LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Corrigan Gommenginger, chief executive officer of Hospice Services of Lake County, recently obtained his Advanced Certified Hospice Executive, or ACHE, designation from the National Board for Home Care & Hospice Certification, or NBHHC.

The ACHE designation ensures that Gommenginger “has attained a gold level knowledge of standards” by passing the NBHHC exam.

The national board’s test requires that the candidate possess an advanced degree and have three years of experience as a senior executive in Hospice.

According the NBHHC, only 75 percent of registrants pass the Advanced Certified Hospice Executive exam.

The extensive exam, which took Gommenginger three hours to complete, covers leadership, governance, strategic planning, organizational design, financial oversight, resource management, organizational risk and industry trends.

“The certification is not just an accomplishment for me,” said Gommenginger. “It requires that I continue to stay current on changes in the industry that affect our organization and the patients we care for. For Hospice Services of Lake County, it is an assurance that we hire and employ the right people for the jobs.”

Gommenginger previously held the Certified Hospice Administrator designation by NBHHC, in addition to his other certifications: Certified Fund Raising Executive and Certified Executive and Leadership Development Coach.

The NBHHC notes that individuals who pass the advanced certification exam demonstrate their abilities to benefit their agencies. Such benefits include identifying trends in health care, understanding ways to improve the agency’s operational performance, and identifying new practices to integrate quality improvement, financial, operational, compliance and customer service goals.

Hospice Services staff congratulates Gommenginger on his certification.

Hospice Services of Lake County provides patient- and family-centered care ensuring the highest quality of life at the end of life.

Specially-trained staff provide services include nursing care, symptom management, and emotional and spiritual support tailored to a patient’s needs and wishes. No patients are turned away if they do not have the means to pay for Hospice care.

For information about Hospice Services of Lake County, call 707-263-6222.

Additional information is also available on the organization’s Web site, www.lakecountyhospice.org.

Janine Smith-Citron is development specialist for Hospice Services of Lake County.