249 Hospice Organization Participated
in Inaugural Year of Innovative Quality Improvement Program
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. For the full list of hospices earning rings in 2021, see the full NHPCO press release (03/16/22).
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.
