Top home health leaders maintain that they’re operating in a space filled with “tons of opportunity.”

Payment uncertainty and other contemporary operating dynamics can muddy the waters, but there’s a way through those challenges, those leaders believe.

“I’m going to sound delusional,” Pinnacle Home Care CEO Shane Donaldson told me on stage last week at Home Health Care News’ FUTURE conference. “But I think [the home health industry] is in a great place for the future.”

At the conference, many of the same talking points were hit: Medicare Advantage (MA), fee-for-service rate cuts and staffing.

But providers are on the brink of their third straight year of rate cuts, and are about a decade into significant MA penetration in most cases. The staffing situation ebbs and flows, and providers are used to that, too.

As I talked to home health leaders in one-on-ones and on stage last week, I filled a whole page of notes related to what providers were bullish on.

Donaldson is bullish on the entire industry. Other leaders, too, are bullish – and offered specifics on where they feel like they can score some ‘wins’ in the near-term future to keep their patients happy and their margins healthy.

Those notes, quotes and other takeaways from last week’s FUTURE conference in Nashville, Tennessee, are the topic of this week’s exclusive, members-only HHCN+ Update.

Tons of opportunity

Pinnacle Home Care is one of the largest home health providers in the state of Florida. The New York-based HCS-Girling recently acquired Pinnacle, as both companies look to accelerate their growth goals.

At some point, Donaldson said that he believes HCS-Girling – along with Pinnacle – will have a home-based care footprint all along the East Coast.

Donaldson believes that home health providers will have the ability to optimize operations so much over the next few years that CMS will have to again consider large cuts to payment. He said it would be a “good problem to have.”

“I have a belief that in the not-too-distant future, if we take advantage of the current technologies, when we submit our cost reports, the problem we will have is that our margins are too high,” Donaldson said. “With artificial intelligence, robotic process automation, predictive analytics – all of these things that we have at our fingertips now are going to make life so much easier.”

Donaldson was essentially suggesting that margins will improve so much because of newly available technology that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will again feel the need to chop rates.

Even if that sounds “delusional” – as Donaldson warned it would – many providers feel the same about certain technology advancements.

Take the aforementioned issues plaguing home health care. Scheduling is the leading cause of turnover in the industry, and there’s now AI solutions to address that. That improves retention, and, in turn, staffing. The same goes for AI that helps reduce clinicians’ documentation time.

Predictive analytics can help better manage patients with chronic conditions, which will help in the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) and in value-based arrangements with other payers.

Those are just a few examples. And, of course, it won’t just be that easy.

But nearly every vendor was enthusiastic about these new offerings at the conference. This time, their enthusiasm was matched by providers.

By driving down operating costs, providers will also be better able to take on MA members that come with a lower – or currently non-existent – margin. Compassus CEO Mike Asselta suggested on stage that providers needed to go through some “maturation” before realizing all of the opportunity that lies ahead of them.

That mostly had to do with presenting value to payers, however.

In that arena, providers are already figuring out ways to better deal with payers, even if a better way is walking away from agreements entirely.

“I would suggest that providers really look at their [payer] strategy,” Interim HealthCare COO Rexanne Domico also said on stage. “What are the regional opportunities? What are other national opportunities? Where can you find that upside that’s not necessarily wholly dependent upon the big managed care providers? There’s some opportunity that’s still out there.”

Almost every provider still agrees that working with health plans in home health care is not easy.

But, anecdotally, providers told me that they’ve had a much better go at it when working with regionally focused plans.

“Some of our best partners are those regional partners,” Well Care Health COO Rebecca Higbee said on stage. “Those local partners where you can speak to the actual decision makers of the plan.”

Oftentimes, within national health plans, the decision makers on home health rates are siloed from the head decision makers. The rate setters are most interested in keeping costs down, while the head decision makers may see more home health access as a better long-term strategy.

That disconnect leads to snags in negotiations between national MA plans and home health providers.

“It’s really difficult when you’re speaking with large payers,” Higbee continued. “You’re not going to change their mind about the directives that they’ve been given. You’re not going to change their mind about the plan that they have laid out for the next quarter. But you can speak to the medical director of a local plan and really get their buy-in, in terms of the quality and the return for them.”

Domico also said that she believes there’s room for providers to get “more creative” in how they approach different payers, specifically around the presentation of home health care’s value.

