NHPCO Celebrates Hospice Providers Successfully Earning Quality Connections Rings in 2021

For Immediate Release:
March 16, 2022 (Updated 04/05/22)

249 Hospice Organization Participated in Inaugural Year of Innovative Quality Improvement Program

(Alexandria, Va) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is proud to share the names of member organizations that have earned rings in the inaugural year of its Quality Connections program. Launched by NHPCO in January of 2021, Quality Connections (QC) was designed to enhance the knowledge base, skills, and competency of hospice and palliative care professionals and providers for continuous quality improvement.

QC is structured around four fundamental pillars which are represented by four QC rings: Education, Application, Measurement, and Innovation.

“To simply say that a hospice organization is interested in quality is not enough. A hospice must demonstrate its commitment to patient- and family-centered care with measurable results and outcomes. One of the most effective ways to do this is through active participation in NHPCO’s Quality Connections,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach. “As we share the results from the first year of Quality Connections, we are able to shine a light on hospice organizations that have made significant strides in improving their quality of care. This matters to patients, families, payers, and providers, and I congratulate the providers that participated.”

Of the hospice organizations that embarked on a continuous quality improvement journey last year, 116 programs earned rings reflecting their success in Quality Connections. Among those programs, 27 hospices have the distinction of achieving the top levels of earning three or four rings.

NHPCO salutes all the hospice programs that worked to demonstrate an organizational wide commitment to quality.

Earning Four Rings

- - Bluegrass Care Navigators
  - BridgingLife Hospice
  - BSA Hospice of the Southwest
  - Calvert Hospice, Inc.
  - Caring Circle
  - Delaware Hospice, Inc. – Delaware Office
  - Heart’s Way Hospice
  - HoriSun Hospice, Inc.
  - Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo, Inc.
  - Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care (formerly Joliet Area Community Hospice)
  - Partners In Home Care-Hospice
  - St. Croix Hospice
  - UnityPoint Hospice, Cedar Rapids
  - UnityPoint Hospice, Central Iowa
  - UnityPoint Hospice, Fort Dodge
  - UnityPoint Hospice, Quad Cities
  - UnityPoint Hospice, Waterloo

Earning Three Rings

- - Caris Healthcare Hospice
  - Center for Hospice Care
  - Centra Hospice Farmville
  - Circle of Life Hospice
  - Hope Healthcare
  - Hospice of Hilo dba Hawaii Care Choices
  - Hospice of Humboldt
  - Hospice of the Chesapeake
  - Hospice of the Northwest
  - MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care Program
  - Serenity Hospice and Home
  - UnityPoint at Home
  - UnityPoint Hospice
  - VITAS Healthcare
  - VITAS Healthcare Chicago South

Earning Two Rings

- - Agape Hospice Services
  - Avow Hospice
  - Columbus Hospice of Georgia and Alabama
  - Goodwin House Palliative Care and Hospice
  - Harbor Hospice
  - Heart’s Way Hospice
  - Hospice & Community Care
  - Hospice of Huntington
  - Hospice of Jackson County, Inc.
  - Hospice of North Central Florida, Inc
  - Hospice of Southern West Virginia, Inc.
  - Hospice of St. Mary\’s
  - Hospice of the Ozarks
  - Hospice of the Panhandle
  - Hospice of West Tennessee
  - Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice (Northwest New Jersey)
  - Lakeland Area Hospice
  - Meadowlark Hospice
  - Providence Hospice and Palliative Care (East)
  - Providence Hospice of Seattle
  - Providence St. Joseph Health – Home and Community Services
  - Sangre De Cristo Community Care
  - Suncoast Hospice
  - Tabitha Hospice
  - The Denver Hospice
  - Transitions LifeCare
  - Treasure Coast Hospice
  - Trellis Supportive Care
  - VNA Hospice and Palliative Care of Southern California

