Plano, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/25/2019 -- As National Hospice and Palliative Care Month is recognized during November, Heart to Heart Hospice celebrates being named among those providing the highest quality of hospice care.

Four Heart to Heart Hospice Texas locations have been named by HEALTHCAREfirst as 2019 Hospice Honors recipients: East Texas (Longview), San Antonio, and San Marcos.

The Tyler, Texas, location earned the special recognition of Hospice Honors Elite.

HEALTHCAREfirst is a leading provider of billing and coding services, CAHPS (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) surveys, and advanced analytics. Their Hospice Honors is a prestigious program that recognizes hospices providing the highest level of quality as measured from the caregivers' point of view.

"Based on feedback from caregivers themselves, Hospice Honors recognizes agencies that truly stand out, based on the level of hospice care and ongoing commitment displayed to their patients and their caregivers," said Misty Skinner, Executive Vice President of Services at HEALTHCAREfirst. "I congratulate Heart to Heart Hospice on this achievement."

Award criteria were based on Hospice CAHPS survey wresults for a one-year evaluation period and recipients were determined by performance on a set of 24 quality indicator measures. Scores were aggregated from all completed surveys and were compared on a question-by-question basis to a National Performance Score calculated from all hospices contained in the HEALTHCAREfirst's Hospice CAHPS database.

Hospice Honors are awarded to hospice companies that scored above this national average on 20 of the evaluated questions, while Hospice Honors Elite recognizes those that scored above the national average on all 24 (100 percent).

Heart to Heart Hospice Founder and Chief Executive Officer Kelly Mitchell credits the staff and volunteers in Longview, San Antonio, San Marcos and Tyler. "Our dedicated team members

believe in our mission of providing compassionate care. They work hard to make a difference in people's lives, and they deserve this recognition," said Mr. Mitchell.

About Heart to Heart Hospice
Heart to Heart Hospice, founded in 2003, is one of the largest private providers of hospice care in the United States. Headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Heart to Heart provides a broad range of hospice services to patients with life-limiting illnesses across 35 locations in Texas, Michigan and Indiana. At Heart to Heart, we understand both the physical and emotional challenges for our patients and their loved ones and our care team is committed to providing them with what they need most: comfort, support and dignity. Learn more about Heart to Heart Hospice.

About HEALTHCAREfirst
HEALTHCAREfirst enables home health and hospice providers to streamline and optimize their business through cloud-based software solutions and services. Thousands of agencies use HEALTHCAREfirst's CAHPS surveys, billing, coding and OASIS review, and advanced analytics services to create business efficiencies, simplify CMS compliance, expedite reimbursement and improve patient care. www.healthcarefirst.com