A slew of leaders told me that they were encouraged by Enhabit’s (NYSE: EHAB) termination of its contract with UnitedHealthcare earlier this month.

Providers want to work with big payers, but they also need better rates – at least for now.

“I would just say that my heart was warm the other day when Enhabit walked away from the table with UHC,” Donaldson said. “I think that we’ll look back on that as being a significant event.”

The post ‘Opportunity Is Still Out There’: AI, Regional Payers And The Other Factors Exciting Home Health Leaders appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Domico has significant home-based care experience. Prior to accepting the Interim role, she served as: the CEO of HomeFree Pharmacy Services; the president of home health care at BrightSpring Health Services (Nasdaq: BTSG); and senior vice president at LHC Group.

“We’re excited to welcome Rexanne to Interim HealthCare to help champion our mission and shape our operational strategies,” Interim HealthCare CEO Paul Mastrapa said in a statement. “Her hands-on leadership style, deep industry knowledge and proven track record of fostering growth and excellence make her exceptionally well-suited to lead our regional teams and guide our franchisees nationwide to provide the high-end care we are known for.”

Based in Sunrise, Florida, Interim is a national provider of home care, home health, hospice and medical staffing services. Its parent company is Caring Brands International, which also owns the United Kingdom-based home care company Bluebird Care and the Australia-based Just Better Care.

Mastrapa is relatively new to Interim as well. He was named CEO of the company last summer. He also formerly served as the CEO of Help at Home.

On Domico’s end, she will be focused on “growth, innovation and operation excellence” in her new role.

“Interim HealthCare has been a mainstay in the home health and hospice industry, and I’m thrilled to be joining this venerable brand,” Domico said in a statement. “The full continuum of care provided by the company is unique within the industry, and I look forward to lending my experience across service lines to create impact. I’m excited to learn from our franchise partners and work together on novel approaches to our industry’s challenges.”

Domico will be speaking at Home Health Care News’ FUTURE conference on Thursday.

The post Interim HealthCare Names Rexanne Domico President, COO appeared first on Home Health Care News.

The large home health and hospice provider Traditions Health has named Angela Collins as the vice president of operations. 

In her role, she will specifically be responsible for home health branches in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. She will also take part in – and oversee – growth initiatives.

“Angie’s collaborative efforts have significantly contributed to increasing operational efficiency,” Traditions Health COO Tony Maxwell said in a statement. “Her dedication to continuous improvement and her ability to inspire her team have been pivotal in driving success.”

Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Traditions Health is a home health, hospice and palliative care provider with a footprint that spans across 130 locations and 18 states. It cares for more than 25,000 patients per year.

The company also announced a new VP of finance last month.

Collins was originally with Trinity Valley Home Health – as director of nursing – before the company was acquired by Traditions Health. She has been promoted multiple times within Traditions.

“I’m very excited for this next chapter of my career with Traditions and cannot wait to share my passion for home health,” she said in a statement.

Interim HealthCare’s new VP of clinical quality

Interim HealthCare has named Donna Merritt as vice president of clinical quality.

“We’re thrilled to bring Donna on board to serve in the pivotal function of setting Interim HealthCare’s clinical direction,” Interim HealthCare President and CEO Paul Mastrapa said in a statement. “Clinical care is at the core of everything we do, and Donna’s background and track record of success make her uniquely suited to work with our franchisees across the nation to further the company’s long tradition of clinical excellence.”

A part of Caring Brands International, the Sunrise, Florida-based Interim HealthCare is a home care and home health care franchise brand with over 330 locations across the U.S.

Merritt has extensive home-based care experience. She was previously the regional director of operations at Bayada Home Health Care, and before that, spent time with Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED).

A Place For Mom’s next CEO

The senior care referral company A Place For Mom (APFM) has announced that Tatyana Zlotsky will be its next CEO, with current CEO Larry Kutscher set to step away on May 2.

Kutscher will become the chairman of the company’s board of directors.

“It has been a privilege to lead APFM over the past five years. We delivered strong revenue growth and assembled a world-class team, all in service of fulfilling the needs of underserved family caregivers,” Kutscher said in the announcement. “Tatyana… is the right leader for the next phase of our continued growth, and I look forward to continuing to work with her in my role as chairman.”

Traditionally focused on the senior living space, APFM has gotten much more involved in home care placement over the last few years.