Earning One Ring

- - Arizona Care Hospice
  - Arkansas Valley Hospice, Inc.
  - Bristol Hospice, LLC
  - Care Partners
  - CareFirst
  - Carris Health-Rice Hospice
  - Casa De La Luz Hospice
  - Center for Hospice Care
  - Centra Hospice of the Hills
  - CentraCare Hospice
  - Community Hospice
  - Community Hospice Care
  - Community Hospice Care
  - East End Hospice
  - Endless Journey, LLC
  - Faith Hospice
  - Franciscan Hospice Care
  - Freedom Hospice
  - Goodwin House Palliative Care and Hospice
  - Grace Hospice – Marysville
  - Gulfside Healthcare Services Inc.
  - Harbor Hospice
  - Harmony Hospice of Tucson
  - HealthPartners Hospice & Palliative Care
  - Heartland Home Health & Hospice
  - Heritage Hospice, Inc.
  - High Peaks Hospice & Palliative Care – Mineville
  - High Peaks Hospice & Palliative Care – Mineville
  - Horizon Hospice LLC
  - Hospice & Community Care
  - Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County
  - Hospice at Home Arizona
  - Hospice of Douglas County – A Division of Horizon Public Health
  - Hospice of Dubuque
  - Hospice of Health First Inc
  - Hospice of Jackson County, Inc.
  - Hospice of Limestone County
  - Hospice of Limestone County
  - Hospice of Montezuma, Inc.
  - Hospice of North Idaho
  - Hospice of the Red River Valley
  - Hospice of Yuma
  - HospiceCare in The Berkshires, Inc.
  - Housecall Providers Services LLC
  - Inspire Hospice, LLC
  - Interim Hospice of the Twin Cities
  - Intrepid USA Healthcare Services
  - Iowa City Hospice
  - Iowa City Hospice
  - Lakeside Hospice, Inc.
  - Lakeside Hospice, LLC
  - Lehigh Valley Hospice
  - Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care
  - Main Line Health Home Care and Hospice
  - Montgomery Hospice
  - Northern Illinois Hospice
  - NorthShore University HealthSystem Home and Hospice Services
  - Notre Dame Hospice
  - Notre Dame Hospice
  - Oklahoma Hospice & Palliative Care Association
  - Pathways
  - Presbyterian Homes Hospice, Inc.
  - ProCare Hospice of Nevada
  - ProMedica Hospice
  - Providence Hospice & Home Care of Snohomish County
  - Providence Hospice Medford
  - Providence SoundHomeCare and Hospice
  - Providence TrinityCare Hospice
  - Quality Hospice
  - Sea Crest Hospice Services, Inc.
  - Seasons Hospice
  - Serenity Hospice and Home
  - Snowline Hospice
  - Southwest Medical Hospice
  - St. Mary High Desert Hospice (formery Living Care Hospice, Inc.)
  - Talbot Hospice
  - The Elizabeth Hospice
  - Tidewell Hospice, Inc.
  - Topkare Hospice, Inc.
  - Trustbridge, Inc.
  - Upland Hills Health Hospice
  - UVMHN Home Health & Hospice
  - Village Hospice
  - Visiting Nurse Association of NWI
  - VITAS Healthcare Chicago South
  - Willamette Valley Hospice
  - Yolo Hospice

Each Ring has specific activities incorporating practical resources to progressively track and improve both clinical and organizational quality. Activities such as quarterly data reporting and benchmarking, NHPCO’s E-Online courses, peer case studies, and engagement will be part of an organization’s quality journey. Additionally, participants will find activities that are focused on promoting diversity, access, and inclusion within an organization and with the communities they serve.

“For a hospice organization to be activity engaged with continuous quality improvement, commitment throughout the entire organization at all levels of staff is required,” said NHPCO Vice President of Quality Aparna Gupta. “And success should be celebrated at all levels within an organization with the reminder that the benefits are ultimately seen at the bedside of the person at the center of care.”

QC is a benefit of NHPCO provider membership. For organizations that already have an established quality improvement program, Quality Connections can build on and streamline what they already have in place. If a provider needs to enrich their quality improvement efforts, Quality Connections will provide the guidance and resources they need.

It is not too late for NHPCO provider members to enroll in Quality Connections for 2022. Follow the steps in the Quality Connections User Guide to enroll in the program and to start your quality improvement journey.

For their support of the Quality Connections program in 2021, NHPCO thanks its Gold Level Sponsors: Curitec and Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services, and Silver Level Sponsor ADVault, Inc.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Communications
Direct: 517-412-3973

To learn more about hospice and palliative care or for information to help people coping with serious illness, please visit NHPCO’s CaringInfo.org.