Tag: 2023 Press Releases

For Immediate Release
June 8, 2023

(Alexandria, VA) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and its affiliate group, the Hospice Action Network (HAN) thank Congressional leaders, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Deb Fischer (R-NE), co-chairs and co-founders of the bipartisan Senate Comprehensive Care Caucus, for the introduction of the bipartisan Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act (S.1845) which proposes the creation of a demonstration project to support improved access to palliative care services through a community-based model.

If passed, the bill would require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to develop a Community-Based Palliative Care (CBPC) demonstration. This program would provide essential interdisciplinary care to people with serious illness in their home and lead to improved quality and cost outcomes.

“Having stepped away from my career to care for my parents and in-laws as they aged, I am aware of the challenges that caretakers and patients face when trying to access palliative care services,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m introducing bipartisan legislation with my colleagues to help ensure patients are provided comprehensive palliative and health care services much earlier in the course of their illness. As a co-founder of the Senate’s Comprehensive Care Caucus, I’ll always find ways to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.”

NHPCO has drafted a framework for a CBPC model aimed at improving patient outcomes and experience of care while reducing unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations for high-risk patients. Additionally, this model will address social determinants of health to improve outcomes for those living in under-resourced areas.

“There are many benefits to allowing patients to seek palliative support through early referrals. Hospices and community-based palliative care providers are uniquely positioned to deliver this model of care. Their longstanding expertise in advance care planning, pain and symptom management, interdisciplinary care, and more make these organizations ideal entities to deliver a model of care in support of people and families dealing with serious illness at home,” said NHPCO COO and interim CEO Ben Marcantonio. “Thank you to the Comprehensive Care Caucus for the bi-partisan support in prioritizing this critical service and introducing the Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act.”

NHPCO recently partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago to determine the projected enrollment, calculated baseline of utilization, and cost of care for our proposed CBPC Model. Based on preliminary results and a conservative sample of enrollees, NORC found that this model can reduce the average total cost of care by 20% and result in almost 600 million dollars in savings to Medicare or roughly $143 dollars per beneficiary per month.

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Press Contact:
Madison Summers 
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973

For Immediate Release
April 28, 2023

(Alexandria, VA) – Earlier this month, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) published details on the extension of the Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model that may have significant implications for hospice care going forward. In response, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) shared the following analysis of some key details contained in the CMS fact sheet.

Concurrent care:

• • • CMS is using this model program to expand what is known as “concurrent care,” which is giving a patient who wants it access to both hospice care and curative care at the same time. NHPCO and our members have long argued that patients should not have to give up curative care in order to access hospice care. CMS tested concurrent care on a limited scale with the former Medicare Care Choices Model (MCCM) and had excellent results. We’re pleased that under the VBID extension more people will get greater access to the care they want during the end-of-life journey.
    • Unfortunately, concurrent care will be limited to select patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) Plans participating in VBID. When Congress designed the Medicare Hospice Benefit, the intent was very clearly to provide access to all Americans who want hospice care. As our country expands the type of hospice care available–in this case, concurrent hospice and curative care–those choices should be available to all. The lessons learned on concurrent care from MCCM and from the VBID extension should be rolled out as quickly as possible to all Americans. NHPCO will work with CMS and Congressional leaders to ensure that is the case.

Limiting patient choice:

• • • The VBID extension gives MA Organizations the ability to limit the hospice choices available to their plan enrollees starting in 2026.
    • Care choices at the end of life are among the most personal, consequential choices a person and their loved ones will ever consider. Allowing MA plans to limit their enrollee’s hospice choice based on the MA plan’s business relationships means limiting patient access, and it runs against the spirit of the Medicare Hospice Benefit.
    • While we welcome the emphasis on a continuity of care as patients transition to hospice, we are concerned about allowing private insurance companies to limit the hospice benefit, which is guaranteed to all Americans. Again, NHPCO will work with Congress and CMS to continue speaking up for access and choice in hospice care.