Zlotsky previously served as the chief marketing officer at APFM, as well as chief revenue officer and president. Prior to APFM, she worked at American Express (NYSE: AXP).

“A Place for Mom plays a key role in working with our 17,000+ community customers and home care providers to support the 50M+ family caregivers in the U.S., providing personalized guidance to help them make the right senior care decisions,” Zlotsky said in a statement. “I’m thankful to Larry and the board for this exciting opportunity. We have a strong foundation in place, and I look forward to leading our talented, mission-oriented team in our next phase of growth.”

Home care consulting group shakes up leadership team

The home health and home care consultant company Corcoran Consulting Group has named Guy Tommasi as its new president and CEO, while also promoting Holly Harringa to vice president and COO.

Tommasi is a home care industry veteran. Prior to joining Corcoran Consulting in 2023 as a managing consultant, he spent 13 years as the managing director of the Guilford, Connecticut-based Lifetime Care at Home. Before that role, he was the business and community development director of Masonicare, which is also based in Connecticut.

On Haringa’s end, she also joined Corcoran Consulting in 2023 as a consultant. Prior to that, she served as the client service manager at Lifetime Care at Home for 17 years.

“Guy and Holly are pivotal leaders of our organization,” Corcoran Consulting Group Principal Rich Corcoran said in a statement. “Their depth of industry knowledge, passion for helping people thrive in their homes, and support of our talented team will help us continue to provide outstanding service to our home health and home care agency clients. They are true leaders in elevating the home care profession.”

Based in North Haven, Connecticut, Corcoran Consulting provides operational, clinical, quality and financial solutions to support home health, hospice and private-duty home care agencies.

The post Traditions Health Promotes Within For VP Of Operations Role; Interim HealthCare Taps New VP Of Clinical Quality appeared first on Home Health Care News.

In order to be ranked on the list, a franchise company needs to be courting new franchisees in the U.S. or Canada. Companies that made the list also need to have had at least 10 units open and operating as of July 31, 2023, with at least one U.S.-based franchise.

Factors such as franchise cost and fees, size and growth, network support and brand strength determined each company’s evaluation.

Companies like Interim HealthCare, Home Instead and Senior Helpers ranked the highest of the home-based care franchises that managed to grab a spot on the list.

Interim HealthCare

— Rank: 59

— 2023 Rank: 55

— Units: 655

— Based in Sunrise, Florida, and a part of Caring Brands National, Interim is a franchise that provides home health, hospice, palliative care and other services across locations in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Home Instead

— Rank: 149

— 2023 Rank: 155

— Units: 1,217

— Home Instead is a Omaha, Nebraska-based personal care franchise company that has locations in over a dozen countries. In 2021, the home care technology company Honor acquired Home Instead.

Senior Helpers

— Rank: 172

— 2023 Rank: 172

— Units: 361

— Maryland-based Senior Helpers has a national personal care network, as well as adult day centers. The company was acquired by Advocate Health Enterprises in 2021.

Homewatch CareGivers

— Rank: 222

— 2023 Rank: 208

— Units: 222

— Denver-based Homewatch CareGivers is a home care franchise company that operates in over 30 states and seven countries. The franchise employs over 4,500 caregivers.

Griswold Home Care

— Rank: 252

— 2023 Rank: 267

— Units: 186

— The Blue Bell, Pennsylvania-based Griswold is also a home care franchise. It provides personal care services in 30 states.

ComForCare

— Rank: 254

— 2023 Rank: 402

— Units: 229

— ComForCare is a home care franchise organization that has hundreds of territories independently-owned and operated in Canada and the U.S. ComForCare operates as At Your Side in Houston, Texas. ComForCare operates under parent company Best Life Brands. Another Best Life Brands company, Blue Moon Estate Sales, also ranked on the Franchise 500 list.

BrightStar Care

— Rank: 279

— 2023 Rank: 141

— Units: 373

— Chicago-based BrightStar is a provider of home care, senior living and supplemental staffing. The organization has been deliberately increasing its company-owned footprint of late.

Assisting Hands Home Care

— Rank: 280

— 2023 Rank: 229

— Units: 193

— Assisting Hands Home Care offers both medical and non-medical assistance for seniors, including meal preparation, companionship, chores and more.

HomeWell Care Services

— Rank: 283

— 2023 Rank: 347

— Units: 136

— HomeWell is a Burkburnett, Texas-based home care franchise that operates across the U.S. The company offers companion care, personal care, as well as specialty care.

