Palliative Care Program Certification
Palliative care program certification recognizes those programs that meet national quality standards for service provision, staff composition and staff training, program operations and accessibility, and performance improvement over time.
Why pursue program certification? Certification is an indicator of excellence to patients and families, referrers, and financial partners. Certification elevates the standing of the palliative care program in your home organization and is a justification for future support.
Use this toolkit to learn why and how to certify your program.
What’s in the Toolkit
Quality Standards
All palliative care program certifications are based on the National Consensus Project Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care—the gold standard for quality palliative care services.
The National Consensus Project (NCP) Clinical Practice Guidelines are the national standard for high quality palliative care. National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, 2018.
Information for clinicians of all disciplines on the process of becoming certified palliative care specialists.
Administered by the Health Research and Educational Trust of the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Circle of Life Awards honor innovative palliative and end-of-life care in hospices, hospitals, health care systems, long-term care facilities, and other direct care providers. The awards seek to shine a light on programs and organizations that can serve as models or inspiration for other providers.
Certification Options
Certification options exist for palliative care services delivered by hospitals, hospice agencies, and home health agencies.
Recognizes palliative care programs in TJC-accredited hospitals that demonstrate exceptional quality.
Guidance on meeting Advanced Certification requirements and synthesizing application components.
Recognizes hospital palliative care programs in that demonstrate exceptional quality. DNV GL base accreditation is not required.
Recognizes community palliative care programs delivered by independent providers of palliative care, palliative care programs that are a service of a clinic, physician group, skilled nursing facility (SNF), or of a CHAP-accredited home health agency or hospice. Certification award is for three (3) years.
Recognizes palliative care programs delivered by hospice or home health agencies that demonstrate exceptional quality.
The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) recognizes community-based palliative care programs that demonstrate exceptional quality; optional distinction in telehealth available. ACHC also offers palliative care distinction for accredited home health, hospice, and private duty agencies.
Other Relevant Quality Standards for Care of the Seriously Ill
A number of specialties outside of palliative care—notably oncology—have included access to palliative care among their standards for quality care delivery.
National accreditation standards for cancer care, requiring provision of palliative care services, navigation programs, and psychosocial distress screening.
Clinical practice guidelines for integrating palliative care into oncology care.
ASCO Guideline calling for routine use of early and concurrent palliative care for advanced stage cancer patients.
