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Hospice of Pella, the Comfort House

Hospice in Pella, Iowa · CCN 161538

Contact and basics

  • Address404 Jefferson Street
    Pella, IA 50219
  • Phone(641) 628-6644
  • CMS certification number161538
  • Ownership typeFor-Profit
  • Medicare-certified since02/12/1995
  • CountyMarion

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Same-type reference in IA

Family survey rating: this provider 5/5; median among 42 providers with a published value in the same state and provider category: 4/5.

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.

Questions to take to Hospice of Pella, the Comfort House

  • Ask which services are actually available now, who will provide them, and how the provider handles concerns outside normal office hours. Published quality data cannot confirm current availability.
  • Ask how the published family survey rating relates to the reporting period and what has changed since then. Ratings for different kinds of care should not be compared.
  • For ownership entries below, ask which entity is the direct owner and which supplies management. An officer or managing employee is not necessarily an equity owner.
  • Check the source date and the latest official record before deciding. Bring the issues above to a visit or call rather than treating the profile as a recommendation.

How to compare records without mistaking missing data for good performance →

Hospice Care Index

9 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.

IndicatorThis providerRead as
Visits near death100.0%higher is better
Gaps in nursing visits2.0%lower is better
Early live discharges14.3%lower is better
Late live discharges14.3%lower is better
Burdensome transitions, Type 17.1%lower is better
Burdensome transitions, Type 20.0%lower is better
Skilled nursing minutes on weekends27.8%higher is better
Nurse care minutes per routine home care days220.80 minhigher is better
CHC/GIP provided9.1%higher is better
Per-beneficiary spending$7,249context, 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.

What families said

★★★★★ 5/5 family survey rating

Survey questionFamilies answering "always" / top box
Rated this hospice 9 or 10 out of 1095.0%
Would definitely recommend97.0%
Family member treated with respect95.0%
Got the emotional and spiritual support they wanted98.0%

CAHPS Hospice Survey, completed by caregivers after the patient's death. Providers with too few responses are not scored.

Care practices at admission

PracticePatients receiving it
Composite process measure (all seven care practices)92.2%
Pain screening96.5%
Pain assessment95.1%
Shortness-of-breath screening100.0%
Shortness-of-breath treatment98.3%
Treatment preferences documented100.0%
Beliefs and values addressed100.0%

Share of patients for whom the provider documented each practice. These are process measures — they record whether something was done, not how well.

Who this hospice serves

Average daily census: 7 patients.

Where care was delivered

  • Patient's home73.0%
  • Assisted living facility0.0%
  • Nursing facility2.0%
  • Skilled nursing facility0.0%
  • Inpatient hospice facility13.0%

Primary diagnosis mix

  • Cancer45.0%
  • Circulatory / heart disease18.0%
  • Other conditions18.0%

Filed ownership and management roles

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.

OwnerRoleShareAssociated sinceCMS type flags
PELLA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER5% OR GREATER DIRECT OWNERSHIP INTEREST100%9/19/1996—
PELLA REGIONAL HEALTH CENTEROPERATIONAL/MANAGERIAL CONTROL100%9/19/1996—
BRUCE HEIFNERCORPORATE OFFICER—2/9/2015—
BRUCE HEIFNERW-2 MANAGING EMPLOYEE—2/9/2015—
CHAD HUYSERCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%2/1/2019—
CRAIG WITTENBERGCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%4/1/2002—
JAMES BRANDLCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%1/1/2018—
LESLIE JOHNSTONCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%4/1/2020—
MARY GLENDENINGCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%1/1/2015—
MICHAEL MORGANCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%1/1/2014—
RANDALL STRAVERSCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%1/1/2017—
RICHARD POSTHUMACORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%7/1/2019—
ROBERT KROESECORPORATE OFFICER—11/21/2007—
ROBERT KROESEW-2 MANAGING EMPLOYEE100%11/21/2007—
RODNEY BRAUNCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%1/1/2013—
STEPHEN BARNESCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%1/1/2020—
TRAVIS TURNBULLCORPORATE DIRECTOR9.1%9/1/2019—

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.

Other hospices in Iowa

All hospices in Iowa →

Where these records come from

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, "Hospice of Pella, the Comfort House — hospice records, Pella, IA." Compiled from the CMS Provider Data Catalog (downloaded CMS snapshots (measure periods vary) release), CCN 161538. https://carerecords.org/hospice/iowa/hospice-of-pella-the-comfort-house-pella/