Right at Home

— Rank: 318

— 2023 Rank: 260

— Units: 716

— Omaha, Nebraska-based Right at Home is a home care franchise company with locations in the U.S. and six other countries.

Nurse Next Door

— Rank: 418

— 2023 Rank: N/A

— Units: 183

— Vancouver, Canada-based Nurse Next Door is a home care franchise system that operates in the U.S., Canada and Australia. As an organization, the company provides personal care, companionship care, homemaking services, dementia care and more.

FirstLight Home Care

— Rank: 438

— 2023 Rank: 327

— Units: 197

— Cincinnati-based FirstLight Home Care is a provider of non-medical home care. The company also has a specialized care program aimed at seniors with dementia.

Synergy HomeCare

— Rank: 449

— 2023 Rank: 483

— Units: 453

— Synergy is a Gilbert, Arizona-based non-medical home care franchise. The company offers companionship services, in addition to personal assistance, housekeeping, live-in care and 24-hour home care services.

Home Helpers

— Rank: 475

— 2023 Rank: 396

— Units: 308

— The Cincinnati-based Home Helpers is a home care franchise that provides personal care, nutrition and companionship services, among others. It serves over 1,000 communities in the U.S.

Visiting Angels

— Rank: 479

— 2023 Rank: N/A

— Units: 692

— Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania-based Visiting Angels is an in-home senior care company that provides companion care, personal care services and more.

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The list is based on last year’s global systemwide sales — total sales for both franchise and company units — performance.

In order to earn a spot on the list, a company needs to be a legal U.S. franchise. It should also own at least 10% of the company’s total units.

At-home care franchise companies Home Instead Senior Care, Right at Home and Interim HealthCare managed to crack the top 100 portion of the list, alongside big name companies like McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD), Dunkin’ (Nasdaq:DNKN) and The UPS Store (UPS:NYSE).

Home Instead Senior Care

— Rank: 44

— System Sales: $2,400,000,000

— Total Locations: 1,217

— Home Instead is a Omaha, Nebraska-based personal care franchise company that has locations in over a dozen countries. In 2021, the home care technology company Honor acquired Home Instead.

Interim HealthCare

— Rank: 65

— System Sales: $1,288,000,000

— Total Locations: 655

— The Sunrise, Florida-based company – a part of Caring Brands International — provides personal care, hospice care, palliative care, pediatric care and staffing services.

Visiting Angels

— Rank: 90

— System Sales: $900,000,000

— Total Locations: 697

— Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania-based Visiting Angels is an in-home senior care company that provides companion care, personal care services and more.

Right at Home

— Rank: 100

— System Sales: $778,386,711

— Total Locations: 712

— Omaha, Nebraska-based Right at Home is a home care franchise company with locations in the U.S. and six other countries.

BrightStar Care

— Rank: 117

— System Sales: $653,907,370

— Total Locations: 370

— Chicago-based BrightStar is a provider of home care, senior living and supplemental staffing. The organization has been deliberately increasing its company-owned footprint of late.

Comfort Keepers

— Rank: 124

— System Sales: $625,000,000*

— Total Locations: 645

— Irvine, California-based Comfort Keepers is one of the largest personal home care providers in the U.S. It recently was acquired by The Halifax Group.

Senior Helpers

— Rank: 176

— System Sales: $387,243,000

— Total Locations: 327

— Maryland-based Senior Helpers has a national personal care network, as well as adult day centers. The company was acquired by Advocate Health Enterprises in 2021.

ComForCare Home Care

— Rank: 225

— System Sales: $238,000,000

— Total Locations: 223

— ComForCare is a home care franchise organization that has 270 territories independently-owned and operated in Canada and the U.S. ComForCare operates as At Your Side in Houston, Texas.

Home Helpers Home Care

— Rank: 230

— System Sales: $231,856,454

— Total Locations: 304

— The Cincinnati-based Home Helpers is a home care franchise that provides personal care, nutrition and companionship services, among others. It serves over 1,000 communities in the U.S.

Synergy HomeCare

— Rank: 236

— System Sales: $223,257,894

— Total Locations: 417

— Synergy is a Gilbert, Arizona-based non-medical home care franchise. The company offers companionship services, in addition to personal assistance, housekeeping, live-in care and 24-hour home care services.