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About NHPCO

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is the nation’s largest and oldest membership association for providers who care for people affected by serious and life-limiting illness. Our members deliver and expand access to high-quality, person-centered interdisciplinary care to millions of Americans. NHPCO provides education and resources to support that mission. Together with our advocacy partner, the Hospice Action Network (HAN), we serve as the leading voice advancing public policy to improve serious-illness and end-of-life care, while our CaringInfo program provides free resources to educate and empower patients and caregivers. nhpco.org

NHPCO Contact:
Madison Summers
571-412-3973

For Immediate Release
April 20, 2023

(Alexandria, VA) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and its affiliate organization, the Hospice Action Network (HAN) published the following statement in response to today’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has, for the first time ever, released ownership data for all Medicare-certified hospice and home health agencies.

This announcement means that information on the ownership of more than 6,000 hospices and 11,000 home health agencies certified to participate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can now be reviewed by anyone on the CMS website. This follows the release of the FY2024 Hospice Rule (CMS-1787-P) which included  the categories of “private equity company” and “real estate investment trust” to the list of possible options for hospice ownership.

According to CMS, the data elements include: enrollment information such as organization name, type, practice location addresses, National Provider Identifier (NPI), CMS Certification Number (CCN); detailed information about each owner such as whether it is an organization or an individual and whether it is a direct owner or indirect owner (that is, there is at least one subsidiary between it and the provider); and a numerical associate ID for each owner to enable linkage to the enrollment file.

In January of 2023, NHPCO joined with three other national hospice provider organizations to provide CMS and key Congressional stakeholders with recommended legislative and regulatory changes to strengthen hospice program integrity. Included in the 34 recommendations was a request for ownership disclosure for all hospices.

NHPCO’s call to action with CMS and Congressional leaders on program integrity led to a significant step in the right direction for the hospice community to ensure that only well-qualified hospice providers are permitted to care for, and support, beneficiaries and their families at the end of life. NHPCO and HAN will continue to work closely alongside CMS, legislators, and other national hospice provider organizations, to assess various options for continuing to improve program integrity in hospice care.

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About NHPCO
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is the nation’s largest and oldest membership association for providers who care for people affected by serious and life-limiting illness. Our members deliver and expand access to high-quality, person-centered interdisciplinary care to millions of Americans. NHPCO provides education and resources to support that mission. Together with our advocacy partner, the Hospice Action Network (HAN), we serve as the leading voice advancing public policy to improve serious-illness and end-of-life care, while our CaringInfo program provides free resources to educate and empower patients and caregivers. nhpco.org

NHPCO Contact:
Madison Summers
571-412-3973

 

For Immediate Release
April 17, 2023

(Alexandria, VA) The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) published the following statement in response to a recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule that would update key components of hospice reimbursement and regulations in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

Since the publication of the proposed rule, NHPCO has heard from hospice members across the country. Those conversations spotlighted opportunities and a significant concern contained in the FY 2024 Hospice Wage Index and Quality Reporting Proposed Rule.

Concern:

• • • The 2.8% proposed rate increase for hospices is not enough to support the care hospices provide. Hospices are dealing with inflation rates that are at least twice that high, compounded by historical and ongoing workforce challenges. In 2024, pre-determined sequestration cuts will further reduce hospice reimbursement to a de facto increase of about 1%. Americans are increasingly choosing hospice for end-of-life care. Intentionally underfunding that care should be a non-starter.

Opportunities:

• • • CMS is using the proposed rule to advance hospice program integrity measures, curb fraudulent and abusive practices within the system, advance health equity, and increase hospice utilization. These efforts are in line with NHPCO’s ongoing work, including 34 program integrity recommendations made in January. NHPCO will work with the hospice community and CMS to help shape the following efforts:
      • • The proposed rule would require physicians to be enrolled in Medicare to certify and recertify patients for hospice care. If designed and implemented properly, NHPCO believes this measure may help identify physicians who are engaging (or potentially engaging in fraudulent or abusive behavior, presenting a risk of harm to Medicare beneficiaries or are other unqualified to certify or recertify beneficiaries for hospice.
        • In this proposed rule, CMS announced it is soliciting feedback from providers via two Requests for Information (RFIs) – one on health equity in hospice and the other on hospice utilization, non-hospice spending, ownership, and hospice election. NHPCO welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback and is soliciting detailed comments from providers for both RFIs. CMS will have significant on-the-ground experiences from providers to inform these important issues around access, equity, and the integrity of the Medicare hospice benefit.

