Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care Posts Third Deficiency-free State Survey

GREENFIELD — Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care (PVH&PC) earned a perfect score on a recent survey by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, indicating substantial compliance with requirements for hospice providers. It is Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care’s third consecutive perfect survey.

“Hospice providers must fulfill a substantial list of requirements to become certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),” said Terry Gaberson, executive director of PVH&PC. “I am so pleased to congratulate our staff on their stellar performance in achieving a third deficiency-free survey.” The survey was conducted in December 2021, and PVH&PC was notified earlier this year of the official result.

The Massachusetts DPH survey is unannounced. “We don’t know with any certainty when our survey will take place until the surveyors arrive,” Gaberson noted. “They spend several days at our offices interviewing staff members and reviewing records, policies, and procedures, but they also make home visits to hospice patients. This is an examination of the quality of our overall program, and it is a rigorous process.”

Surveys are repeated within a three-year window. Any deficiencies that do not meet regulations require an immediate action plan for correction.

PVH&PC is a member of Integritus Healthcare (previously Berkshire Healthcare), a family of not-for-profit providers of skilled nursing, short-term rehabilitation, assisted and independent living, and hospice services. PVH&PC was incorporated as a free-standing, nonprofit, community-based hospice in 2004 and joined Integritus Healthcare in 2015.