Always Best Care

— Rank: 245

— System Sales: $212,591,506

— Total Locations: 232

— Roseville, California-based Always Best Care is a home care franchise company that operates across 225 territories in 30 states and Canada.

Homewatch CareGivers

— Rank: 246

— System Sales: $211,550,548

— Total Locations: 224

— Denver-based Homewatch CareGivers is a home care franchise company that operates in over 30 states and seven countries. The franchise employs over 4,500 caregivers.

Griswold

— Rank: 251

— System Sales: $199,100,000

— Total Locations: 178

— The Blue Bell, Pennsylvania-based Griswold is also a home care franchise. It provides personal care services in 30 states.

FirstLight Home Care

— Rank: 257

— System Sales: $188,207,247

— Total Locations: 195

— Cincinnati-based FirstLight Home Care is a provider of non-medical home care. The company also has a specialized care program aimed at seniors with dementia.

Assisting Hands Home Care

— Rank: 299

— System Sales: $124,305,162

— Total Locations: 175

— Assisting Hands Home Care offers both medical and non-medical assistance for seniors, including meal preparation, companionship, chores and more.

Caring Senior Service

— Rank: 475

— System Sales: $35,050,000

— Total Locations: 51

— San Antonio, Texas-based home care franchise company Caring Senior Service offers personal care, meal preparation, transportation, companionship, housekeeping and more.

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Sheets had served as the president and CEO of Interim since January of 2019. She also served as the president and CEO of Caring Brands International, the parent company of Interim, the U.K.-based Bluebird Care and the Australia-based Just Better Care.

Mastrapa will step into the role as president and CEO of Caring Brands International as well.

“I’m honored to take on this new leadership role at Interim HealthCare, an organization that has an excellent reputation for clinical excellence and a strong history of serving communities with personalized care and compassion,” Mastrapa said in a statement. “With the high patient demands facing health care right now, I’m confident in the expertise of our staff and entrepreneurial energy of our franchisees to continue leading the charge in home health care.”

The Sunrise, Florida-based Interim is a home-based care franchise that provides home health care, hospice care, palliative care, pediatric care, personal care and staffing services to about 200,000 individuals per year. The company has over 330 locations across the U.S.

Prior to Friday, there had been no indication from the company that Sheets would be stepping down.

Sheets began her career as a trauma and transplant ICU nurse in Tennessee. She then held leadership roles at Kindred Healthcare, Cornerstone Healthcare Group and Bayada Home Health Care before taking the helm at Interim.

In addition to her work at Interim, Sheets is also the head of the board at the Research Institute for Home Care (RIHC) and part of the board at the National Association of Home Care & Hospice (NAHC).

“Interim HealthCare thanks outgoing CEO Jennifer Sheets for her service to the company and wishes her well in her future endeavors,” Interim wrote in its press release.

Mastrapa’s background

Paul Mastrapa served as the CEO of Help at Home – one of the largest personal care providers in the country – from 2018 to 2021.

Since then, he has served as an advisor to multiple companies, including PFM Healthcare Consulting and the senior care company Lifespark.

“From an ownership structure perspective, I’ve been in senior roles in public entities. I’ve been in divisions of large private companies,” Mastrapa told Home Health Care News last year. “Now I’ve done a fair amount of private equity and I’ve really, really enjoyed the private equity experience. There’s nothing like bringing a lot of smart people to the table with a focus on investment and capital to really create an exciting opportunity. I’ve tended to focus now on working with private equity-backed businesses.”

To that end, the private equity firm Wellspring Capital Management acquired Caring Brands International in 2021. Wellspring also currently backs Help at Home.

Prior to his time at Help at Home, Mastrapa was also the CEO of Option Care Health (NYSE: OPCH). John C. Rademacher, Option Care’s current president and CEO, was on Mastrapa’s executive team as COO, eventually succeeding him.

A home and alternate site infusion company, Option Care Health recently tried to acquire Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED), but was outbid by UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) Optum.

During his conversation with HHCN last September, Mastrapa expressed the need for more home-based care companies to become value-based providers.

“Until you actually grab the whole risk, it’s really difficult,” he said. “Some of my most frustrating incidents or experiences were when [Option Care] would work with very large health plans and show a nearly nine-figure savings opportunity on some of these very expensive drugs, and their first go-to would be, ‘Well, if I’m going to give you all this volume, what kind of a rate cut are you going to give me?’ When you’re in that mindset, it’s hard to break through.”

