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Palliative Care Certification and Accreditation

Palliative Care Certification & Accreditation

The Joint Commission Palliative Care Certification. The CBPC certification is flexible and customized to reflect the unique structure of your home care organization. The CBPC certification can reflect an entire home-based organization devoted to community-based palliative care services or a component within an existing home health or hospice organization, allowing for innovative models of care. TJC is also nationally recognized by CMS for Medicare certification and by many states for licensure requirements.

Community Health Accreditation Partner: Palliative Care Certification. The CHAP Palliative Care standards are informed by providers of palliative care and the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care. Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care 4th Edition. Richmond, VA: National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care; 2018. Palliative Care certification is available to Palliative Care Programs that are:

      • A service of an existing setting such as a physician practice, Assisted Living Facility, or SNF, etc.
      • A service of a currently accredited hospice or home health agency, or
      • An independent provider of palliative care.

Accreditation Commission for Health Care: Palliative Care Distinction. This additional recognition focuses on patient and family centered care that optimizes quality of life throughout the continuum of illness by addressing physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual needs and facilitating patient autonomy, access to information, and choice. ACHC Palliative Care Standards are based on the National Consensus Project Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care.  The provider must have ACHC Home Health Accreditation to earn a Distinction in Palliative Care.

Palliative Care Professional Certification

Physician:  American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine can provide you with the most up-to-date information on certification for hospice and palliative medicine physicians.

Nurse: The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC) offers six hospice and palliative certification exams for advanced practice nurses, advanced social workers, registered nurses, pediatric nurses, licensed/vocational practice nurses, and nursing assistants. HPCC maintains two other hospice and palliative credentials for administrators and perinatal loss.

Social Worker:  National Association of Social Workers offers the Advanced Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Social Worker credential, created in 2008 with the support and partnership of NHPCO at the MSW level.  The ACHP-SW is the premier credential for social workers in end-of-life care and those who practice social work in pain and symptom management.

HPCC offers the Advanced Palliative and Hospice Social Worker – Certified (APHSW-C) certification exam for experienced hospice and palliative social workers. Members of the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN), and National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) are eligible to receive member pricing for APHSW-C certification exam.

Chaplain:  National Association of Catholic Chaplains and BCCI recognize the expertise, specialized skills, advanced education, and unique experience of professional palliative care and hospice chaplains with an advanced certification beyond the Board Certified Chaplain designation.