Recent independent research demonstrates that hospice care resulted in reduced Medicare spending of $3.5 billion in 2019, while benefiting patients, families, and caregivers. The benefits for patients, family members, and caregivers include increased satisfaction and quality of life, improved pain control, reduced physical and emotional distress, and reduced prolonged grief and other emotional distress. No other area of healthcare delivers such high value for patients and for Medicare. Pair that with two decades of growth in the number of Americans choosing hospice care, and it’s clear that hospice is a smart investment. Through the FY 2024 process and beyond, NHPCO will continue working with CMS to ensure access to hospice care and the integrity of the hospice benefit.

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About NHPCO
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is the nation’s largest and oldest membership association for providers who care for people affected by serious and life-limiting illness. Our members deliver and expand access to high-quality, person-centered interdisciplinary care to millions of Americans. NHPCO provides education and resources to support that mission. Together with our advocacy partner, the Hospice Action Network (HAN), we serve as the leading voice advancing public policy to improve serious-illness and end-of-life care, while our CaringInfo program provides free resources to educate and empower patients and caregivers. nhpco.org

Press Contact:
Madison Summers
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973

For Immediate Release
March 29, 2023

(Alexandria, VA) The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has created a new Quality and Innovation Network as a community for providers who share a commitment to establishing a culture of quality within their hospice and palliative care organizations.

Members of the Quality and Innovation Network (QIN) will join monthly virtual working sessions with industry-recognized performance improvement coaches, the NHPCO Quality team, and colleagues from across the country to collaborate and receive individualized feedback on their organization’s performance improvement initiatives. Members will receive relevant educational content on topics related to quality assurance and performance improvement.

“This nationwide collaboration across organizations allows for sharing of evidence-based best practices and solutions. The NHPCO team will help to facilitate connections between like-minded organizations and provide performance improvement project resources to members,” said Aparna Gupta, VP of Quality at NHPCO.

All NHPCO member organizations are invited to join this program. Additionally, member organizations will have the opportunity to receive credits in each pillar of NHPCO’s Quality Connections program by participating in the QIN. Visit the NHPCO Quality and Innovation Network webpage for more information on how to register.

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Press Contact:
Madison Summers
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973

For Immediate Release
March 8, 2023

(Washington, DC and Alexandria, VA) – For many years, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) have often worked together to advance projects and initiatives in our common interest. The Boards of Directors of both NAHC and NHPCO believe the time is right to explore how a stronger, unified, and more intentional approach to collaboration could accelerate the impact of work around our respective missions and on behalf of our members. To that end, the organizations have formed a joint exploratory committee to assess how to best enhance collaboration, partnership, efficiency, and effectiveness between our two organizations.

These discussions follow naturally from our history of collaboration and are rooted in our shared belief that the more united our voices and actions are, the more we will serve and benefit our respective members and the patients and families they serve. Leadership of both NAHC and NHPCO are enthusiastic about the possibilities afforded by these conversations and are fully supportive of exploring options that strengthen impact and alignment across the sector.

While these discussions are taking place, both organizations are evaluating key positions and the timing for hiring and/or replacement. Both organizations have agreed to suspend their executive recruitment and succession planning for the duration of these discussions.

The NAHC and NHPCO boards have great confidence in their respective leadership teams and their ability to meet the needs of members as we explore this unique and exciting opportunity.

NAHC and NHPCO have jointly retained the association consulting firm McKinley Advisors to help support the process and provide an objective analysis of potential opportunities to strengthen the ties between the two organizations. As part of this evaluation, McKinley will be conducting in-depth interviews with industry stakeholders over the next several weeks and will report findings and recommendations to the Boards of both organizations. The exploratory committee expects to issue additional communications about these findings and our collective next steps regarding the collaboration opportunities in May.