The post Former Help at Home CEO Paul Mastrapa To Replace Jennifer Sheets At Interim HealthCare appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Broadly, this trend has been visible to most home health providers for years. It was exacerbated, however, by the pandemic and a reduction in the availability of acute care.

Thus, home health providers have been caring for patients that traditionally still would have been in acute care facilities.

“Over the last three years, starting with COVID and transferring out of that, we’ve seen patients come to us that are certainly more clinically complex,” Blake Nelson, director of home health care at Hamilton Health Care System, told Home Health Care News. “We saw a need to come alongside the hospital when it came to throughput. When COVID patients were coming to the ED and then being admitted and staying at the hospital for 5,6,7 weeks, we saw a need for us to stand in the gap.”

Serving northwest Georgia, Hamilton Health Care System includes a community hospital, medical center and a physician group. The organization also offers long-term care and hospice, as well as home health services through Hamilton Home Health.

At the time, Hamilton Home Health created a COVID Max program focused on relieving pressure off the ED. The program would eventually branch out to tackle diagnosis-related groups that the hospital tends to struggle with, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure (CHF) patients.

Over the last year, Hamilton Home Health has created different “Max” programs focused on COPD, CHF and diabetes.

“The diabetic patients have other comorbidities,” Amanda Horne, clinical manager and administrator at Hamilton Home Health, told HHCN. “They often have non-healing wounds that we’re dealing with. Some of the sickest COVID patients who are in the hospital for extended times are coming out with pressure ulcers. We see a wide array of issues. I would say that people with COPD, CHF and diabetes are the ones that typically have the most issues.”

In addition to new programs, Hamilton Home Health has made other adjustments to meet the care needs of clinically complex patients.

“We’ve had to get creative,” Horne said. “Specifically with CHF, we had to think about what we could do to help those patients stay at home. We would give them more nursing visits, and we were purchasing digital scales for our patients. We would call their cardiologist for them, set up appointments and make sure their transportation is in order.”

Ultimately, strong communication has been a key factor in helping Hamilton Home Health manage its patient volume.

“Communication across the entire system was important,” Nelson said. “From the handoff, to making sure we have a good picture of what’s going on with this patient, so that our clinicians are ready to meet the patient out in the home.”

Hamilton Home Health’s various Max program teams have also been meeting monthly.

“Different thought leaders from inside the system get together and talk through how that program is progressing, and what questions, concerns or issues we may be thinking about, to stay ahead of what may come down the road,” Nelson said.

Interim leverages its full care continuum model

At Interim HealthCare, ensuring that the organization is providing a full continuum of care in each of its markets is top priority.

As such, the organization was uniquely positioned to meet the needs of increasingly clinically complex patients.

Based in Sunrise, Florida — and a part of Caring Brands International — Interim is a franchise that provides home health, hospice and palliative care services. The organization is just shy of 600 locations in the U.S. and internationally.

Similar to Hamilton Home Health, Interim is seeing an influx of more patients who are at the higher end of its full continuum of care. This is because length of stays at hospitals are shorter, according to Jennifer Sheets, CEO and president of Interim.

“People are coming home much more acute than they have in the past,” she told HHCN. “We’re seeing, for example, people sent home much quicker after cardiac procedures, after acute heart attacks and strokes.”

Interim is seeing the most clinical complexity come from individuals dealing with multiple comorbid conditions across one or more body systems.

“If you take something like [CHF] and it’s layered on top of cognitive impairment, like dementia, it becomes much more complex,” Sheets said.

A few years back, Interim developed what it calls its Home Life Enrichment standard of care. It’s an approach that continually assesses the evolving needs of Interim’s patients.

Since seeing this increase of higher acuity patients in the home, Interim has doubled down on that philosophy of care.

As a result, the company has invested heavily in certifications and additional education for its clinicians.

“The ability to have clinicians top up their skills, if they’re seeing, for example, more neurologically focused diagnoses coming home, they can top up on that specific education,” Sheets said. “Clinicians also have more real-time access, through devices, to best practice policy and procedures for cases they may not see all the time.”

This wave of more clinically complex patients is also top of mind when Interim looks to recruit new clinicians.

“We do balloon pumps, as people are waiting for open heart surgery, we do chemotherapy infusions, very high acuity things that people who have worked in the ICUs, for example, are used to seeing,” Sheets said.

