Hospice › California › Walnut Creek
Hospice in Walnut Creek, California · CCN 051770
Save this provider to compare the same published fields across up to four providers of the same care type.
Open your comparisonFamily survey rating: this provider 2/5; median among 174 providers with a published value in the same state and provider category: 3/5.
CareRecords calculates this unweighted median from the loaded source snapshot. Providers with missing values are excluded. It is a descriptive reference, not a new quality rating or recommendation. Individual reporting periods may differ; do not compare different rating systems.
How to compare records without mistaking missing data for good performance →
10 out of 10
CMS builds this single score out of ten separate indicators drawn from claims. A provider earns a point for each indicator where it is not an outlier against national thresholds. This one scores at or near the top of the scale.
| Indicator | This provider | Read as |
|---|---|---|
| Visits near death | 97.1% | higher is better |
| Gaps in nursing visits | 41.9% | lower is better |
| Early live discharges | 14.6% | lower is better |
| Late live discharges | 28.7% | lower is better |
| Burdensome transitions, Type 1 | 10.4% | lower is better |
| Burdensome transitions, Type 2 | 4.9% | lower is better |
| Skilled nursing minutes on weekends | 8.2% | higher is better |
| Nurse care minutes per routine home care days | 22.50 min | higher is better |
| CHC/GIP provided | 1.2% | higher is better |
| Per-beneficiary spending | $24,032 | context, not a quality score |
Why live discharges matter. Hospice is for people expected to die within six months. A patient leaving hospice alive is sometimes the right outcome — they got better, or chose to resume curative treatment. But an unusually high rate can also indicate patients were enrolled who did not qualify, or were discharged when their care became expensive. CMS publishes early and late live-discharge rates for exactly this reason. Treat a high number as a question to ask, not a verdict.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 family survey rating
| Survey question | Families answering "always" / top box | |
|---|---|---|
| Rated this hospice 9 or 10 out of 10 | 71.0% | |
| Would definitely recommend | 70.0% | |
| Family member treated with respect | 84.0% | |
| Got the emotional and spiritual support they wanted | 90.0% |
CAHPS Hospice Survey, completed by caregivers after the patient's death. Providers with too few responses are not scored.
| Practice | Patients receiving it | |
|---|---|---|
| Composite process measure (all seven care practices) | 97.2% | |
| Pain screening | 98.1% | |
| Pain assessment | 99.2% | |
| Shortness-of-breath screening | 98.8% | |
| Shortness-of-breath treatment | 99.8% | |
| Bowel regimen for patients on opioids | 99.6% | |
| Treatment preferences documented | 99.6% | |
| Beliefs and values addressed | 99.5% |
Share of patients for whom the provider documented each practice. These are process measures — they record whether something was done, not how well.
Average daily census: 191 patients.
Each row is a filed role, not a separate shareholding. The same person or organization may appear more than once. Do not add percentages across direct ownership, indirect ownership, officer and management roles. Management roles alone do not establish equity ownership.
CHEMED CORPORATION — all 34 hospices → COMFORT CARE HOLDINGS COMPANY — all 34 hospices → VITAS HEALTHCARE CORPORATION — all 34 hospices →
CMS flags at least one owner here as: chain home office, holding company. These are CMS's own classification checkboxes, reproduced as filed.
| Owner | Role | Share | Associated since | CMS type flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEMED CORPORATION | 5% OR GREATER INDIRECT OWNERSHIP INTEREST | 100% | 1/22/2014 | — |
| COMFORT CARE HOLDINGS COMPANY | 5% OR GREATER INDIRECT OWNERSHIP INTEREST | 100% | 1/22/2014 | holding company |
| VITAS HEALTHCARE CORPORATION | 5% OR GREATER INDIRECT OWNERSHIP INTEREST | 100% | 1/22/2014 | chain home office |
| VITAS HOSPICE SERVICES, LLC | 5% OR GREATER DIRECT OWNERSHIP INTEREST | 100% | 1/22/2014 | — |
| ALEXANDER FERNANDEZ | CORPORATE OFFICER | 0% | 3/23/2023 | — |
| BRIAN JUDKINS | CORPORATE OFFICER | 0% | 8/31/2020 | — |
| BRIAN JUDKINS | CORPORATE DIRECTOR | 0% | 8/31/2020 | — |
| EMILIE THURMAN | W-2 MANAGING EMPLOYEE | 0% | 6/17/2024 | — |
| JOEL WHERLEY | CORPORATE OFFICER | 0% | 8/11/2025 | — |
| JOEL WHERLEY | CORPORATE DIRECTOR | 0% | 8/11/2025 | — |
| KEVIN MCNAMARA | CORPORATE DIRECTOR | — | 1/22/2014 | — |
| KRISTINA CARPENTER | W-2 MANAGING EMPLOYEE | 0% | 10/6/2020 | — |
| MICHAEL WITZEMAN | CORPORATE OFFICER | 0% | 4/8/2024 | — |
Source: CMS Hospice All Owners file, linked to this provider through its Medicare enrollment record. Medicare's Care Compare does not present ownership in this form.
Everything on this page is reproduced from the CMS Provider Data Catalog (snapshot dates and measure periods vary by dataset) and, where shown, the CMS ownership and Medicare enrollment files. Star ratings and comparison categories are from CMS; explanatory notes provide context. If you believe a figure is wrong, email data@carerecords.org with the CCN and we verify against the official file within 5 business days.
How to cite this page: CareRecords, "Vitas Healthcare Corporation of California — hospice records, Walnut Creek, CA." Compiled from the CMS Provider Data Catalog (downloaded CMS snapshots (measure periods vary) release), CCN 051770. https://carerecords.org/hospice/california/vitas-healthcare-corporation-of-california-walnut-creek/