice patients need consistent care 7 days a week, and weekend coverage shows the facility is committed to round-the-clock support when families need it most.

Better

Weekend Care

Percentage of skilled nursing on weekends

11.8%

State Avg:9.0%

National Avg:9.4%

This measures whether patients received nursing or social work visits in their final 2 days of life. Higher percentages are better because increased support during the dying process helps ensure comfort, dignity, and emotional support for both patient and family during this critical time.

Better

Visits Near Death

Percentage of patients with visits in final days

94.4%

State Avg:92.4%

National Avg:89.1%

This measures the total amount Medicare spent per hospice patient at this facility. Lower spending is better because it indicates the hospice is providing efficient, cost-effective care without unnecessary expenses. However, very low spending could also mean fewer services, so this should be considered alongside other quality measures.

Better

Cost Efficiency

Per-beneficiary spending

$12,228

State Avg:$16,461

National Avg:$17,830

Start of Care Rating

What is the Start of Care Rating?
This measures how well hospices conduct comprehensive assessments when patients first enter care. It evaluates whether key areas like pain management, breathing issues, treatment preferences, and patient values are properly addressed from day one.

How are scores calculated?
Medicare tracks the percentage of new patients who receive proper screening and assessment in 7 key areas: treatment preferences, beliefs/values, pain screening, pain assessment, breathing problems, breathing treatment, and bowel care for opioid patients.

Why this matters:
Proper start-of-care assessment ensures patients receive personalized care from day one, better pain management, respect for their values and preferences, and comprehensive symptom control - leading to better comfort and quality of life throughout their hospice journey.

Scoring:
Higher percentages mean more patients received proper assessment in each area. The composite score combines all 7 areas to show overall assessment quality.

Hospice Item Set (HIS)

4.9 out of 5 (98.1%)

98.1%

State Average

93.7%

National Average

92.2%

Composite score measuring quality of comprehensive assessment at admission. Higher percentages mean more patients received proper screening and assessment in key areas like pain management, treatment preferences, and symptom control from day one.

Percentage of patients who had their treatment preferences discussed and documented at admission. Higher percentages mean more patients received personalized care planning from the start.

Better

Treatment Preferences

Discussion of patient treatment preferences

100.0%

State Avg: 99.7%

National Avg: 99.5%

Percentage of patients whose spiritual and cultural beliefs were addressed if desired. Higher percentages show respect for patient values and holistic care approach.

Better

Beliefs & Values

Addressing patient beliefs and values

100.0%

State Avg: 98.1%

National Avg: 98.5%

Percentage of patients screened for pain within 24 hours of admission. Higher percentages ensure pain issues are identified and addressed quickly.

Better

Pain Screening

Screening for pain at admission

100.0%

State Avg: 98.6%

National Avg: 98.3%

Percentage of patients who received comprehensive pain assessment at admission. Higher percentages mean better pain management planning from day one.

Better

Pain Assessment

Comprehensive pain assessment

99.3%

State Avg: 96.8%

National Avg: 95.7%

Percentage of patients screened for shortness of breath at admission. Higher percentages ensure breathing problems are identified early for proper treatment.

Worse

Dyspnea Screening

Screening for shortness of breath

99.0%

State Avg: 99.3%

National Avg: 99.0%

Percentage of patients with breathing problems who received appropriate treatment. Higher percentages show effective symptom management.

Better

Dyspnea Treatment

Treatment for shortness of breath

98.9%

State Avg: 96.6%

National Avg: 97.7%

Percentage of patients on opioid medications who were given bowel regimen to prevent constipation. Higher percentages show proactive side effect management.

Better

Bowel Regimen

Opioid patients given bowel regimen

98.8%

State Avg: 97.5%

National Avg: 91.1%

Options Nearby

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