Even though Interim has made moves to accommodate these patients, Sheets also pointed out that caring for clinical complex patients is part of the company’s history.

“Interim was the very first company to bring home a high-acuity, ventilator dependent child, and that goes all the way back to 1970,” she said. “We were also the first company to bring home a high-acuity ventilated adult, the following year.”

The post Home Health Providers Adjusting Operations To Care For More Clinically Complex Patients appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Choice Health at Home has named Jeffrey Kreger the company’s CFO. 

The Tyler, Texas-based Choice is home health, hospice and rehabilitation services provider. The company operates in 60 total locations across Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

Prior to joining the company as CFO, Kreger was executive vice president and CFO at VITAS Healthcare. Before that, he was the senior vice president and CFO at Aegis Therapies.

Interim HealthCare Inc. adds two execs to its leadership team

In the midst of growing its franchise network, Interim HealthCare Inc. has also beefed up its leadership team.

Based in Sunrise, Florida, and a part of Caring Brands National, Interim is a franchise that provides home health, hospice, palliative care and other services across over 330 locations in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

Interim has named Steve Schildwachter senior vice president of brand and Scott Williams as vice president of talent.

“I’m excited for this new journey with Interim HealthCare and the opportunity to expand the public’s knowledge around the wide range of essential home healthcare services offered and the different degrees of care from hospital-level to personal aide,” Schildwachter said in a press statement. “Interim has an outstanding network of new and multi-generational home health franchise owners and operators, and I look forward to playing my part in strengthening the business and brand.”

Previously, Schildwachter was COO at Franchise Performance Group and Williams was talent director at Sonas Home Health Care.

“Staffing challenges are affecting the entire home health care industry and meeting demand for home care is directly dependent on the ability to hire qualified professionals so that we can continue providing services to the increasing number of individuals who need it,” Williams said in the statement. “My new role will play an important part in navigating this industry issue and ensuring our patients receive the best care possible.”

Interim opened 15 new offices across the U.S. this year. Two more locations will be opening up before the end of 2022.

Monogram Health names SVP of clinical product and services innovation

Monogram Health announced that Amal Agarwal has joined the company as senior vice president of clinical product and services innovation.

“Agarwal will play a critical role within the Monogram leadership team, serving as our clinical leader for innovation, growth, partnerships and business development initiatives,” the company wrote in a LinkedIn statement. “We’re proud to welcome Amal and look forward to working with him as we transform care for patients with kidney disease and related chronic conditions.”

Monogram Health is a value-based specialty provider of in-home nephrology, primary care and benefit management services for individuals with chronic kidney and end-stage renal disease.

Agarwal has been a board advisor at Monogram Health since 2021.

“I’ve spent years overseeing initiatives that improve clinical outcomes for the senior patient population,” Agarwal told Home Health Care News in an email. “With a primary focus on those with late-stage chronic kidney disease, I have worked to increase awareness, slow disease progression, reduce hospitalization rates and promote in-home treatment. I believe in the high-impact value of a solutions-oriented team approach and the benefits of delivering a robust clinical care model right into the home. That’s why I’m so proud to join Monogram Health now.”

Tomorrow Health builds out its leadership team

Tomorrow Health has appointed Anna Lenhard chief people officer and Ryan Colby as head of go-to-market.

Before joining Tomorrow Health, Lenhard and Colby served in vice president of people roles at Hippo Insurance and Oscar Health, respectively.

“Anna and Ryan bring significant experience in building and scaling world-class teams spanning health care services, technology and operations,” Vijay Kedar, co-founder and CEO of Tomorrow Health, said in a press statement. “Critically, they align closely with our company values to fight like hell for patients and change the system from within. Anna and Ryan join a leadership team that draws from market-moving companies including Amazon, Oscar Health, Flatiron Health, Signify Health and Warby Parker.”

As a company, Tomorrow Health is a data-driven marketplace that partners with payers, referring providers and home-based care suppliers.

Modivcare’s interim CEO permanently steps into the role

Heath Sampson has officially taken the helm at Modivcare Inc. (Nasdaq: MODV). The company named him president and CEO Tuesday. It’s a role he’s held, as interim, since August.

Sampson originally joined Modivcare in 2021 as CFO.

Forcura promotes exec to COO

Forcura has promoted Annie Erstling to the role of COO.

