EXPERTS ON HEALTHCARE QUALITY MEASUREMENT
The National Quality Forum was pleased to have the American Hospice Foundation on the Palliative and End of Life Care steering committee, which identified and endorsed 12 new measures for public reporting and quality improvement as it relates to end of life care. The measures address a wide range of care concerns, including pain management, psychosocial needs, care transitions, and experiences of care. AHF brought an important consumer perspective to the steering committee, as they have to advancing high quality hospice care.
– Chris Cassell, CEO, National Quality Forum
EXPERTS ON CONSUMER CHOICE IN HEALTHCARE
American Hospice Foundation has changed the conversation about consumer choice in hospice care. From research on how consumers want to see data on hospice quality to laying the foundation for a hospice report card, their goal has been to ensure that consumers can choose the hospice that works for them based on performance, not just anecdotes. We at Altarum Institute’s Center for Consumer Choice are proud to have collaborated with American Hospice Foundation and to carry on their work on hospice public reporting.
– Wendy Lynch, Director, Center for Consumer Choice in Healthcare, Altarum Institute
I have always been so proud of the work AHF has done, and proud to have been a small part of some of that work. AHF’s advocacy on behalf of consumers was unequaled.
– Melanie P. Merriman, PhD, MBA, Touchstone Consulting
EXPERTS ON HOSPICE
American Hospice Foundation has pushed to improve the quality of hospice care – and to ensure better oversight and accountability of the hospice industry. The work AHF has done to support hospice quality – from crafting measure language to the conceptualizing of a report card for consumers – has laid the foundation for a better hospice experience for all of us.
– Deneen Richmond, MHA, RN, Assistant Vice President at Quality, Inova Health System, and board chair of AHF
The American Hospice Foundation has been diligent about finding new and innovative ways to raise awareness about hospice. We have taken a seat at the table and helped inform the national conversation about measuring hospice quality with groups like the National Quality Forum, focused on the value to consumers of hospice measures and reporting, and kept up a constant stream of literature and training to inform and engage the public about the value of hospice. AHF has made quite a contribution to the field.
– Dale Lupu, PhD, former CEO of the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and AHF board member
American Hospice Foundation has had a tremendous impact on the delivery of end-of-life care in the US through its pioneering role in raising awareness about hospice. Important aspects of these efforts include the creation of innovative public education tools for individuals, families, and communities such as the workplace. Additionally, by advocating for more transparency in the hospice, AHF has been instrumental in the development and application of outcome quality measures industry.
– Brenda Clarkson, Executive Director, The Virginia Association for Hospices & Palliative Care
I believe the most important accomplishment at American Hospice Foundation is our advocacy on behalf of the consumer. We know that all health care is not equal and the same is true of hospice care. AHF has worked to drive the nation toward a Hospice Report Card, a source of objective quality information for patients and families in the selection of a hospice. The work has been hard and difficult, but I truly believe we have laid the real groundwork for reform – particularly in research on consumer needs and preferences for end-of-life care.
– Samuel “Woody” Warburton, MD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University and Board member, American Hospice Foundation.
EXPERTS ON CHILDREN AND GRIEF
American Hospice Foundation did groundbreaking work at a time in the mid-1990s when there was little awareness that kids grieve and that their grief affects their school behavior and performance. AHF’s model Grief at School training curriculum has been used by thousands of schools to train school staff to address the needs of grieving students and discuss loss and its aftermath in the classroom. We are lucky to have had AHF on the front lines fighting for grieving students.
-Linda Goldman, author of many books on children and grief, including Breaking the Silence: a Guide to Help Children with Complicated Grief, and a trainer on children and grief GRIEVING FAMILIES
Thanks to AHF’s educational materials, I learned that unresolved grief can compromise work performance as well as personal relationships. I decided to share these materials with my staff as they contained valuable lessons about making our work environment more compassionate and accommodating to employees suffering a loss. The result was a grateful staff and a boost in morale.
-Paul Clendening, president of a Kansas City bank, grieving father
American Hospice Foundation 