KVH Hospice

KVH Hospice Receives National Honor for Quality Care

GOLDENDALE, WA, July 25, 2025 — Klickitat Valley Health Hospice has received the 2025 CAHPS® Hospice Honors Elite Award, a national recognition for outstanding hospice care based on feedback from families and caregivers.

The award, presented by HEALTHCAREfirst, is based on the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Hospice Survey, which is administered nationwide by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The survey collects data on family experiences with hospice care, including communication, symptom management and overall satisfaction.

To be named to the Hospice Honors Elite list, providers must score better than the national average on nearly all survey questions and perform well across key categories, including:

• Communication with families
• Pain and symptom management
• Emotional and spiritual support
• Respect for the patient
• Education for family caregivers
• Timely care delivery
• Overall satisfaction with care

KVH Hospice earned high marks in every category, based on survey data collected between October 2023 and September 2024.

“Patient and family feedback is central to how we measure the quality of service we provide,” said Karrie West, director of quality, risk and compliance. “These survey results show us what’s working and where we can improve. This award tells us that families felt supported, respected and genuinely cared for during a deeply important time.”

“I am incredibly proud of our hospice staff and volunteers,” said Stephanie Orth, director of hospice and palliative care. “They care for people during some of the most personal and difficult moments of life. It’s an honor to be welcomed into people’s homes, to earn their trust, and to walk alongside their families and traditions.

One grateful family member surveyed said, “If it wasn’t for their prompt, compassionate, experienced care, our family member wouldn’t have made it. Hospice work takes a special person to be someone’s lifeline—to make them feel loved and not forgotten.” The individual asked not to be named for privacy.

About KVH Hospice

Hospice care at Klickitat Valley Health supports individuals with serious illness who are no longer pursuing curative treatment. The focus shifts to comfort, dignity and quality of life.

KVH Hospice provides care wherever the patient lives—whether at home, in assisted living or in a care facility. A team of nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains, physicians and trained volunteers work together to manage pain, ease symptoms, and support patients and their families emotionally and spiritually. Family members also receive training, respite care and grief support following the patient’s death.

In a note of thanks to KVH, Pat Klukkert shared, “All the hospice team were the Lord’s angels to me! I cried constantly to them for help and they were there patiently teaching me to care for my husband.”