The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with Homecare Homebase. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of home health, hospice care, senior housing, skilled nursing, and behavioral health. To see this year’s Future Leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.
Amanda Fabozzi, the director of clinical transformation at the Nashville, Tennessee-based Medalogix, has been named a 2023 Future Leader by Home Health Care News.
To become a Future Leader, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who is 40-years-old or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put vision into action, and an advocate for seniors, and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.
Fabozzi sat down with HHCN to talk about her career trajectory, embracing change in an evolving industry, advancements in technology in the home health space and more.
HHCN: What drew you to this industry?
Fabozzi: Prior to the move to the home health setting, I worked as a physical therapist in inpatient rehab where I was able to build my skill set and confidence as a practitioner. However, after a few years, I was yearning for a new challenge where I could expand my experience and learn something new.
After accepting my first home health position, I realized that this is the perfect setting for a physical therapist to do just that. One of the biggest things that I have appreciated is that if you are willing to work hard to learn something new, the opportunities are limitless.
I was able to get an array of experience in a short period thanks to working with some amazing folks that invested time to teach me the ropes and then trusted me to take on responsibilities. I am forever grateful to these leaders and peers who have supported me along the way.
What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting to work in this industry?
One must embrace change to survive. There is never a dull moment in this industry – and as soon as we start to get comfortable or things feel routine, change will happen. I get swept up in the cycle of learning, “unlearning” and relearning, and this is one of the things that I enjoy the most. I can say that I have certainly never gotten bored.
Yet, despite what feels like continuous change, the patient impact remains constant — which makes this work so meaningful.
If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of home health, what would it be?
I think reimbursement is something that is top of mind for everyone in the industry. At the end of the day, resources are needed to continue to promote quality, innovate and pay clinicians to take great care of patients. Because home health is a low-cost option and the preferred post-acute setting for patients, my hope would be that more resources are allocated to home health in the future, not less.
What do you foresee as being different about the home health industry looking ahead to 2024?
With emerging technologies, we are going to continue to see more advanced use of technology in home health in the coming months and years. We have already experienced rapid integration of technology with virtual care, remote patient monitoring and a reliance on artificial intelligence to inform care planning.
The patients themselves are more tech savvy than ever and have come to expect the use of technology as a normal part of their health care journey. It’s about personalization — the use of technology can be integral in promoting efficiency, quality outcomes and successful aging in place at the patient level.
I think it’s possible that in five years, we will look back and say, “How did we ever work without this technology?” Knowledge will be bedrock, but the way we communicate, educate, plan and deliver care will evolve with the technology and I think that is very exciting.
In a word, how would you describe the future of home health?
Valuable.
What quality must all Future Leaders possess?
In my opinion, a “servant leader” mentality is the foundation for building trusting relationships and promoting teamwork and collaboration. This can lead to overwhelming success and the ability to meet and achieve goals. It starts with mutual respect and being willing to get your hands dirty to support others.
To learn more about the Future Leaders program, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.
