NHPCO Celebrates Hospice and Palliative Care Providers in Nationwide Quality Connections Program

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