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Media Contacts
Caleb Tiller
NHPCO Communications
571-412-4032

Thomas Threlkeld
NAHC Communications
202-547-7424

For Immediate Release
February 15, 2023

Organizations Voiced Concerns About Hospice Program Integrity

(Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC) – LeadingAge, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) met with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure today to share concerns and recommendations to address the rampant growth in the number of Medicare certified hospices in some states and how CMS can protect Medicare beneficiaries receiving hospice care. The discussion also suggested that additional oversight is needed to address hospice program integrity concerns and to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries receive quality hospice care when it is needed at the end of life. Based on the discussion, it is clear that CMS is deeply engaged on this issue and committed to taking action.

Topics discussed in the meeting included:

• • • The alarming recent growth of the number of Medicare certified hospices in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas, many of which are found at the same address or with the same administrator or other key staff and with a concern for possible fraudulent activity.
    • A discussion of some of the 34 recommendations made by the four national hospice organizations as they collaborated to share legislative and regulatory changes to strengthen hospice oversight and program integrity with CMS and key Congressional stakeholders.
    • Our strong support of a targeted, temporary moratorium on new Medicare certified hospices in counties with troubling trends in the growth of Medicare certified hospices.
    • Our recommendation that CMS develop a list of red flag criteria in the Medicare certification application process, which would trigger additional oversight by the accrediting organization or state survey agency before Medicare certification could be approved. Red flags should include concerns such as: co-location of multiple hospices at single address, a single hospice administrator overseeing multiple hospices, and a patient care manager or other hospice leadership staff serving multiple hospices.
    • Additional regulatory requirements, including additions to the Medicare Hospice Conditions of Participation, such as an education or experience requirement for a hospice administrator or patient care manager and more frequent surveys for new hospices, which would strengthen the ability of a newly certified hospice to be compliant and provide quality hospice care.

LeadingAge, NAHC, NHPCO, and NPHI expressed our appreciation for Administrator Brooks-LaSure’s time and our collective commitment to working alongside lawmakers and regulatory bodies to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries get the end-of-life care they want and deserve.

The four national organizations will continue to collaborate, in addition to working with our respective memberships, to refine solutions; understand their implications for patients, families, and providers; and amplify our advocacy activity.

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Press Contacts:

Colleen Knudsen
Manager, Media Relations
cknudsen@leadingage.org
202-508-1215
LeadingAge

Thomas Threlkeld
Tom@nahc.org
Director of Communications, NAHC
202-547-7424

Madison Summers
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973

Debbie McCarron
Dmccarron@hospiceinnovations.org
NPHI Communications

For Immediate Release
February 14, 2023

22 participating organizations achieved “four ring” status for Program Year 2022

(Alexandria, Va) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) recognizes the achievements of participating member organizations who have earned rings in the second program year of NHPCO’s Quality Connections program. First launched in January 2021, Quality Connections is the only national program designed to support hospice and palliative care provider delivery of high-quality, person-centered care. The program is structured around four fundamental pillars which are represented by four rings: Education, Application, Measurement, and Innovation.

QC participants are required to achieve milestones within defined timeframes by participating in activities such as quarterly data reporting and benchmarking, educational courses, case studies, and engagement on emerging issues such as diversity, access, and inclusion, all of which serve to promote high quality care delivery and service excellence. Achievement in the program is measured by completing activities within each of the four foundational areas, culminating in the closure of up to four rings.

For program year 2022, over 300 organizations embarked on a continuous quality improvement journey with a total of 85 earned rings reflecting their success in Quality Connections. Among those programs, 22 organizations earned top recognition as a “four rings” program. The provider groups who have reached this milestone are as follows:

Participating QC Organization	State
AuthoraCare Collective (formerly known as Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro and	North Carolina
Bluegrass Care Navigators	Kentucky
Calvert Hospice, Inc.	Maryland
Delaware Hospice – Dover Office	Delaware
Delaware Hospice, Inc. – Delaware Office	Delaware
Delaware Hospice – Milford Office	Delaware
Delaware Hospice – Pennsylvania Location	Pennsylvania
Hope Healthcare	Florida
Hospice of Hilo dba Hawaii Care Choices	Hawaii
Hospice of the Chesapeake	Maryland
Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo, Inc.	New York
Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care (formerly Joliet Area Community Hospice)	Illinois
Life Touch Hospice	Arkansas
St. Croix Hospice	Minnesota
Trustbridge, Inc.	Florida
VITAS Healthcare	Pennsylvania
VITAS Healthcare	Texas
VITAS Healthcare	Connecticut
VITAS Healthcare	Florida
VITAS Healthcare	California
VITAS Healthcare Chicago South	Illinois
Circle of Life Hospice	Arizona

