Iowa City Hospice Recognized for Gold Standard Evidence-based Hospice Care

June 27, 2023

American Heart Association certification recognized Iowa City Hospice’s accomplishment in quality care

[Iowa City, Iowa; June 2023] – Iowa City Hospice has earned Hospice Heart Failure certification from the American Heart Association®, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all. The certification provides an evidence-based framework for evaluating palliative and hospice care agencies against the American Heart Association’s rigorous science-based standards for heart failure patients.

“This certification helps assure patients and families can have confidence that their end-of-life heart failure care is coordinated and follows the latest evidence-based guidelines,” said Rabia Malik, M.D., American Heart Association volunteer expert and associate medical director at Anthem. “We’re pleased to have Iowa City Hospice join the national network of American Heart Association Palliative/Hospice Heart Failure certified agencies.”

Iowa City Hospice officially began serving patients in 1983, making it one of the oldest hospice care providers in Iowa. The agency’s service area includes seven eastern Iowa counties: Johnson, Cedar, Iowa, Linn, Louisa, Muscatine, and Washington. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, Iowa City Hospice turns no one away from hospice care due to inability to pay.

“Iowa City Hospice is proud to receive this certification from the American Heart Association,” said Sara Krieger, CEO. “The tools and resources provided by the American Heart Association help us to provide people in our community with the most current and best possible heart failure care. We are committed to high-quality, community-based care.”

The certification signifies confidence that:

• an agency’s heart failure program uses a standardized method of delivering services based on current standards aligned with the American Heart Association science,
• an agency adheres to evidence-based requirements to improve care and quality of life for heart failure patients, and
• the agency is recognized by the American Heart Association, based on professional evaluation criteria designed by heart failure and home care experts.

Iowa City Hospice is proud to be a community-based nonprofit organization headquartered in the center of its service territory. Iowa City Hospice has always been governed by local volunteers, and uses its carefully managed resources to support community-based services and enhanced patient care. Learn more about Iowa City Hospice at www.iowacityhospice.org.
###