HospiceCare in The Berkshires earns national “Hospice Honors” recognition; one of only 5 in Massachusetts

HospiceCare in The Berkshires has been named a 2019 Hospice Honors recipient by HEALTHCAREfirst, the leading provider of web-based home health and hospice software, billing and coding services, CAHPS surveys and advanced analytics. Hospice Honors is a prestigious program that recognizes hospices providing the highest level of quality as measured from the caregiver’s point of view.

Of the partnering hospices HEALTHCAREfirst surveyed, only 318 nationally achieved Hospice Honors recognition this year and just five of these are hospice providers in Massachusetts.

“Once again, it’s my honor to congratulate all of the compassionate caregivers at HospiceCare in The Berkshires for this achievement,” said Michelle Chappell, executive director of HospiceCare. “We know that they provide excellent care daily, but it is rewarding to receive recognition from an independent organization.”

To earn the “Honors” designation, HospiceCare in The Berkshires had to be above the national average in at least 20 of 24 evaluated questions. This is HospiceCare in The Berkshires’ fifth consecutive year earning Hospice Honors.

“We are excited to recognize the 2019 Hospice Honors recipients for their hard work and dedication to providing exceptional care,” said Misty Skinner, Executive Vice President of Services at HEALTHCAREfirst. “I congratulate HospiceCare in The Berkshires on its success in achieving this highest of honors.”

Award criteria were based on Hospice CAHPS survey results for an evaluation period of October 2017 through September 2018. Award recipients were identified by evaluating performance on a set of 24 quality indicator measures. Performance scores were aggregated from all completed surveys and were compared on a question-by-question basis to a National Performance Score calculated from all partnering hospices contained in the HEALTHCAREfirst’s Hospice CAHPS database. Hospice Honors recipients include those hospices scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Performance Score on 20 of the evaluated questions.