“Delivering high-quality care is the cornerstone of any successful hospice or palliative care program, and NHPCO is the leader in supporting providers for continuous quality improvement. Quality Connections continues to grow exponentially to include broader content and learning opportunities. Providers will find the structure of the program highly interactive, yet simple and flexible to best meet the needs of every hospice and palliative care organization striving to build and sustain a culture of quality,” said NHPCO Vice President of Quality, Aparna Gupta.

QC is an exclusive NHPCO member benefit. The program cycle resets each year to ensure focused and effective continuous quality improvement. The launch of program year 2023 for QC begins on Wednesday, February 15. Organizations interested in enrolling in the program can find more information on the Quality Connections webpage to start their quality improvement journey.

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Media Contact
Madison Summers
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973

For Immediate Release
January 19, 2023

Concerned by Growth of Unscrupulous Operators, Organizations Outline Areas of Focus, Key Steps 

(Alexandria, VA and Washington, D.C.) – The four national hospice provider organizations: LeadingAge, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), and the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI), provided the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and key Congressional stakeholders with recommended legislative and regulatory changes to strengthen hospice program integrity.  

The recent entry of large numbers of newly created hospice organizations in several states has heightened long-standing concerns among hospice leaders (as shared with CMS in November 2022) about the adequacy of Medicare certification, accreditation, and enforcement processes. Today, the four national hospice organizations are joining forces to urge Congress and CMS to act expeditiously to ensure that only well-qualified advanced illness care providers are permitted to care for and support beneficiaries and their families at the end of life. 

These recommendations are the culmination of a year-long effort by each of these organizations to assess various options for improving program integrity in hospice care. The 34 recommendations are grouped into 11 core issue areas; five key points are listed below: 

• • • Limit enrollment of new providers with a targeted moratorium on new hospices: Use existing CMS moratorium authority to limit enrollment of new hospice providers in counties with troubling rates of explosive licensure and Medicare certification growth. 
    • Enforce against non-operational hospices by revoking Medicare enrollment and increasing site visits: Investigate Medicare provider numbers that show aberrant gaps in Medicare billing. Revoking enrollment of non-operational hospices prevents them from being sold to inexperienced providers for a profit.
    • Develop hospice “red flag” criteria: Identify Medicare certification application “triggers” related to specific areas of concern that would prompt CMS to investigate an applicant before certification could be approved. Red flags should include: 
      • • Co-location of multiple hospices at single address 
        • A single hospice administrator overseeing multiple hospices 
        • A patient care manager or other hospice leadership staff serving multiple hospices 
        • A hospice company that appears to be hidden behind a shell company 
    • Require surveyors to confirm ability of hospices to provide all four levels of care:  Surveyors must ensure hospices have the ability to provide all four levels of care, including General Inpatient Care (GIP) and respite contracts, as well as provision for continuous home care (CHC) and afterhours care.
    • Add hospice administrator and patient care manager qualifications to Medicare hospice Conditions of Participation (CoPs): Add education and/or qualifications to the hospice CoPs for these key personnel, including minimum years of experience or a combination of education and experience. 

“Good hospice care, because of its holistic, patient-and family-centered compassionate approach to the dying, is a godsend. Bad care and true fraud in this valuable benefit are intolerable. It’s time to take action. America’s population is aging, and high-quality services are needed now more than ever before. Reform must promote high-quality care, including the right services in the right quantity, and eliminate opportunity for misdeeds. Our goal in collaborating with other hospice provider groups, with Congress, and with CMS, is to ensure necessary change. Yet it is only part of the solution; our work will not be complete until we address the desperate need for a system of long-term services and supports that is responsive to how older adults live and die now,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, including hospice. 

