VITAS Healthcare, a subsidiary of Chemed Corp. (NYSE: CHE) has achieved the American Heart Association® (AHA) Palliative/Hospice Heart Failure certification across all 15 states in which the company operates.

The certification reflects a growing trend of hospices pursuing disease-specific certifications or programs as a way of diversifying their services within the Medicare Hospice Benefit. VITAS is the first national hospice company to earn the AHA certification, though some local and regional hospices have done so.

“Many patients with heart failure do not receive the hospice care that could significantly improve their final months of life,” said Dr. Joseph Shega, executive vice president and chief medical officer at VITAS, in a statement. “This certification affirms our commitment to providing evidence-based hospice care that helps patients and families navigate advanced heart disease with dignity, comfort and the right level of support.”

The certification applies to 56 VITAS markets, including the District of Columbia.

The certification signifies that a hospice’s heart failure program complies with current AHA standards and evidence-based requirements designed by heart failure and home-based care experts. The certification process takes into account six domains: program management, personnel education, patient and caregiver education, care coordination, clinical management and performance improvement.

Close to 6.7 million adults aged 20 or older suffer from congestive heart failure in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease in 2022 was mentioned on more than 457,000 U.S. death certifications. In 2012, heart failure cost the nation an estimated $30.7 billion.

However, hospice utilization among these patients remains low. In 2022, 52,375 Medicare decedents with (unspecified) heart failure as a principal diagnosis elected hospice — about 2.8% of all patients who received the benefit, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization reported. An additional 36,860, or 2% of all 2022 Medicare hospice decedents, had hypertensive heart and renal disease with congestive heart failure as a principal diagnosis.

“This certification assures patients can have confidence that their heart failure care is coordinated and follows the latest evidence-based guidelines,” said Dr. Kristen Schaefer, AHA volunteer and vice president, associate chief medical officer at Care Dimensions, in a statement. “We’re pleased to have VITAS join the national network of American Heart Association Palliative/Hospice Heart Failure certified agencies.”