Quality Connections Quarter 2 Achievements
For Immediate Release:
July 15, 2021
Hospices Earning Recognition in 2nd Quarter of NHPCO’s Quality Connections Program
NHPCO Congratulates Calvert Hospice, First Provider to Earn All Four Quality Connections Rings
(Alexandria, Va) – As the results from the 2nd quarter of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Quality Connections program are tabulated, NHPCO celebrates the QC participants who have earned rings at this point in the inaugural year of the program.
NHPCO has created a Quality Connections map of the United States that lists participating hospice programs who have made advances in the Quality Connections program to date.
Of the many hospice organizations participating in the program, particular recognition goes out to Calvert Hospice based in Prince Frederick, Maryland. Calvert Hospice is the first QC participant to earn all four rings in this innovative program that focuses on continuous quality improvement.
“While many quality metrics are focused primarily on medical and nursing care, we found tremendous value in the true interdisciplinary nature of the Quality Connections program. Completing all four rings requires representation of the full scope of services that are necessary to provide high-quality hospice care, and we are grateful to NHPCO for developing this program with a focus on the variety of interdisciplinary expertise that contributes to being a quality hospice provider,” said Calvert Hospice’s Interim Executive Director Sarah Simmons, RN, MSN, CHPN.
The four rings are based on foundational pillars: Education, Application, Measurement, and Innovation. Each Ring has specific activities incorporating practical resources to progressively track and improve both clinical and organizational quality.
“As Quality Connections was created over the course of the past year, the team at NHPCO was anxiously waiting to see how our members would respond to the structure of the program and the focus on these four pillars. As we mark the second quarter of Quality Connections, we are pleased to see how engaged participating hospice organizations have been,” said NHPCO President and CEO Edo Banach. “These hospice providers that have earned rings are proving that their commitment to quality is real and is part of their organizational culture.”
Quality Connections is a benefit of NHPCO provider membership. For organizations that already have an established quality improvement program, QC can build on and streamline what they already have in place. If a provider needs to enrich their quality improvement efforts, QC will provide the guidance and resources they need.
“The commitment of our Quality Connections participants matters to those they serve and to the payers and other providers that they work with,” Banach added.
NHPCO thanks the Quality Connections Gold Level Sponsors Curitec and Optum Hospice Pharmacy Services as well as Silver Level Sponsor ADVault, Inc. for their support to advance continuous quality improvement.
As of June 30, 2021, the following organizations have earned rings.
Earning Four Rings:
Calvert Hospice (Education, Application, Measurement, Innovation)
Earning Three Rings:
Heart’s Way Hospice (Education, Application, Measurement)
Earning Two Rings:
Bluegrass Care Navigators (Education, Application)
BridgingLife Hospice (Education, Application)
Caring Circle (Education, Application)
Delaware Hospice, Inc. – Delaware Office (Application, Innovation)
Harbor Hospice (Education, Application)
Hope Healthcare (Education, Application)
Hospice & Community Care (Education, Application)
Hospice of the Chesapeake (Education, Application)
Hospice of West Tennessee (Education, Application)
Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care (formerly Joliet Area Community Hospice) (Education, Measurement)
Notre Dame Hospice (Education, Application)
Partners In Home Care-Hospice (Education, Application)
Providence Hospice of Seattle (Education, Application)
Serenity Hospice and Home (Education, Application)
St. Croix Hospice (Education, Application)
Suncoast Hospice (Education, Innovation)
Tidewell Hospice, Inc. (Education, Application)
Trellis Supportive Care (Education, Application)
UnityPoint at Home (Education, Application)
VITAS Healthcare (Education, Application)
VNA Hospice and Palliative Care of Southern California (Education, Application)
Yolo Hospice (Education, Application)
Earning One Ring:
Arizona Care Hospice (Application)
Arkansas Valley Hospice, Inc. (Education)
Avow Hospice (Education)
BSA Hospice of the Southwest (Education)
Carris Health-Rice Hospice (Education)
CentraCare Hospice (Education)
Community Hospice Care (Education)
East End Hospice (Education)
Freedom Hospice (Education)
Good Shepherd Hospice (Education)
Goodwin House Palliative Care and Hospice (Education)
HealthPartners Hospice & Palliative Care (Education)
HoriSun Hospice, Inc. (Education)
Hospice & Community Care (Education)
Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo, Inc. (Education)
Hospice of Douglas County – A Division of Horizon Public Health (Education)
Hospice Of Dubuque (Education)
Hospice of Hilo dba Hawaii Care Choices (Education)
Hospice of Humboldt (Education)
Hospice of Huntington (Education)
Hospice of Jackson County, Inc. (Education)
Hospice of Limestone County (Education)
Hospice of North Idaho (Education)
Hospice of Southern West Virginia, Inc. (Education)
Hospice of the Ozarks (Education)
Hospice of the Panhandle (Education)
Hospice of the Red River Valley (Education)
Hospice of Yuma (Education)
Hospice Services Of NWKS (Education)
Interim Hospice of the Twin Cities (Education)
Intrepid USA Healthcare Services (Education)
Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice (Education)
Lakeside Hospice, Inc. (Education)
MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care Program (Education)
Northern Illinois Hospice (Education)
Pathways (Education)
Presbyterian Homes Hospice, Inc. (Education)
ProMedica Hospice (Education)
Providence St. Joseph Health – Home and Community Services (Measurement)
Sangre De Cristo Community Care (Education)
Seasons Hospice (Education)
Southwest Medical Hospice (Education)
Tabitha Hospice (Education)
The Elizabeth Hospice (Education)
Topkare Hospice, Inc. (Education)
Transitions LifeCare (Education)
Trustbridge, Inc. (Education)
Unity Point Hospice (Education)
UnityPoint Hospice, Cedar Rapids (Education)
Upland Hills Health Hospice (Education)
UVMHN Home Health & Hospice (Education)
Village Hospice (Education)
Visiting Nurse Association of NWI (Education)
VITAS Healthcare Chicago South (Education)
-###-
To learn more about hospice care or for information to help people coping with serious illness, please visit NHPCO’s CaringInfo.org.
Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973