“NAHC believes strongly that improved hospice program integrity will benefit patients, families, providers, and the Medicare program, and that it is an essential element in ensuring quality of care. Historically NAHC has strongly supported meaningful solutions to problems as they have arisen within hospice and other programs. The series of recommendations that we are putting forth in conjunction with other national hospice organizations clearly communicate our continued commitment to designing and supporting effective regulations, processes, and operational standards in hospice. We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to move these recommendations forward,” stated NAHC President William A. Dombi.  

“Ensuring program integrity is essential to enabling good hospice care. That’s why NHPCO has worked for more than 40 years to engage government officials and other partners to shape policy that supports effective oversight of hospices. These recommendations are the latest such effort and are especially topical given the alarming recent growth of Medicare certified hospices in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas which are fraudulent actors. NHPCO and national partner organizations must be proactive in our response and intolerance toward deceptive hospice care that does not live up to the standards of high-quality care we expect from members of our community,” said NHPCO COO and interim CEO, Ben Marcantonio. 

“End-of-life care providers have an obligation to support and care for patients and their loved ones with dignity and respect at this most vulnerable time in their lives. Providers who manipulate the Medicare benefit solely to profit at the expense of their patients have no place in the hospice program,” said NPHI CEO Tom Koutsoumpas. “To curb the entry of bad actors into hospice, NPHI is pleased to put forth, in conjunction with our national partners, robust program integrity reform recommendations. We look forward to working with our partner organizations, Congress, and CMS to advance meaningful change that will better protect those receiving hospice care at the end-of-life.” 

The full list of recommendations is available on each organization’s website.  

These four national hospice organizations will continue to work together and with other partners to drive solutions to stop the growth of fraudulent hospices and strengthen the hospice Medicare certification and the survey process. 

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Press Contacts: 

Lisa Sanders 
Director, Media Relations
Lsanders@leadingage.org
202-508-9407
LeadingAge 

Thomas Threlkeld
Tom@nahc.org 
Director of Communications, NAHC
202-547-7424

Madison Summers
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973 

Debbie McCarron
Dmccarron@hospiceinnovations.org
NPHI Communications 

For Immediate Release
January 04, 2023

(Alexandria, VA) – The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) announced the launch of the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) tele-mentoring program, Equity Where It Matters. The first virtual session, “Advancing Equity in Serious Illness and End-of-Life Care: An Analysis of Data” will take place on Thursday, January 5, kicking off the year-long series.

The upcoming session, the first in a planned 2023 series, will focus on the recently published Hospice Through the DEI Lens report created by NHPCO’s Diversity and Advisory Council with the support of the Transcend Strategy Group to better understand perceptions of hospice and barriers to access within Black, Hispanic/Latino, and LGBTQ+ populations. The discussion will include a real-life case study and highlight the opportunities and challenges of delivering culturally competent care across the continuum of serious illness in an equitable, inclusive, and person-led manner.

Project ECHO is an innovative program designed to create virtual groups of learners by bringing together healthcare providers, subject matter experts, and the wider community using case-based learning and fostering an “all teach, all learn” approach. Recognizing that diversity expands across many dimensions of our identity, the 2023 Project ECHO curriculum focuses on inclusive topics addressing various aspects of diversity and cultural competence in healthcare. Satisfactory completion of the curriculum also offers participants the option to earn a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Hospice and Palliative care.

NHPCO recently earned recognition as an official “Superhub” of Project ECHO, joining the ranks of more than 25 organizations with the designation worldwide. As a Superhub, NHPCO facilitators are authorized to train new ECHO partners (called “hubs”) and provide technical assistance and support as the hubs continue to grow and develop their own programs.

“Project ECHO empowers providers and communities through access to knowledge. Health equity and cultural competency are at the core of high-quality care experiences and NHPCO is committed to supporting knowledge sharing with the goal of improving hospice and palliative care experiences for all. Health equity is imperative in all care but especially care during serious illness and at the end of life,” said Aparna Gupta, VP of Quality at NHPCO.

Registration for the program is free and open to the public. Register for the upcoming sessions, including the first in the series on January 5 at 3 p.m. ET, by visiting the Project ECHO page for more information.

Questions can be addressed by reaching out to innovation@nhpco.org.

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Press Contact:
Madison Summers
NHPCO Communications
Ph: 571-412-3973