Essentia Health St Marys Hospice & Palliative Care

Non-Profit35 years operating

Duluth, Minnesota — St. Louis County

Essentia Health St Marys Hospice & Palliative Care is an established non-profit hospice provider that scores well above average overall, ranking in the 46th percentile in Minnesota. They perform particularly well in clinical care practices and family communication, meeting or exceeding state benchmarks in these areas. As a larger provider, they serve a high volume of patients — ask about nurse-to-patient ratios and how quickly they respond to after-hours calls.

Wayven Quality Score

Excellent

Above 46% of hospices in Minnesota

Independent & data-driven — no paid listings

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Quality breakdown

Three pillars that make up the overall score. Tap to explore individual measures.

Visits in last days of life68

State avg: 69.8

Pain screening98.7

State avg: 95

Pain assessment98.5

State avg: 95

Breathing difficulty screening98.7

State avg: 95

Breathing difficulty treatment98.8

State avg: 95

Bowel care for pain medication patients99.6

State avg: 95

Note: Family satisfaction scores are from the Minnesota CAHPS Hospice Survey (state-level, not provider-specific). Providers in this state share these benchmarks.

Overall rating (9-10)81
Would recommend86
Timely care77
Team communication81
Respect92
Emotional & spiritual support92
Symptom management73
Caregiver training73
Treatment preferences documented99.9

State avg: 95

Beliefs & values addressed99.3

State avg: 95

9

HCI Score

out of 10

46%

Percentile

in Minnesota

#46

State Rank

in Minnesota

HCI composite score9

State avg: 9.2

HIS composite score95.7

State avg: 95

Continuous care / inpatient days0.5
Gaps in nursing visits64.1
Nurse care minutes per day80

About this provider

Essentia Health St Marys Hospice & Palliative Care performs strongly in Comfort & Pain Management, placing them among the better providers in Minnesota.

Ask about their staffing approach for end-of-life visits — their current rate is below the state benchmark.

Based on federal CMS quality data, updated February 2026.

Hospice Care Index Components

Overall HCI score
9 / 10
Continuous care / inpatient days
0.5
Gaps in nursing visits
64.1
Nurse care minutes per day
80
Visits near death
91.6
Per-beneficiary spending
$16577

Process Quality Measures (HIS)

Composite score
95.7
Treatment preferences
99.9
Beliefs & values
99.3
Pain screening
98.7
Pain assessment
98.5
Dyspnea screening
98.7
Dyspnea treatment
98.8
Opioid bowel care
99.6

Utilization & Operations

Visits in last days of life
68%
Nurse care minutes / day
80
Per-beneficiary spending
$16577
Avg daily census
262 patients

Patient Mix

Cancer
30%
Dementia
20%
Heart disease
16%
Respiratory
7%
Stroke
9%

Data Sources

CCN
241521
CMS Region
5

All scores come directly from CMS. Providers cannot edit or influence their profile on this site.

Contact

Duluth, MN 55805

(218) 786-4020