Boston Senior AdvisorCare that comes to the home in Boston and Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex and Plymouth counties falls into three kinds, and Medicare publishes detailed records on two of them. This section holds those records for 190 home health agencies and 45 hospices, 69 and 40 of which have published scores.
What kinds of in-home care are there in Boston, and who pays?
Home health is medical care in visits, hospice is comfort care near the end of life, and non-medical home care is hourly help with daily living. They are licensed and paid for differently.
| Home health | Hospice | Non-medical home care | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Nursing and therapy visits ordered by a doctor | Comfort care for a terminal illness | Help with bathing, meals, company and supervision |
| What it is not | Not shifts or round-the-clock help | Not treatment aimed at a cure | Not nursing or medical care |
| Who usually pays | Medicare | Medicare | The family, long-term care insurance or a Medicaid waiver |
| Records here | 190 agencies | 45 hospices | Ask an advisor |
Which Boston home health agencies does Medicare rate 4 stars or higher?
19 of the 69 rated agencies in Boston and Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex and Plymouth counties hold 4 stars or more for quality of patient care. The highest rated are:
- Central Home Health Care, Inc, Needham — 5 of 5 stars, patient survey 5 of 5
- Elara Caring, Braintree — 5 of 5 stars, patient survey 3 of 5
- Caring Hearts Homecare Inc, Wilmington — 5 of 5 stars, patient survey 2 of 5
- Patient Care Solutions, LLC, Danvers — 5 of 5 stars
- Croi Health, Norwell — 4.5 of 5 stars, patient survey 5 of 5
- Centerwell Home Health, Marlborough — 4.5 of 5 stars, patient survey 4 of 5
- Elara Caring, Newburyport — 4.5 of 5 stars, patient survey 4 of 5
- Primary Homecare Specialties, Milton — 4.5 of 5 stars, patient survey 4 of 5
- Amedisys Home Health Care, Wakefield — 4.5 of 5 stars, patient survey 3 of 5
- Metrowest Homecare and Hospice, an Amedisys Company, Marlborough — 4.5 of 5 stars, patient survey 3 of 5
See all 190 home health agencies
Which Boston hospices score a full 10 on Medicare's Hospice Care Index?
16 of the 40 scored hospices in Boston and Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex and Plymouth counties meet all ten of the index's visit and discharge indicators. They include:
- Old Colony Hospice, Inc, W Bridgewater — index 10 of 10, family survey 5 of 5, about 179 patients a day
- Cranberry Hospice, Plymouth — index 10 of 10, family survey 5 of 5, about 127 patients a day
- Compassionate Care Hospice of Southeastern Massachusetts LLC, Bridgewater — index 10 of 10, family survey 5 of 5, about 121 patients a day
- Brookhaven Hospice, Marlborough — index 10 of 10, family survey 4 of 5, about 137 patients a day
- Metrowest Homecare and Hospice, an Amedisys Compan, Marlboro — index 10 of 10, family survey 4 of 5, about 34 patients a day
- Care Dimensions, Inc, Danvers — index 10 of 10, family survey 3 of 5, about 859 patients a day
- Beacon Hospice, an Amedisys Company, Charlestown — index 10 of 10, family survey 3 of 5, about 475 patients a day
- Tufts Medicine Care at Home, Lowell — index 10 of 10, family survey 3 of 5, about 202 patients a day
- Compassus - Southern Massachusetts, North Andover — index 10 of 10, family survey 3 of 5, about 133 patients a day
- Compassionate Care Hospice, Woburn — index 10 of 10, family survey 2 of 5, about 157 patients a day
Last verified: November 2026, against Medicare provider data released 2026-09-21.
Common questions
How many home health agencies are in Boston?
190 Medicare-certified home health agencies are based in Boston and Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex and Plymouth counties, and 69 have a published quality star rating.
How many hospices are in Boston?
45 Medicare-certified hospices are based in Boston and Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex and Plymouth counties, and 40 have a published Hospice Care Index score.
Does Medicare pay for a caregiver at home?
Not on its own. Medicare pays for skilled home health visits and for hospice. Hourly help with bathing, meals and supervision is paid privately, by long-term care insurance, or by Medicaid.