“I am thrilled to promote Annie into the chief operating officer role, which officially acknowledges her as both Forcura’s visionary and my right-hand,” Craig Mandeville, CEO and founder of Forcura, said in a press statement. “It is a testimony to the strength and ability of our senior executives that they can assume additional responsibilities, which result in a more streamlined and effective organization overall.”

Jacksonville, Florida-based Forcura provides post-acute health care organizations with software solutions for managing documentation and care coordination.

Previously, Erstling served as chief strategy officer.

In addition to Erstling’s promotion, Windy Adams — Forcura’s senior vice president of client experience — will now also manage the company’s strategic partnerships. Some of these partnerships include Homecare Homebase, WellSky, Axxess and Maxwell Healthcare Associates.

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And they’re once again breathing easier now that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – through the U.S Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – announced that states would have an extra year to use funding from the American Rescue Plan.

“Overall, we’re grateful for this extension and appreciate it,” Jennifer Sheets, CEO and president of Interim Healthcare, told Home Health Care News.

Back in March 2021, President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law. The COVID-19 relief package included a provision that raised the federal matching rate for Medicaid HCBS spending by 10 percentage points from April 1 of 2021 through March 31, 2024.

Last month, it was determined that the funding will be available for states to expend until March 31 of 2025.

Generally, the funds can be put towards beefing up states’ HCBS programs, but the specifics are murky, according to Sheets.

“CMS provided little guidance and standard to states on how the funding can be used, so the challenge is getting access to and using these funds as intended,” she said. “There are huge variations in program requirements and distribution from state to state.”

As far as managing the funds, some states have chosen to implement rate increases using the additional federal money to make this happen.

Other states have implemented grants, providing direct payments to providers to use for certain criteria, mostly around workforce development.

Of the states Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS) operates in, there’s a pretty even split between the states that chose rate increases, and the ones that went the grant, or direct provider payments, route.

“In states where we got rate increases, it led to increased wages, and or other benefits,” Darby Anderson, chief strategy officer at Addus, told HHCN. “In the more direct payment states, it’s allowing us to be more competitive in the bigger recruitment market for employees by offering sign-on bonuses, recruitment bonuses of different kinds, and in some cases, paid training.”

In other words, the funds are a tool to address the home care industry’s most immediate pain point — staffing shortages.

Similarly, Interim is focused on how these funds will potentially alleviate the company’s workforce challenges. Still, Sheet notes that an extension – while positive – isn’t permanent.

“The pandemic exacerbated this need and want among consumers for home-based care, but because these increases aren’t permanent, we can’t make permanent changes to wages for our staff – impacting our ability to recruit and retain quality individuals to meet the growing need,” she said. “Instead, we will use it for things we can implement in the short-term, like bonuses and recognition, including non-monetary actions we can take to help our caregivers, such as flexible work schedules to navigate family obligations.”

Aside from not being permanent, Anderson pointed out the extension doesn’t mean additional dollars for providers — just more time to spend the original funds.

“So the simplest example is a rate increase. If you gave a 2.5 % rate increase, you could technically fund that with the federal money for four years,” he said. “It didn’t mean 10% each year.” 

One of the key benefits to this additional time, however, is that it addresses challenges that providers faced around getting access to the funds in the first place.

“The additional year is a good decision because state spending plans were not approved by CMS as timely as originally indicated,” Anderson said. “It took six months, sometimes eight months, to get all the plans approved. States got a slower start in implementing those plans.”

Another benefit that comes with the extra time is that it gives states enough time to pivot, if necessary.

“It could be that a state finds that a particular initiative they’ve put into their spending plan isn’t necessary, or isn’t going to work out, during the course of the next three or four years, Anderson said. “They can reallocate those dollars to other elements of their spending plan.”

One concern that looms large for many providers is the question of what happens in states where the American Rescue Plan funds were distributed through rate increases once March 31 of 2025 finally comes.

“If there’s a rate increase and it was funded with the [American Rescue Plan] funds, will the state go back and roll the rate back?” Anderson said. “That would be terrible, right? We’re paying wages, we’re increasing wages, et cetera. If they roll the rate back, then what do you do? There’s a cliff in this funding that’s coming.”

Anderson is speaking from the experience of operating under states cutting rates.

Nevada, for example, has been tricky for Medicaid-reimbursed providers to navigate. In fact, Addus left the state in 2020, in part, due to a 6% Medicaid rate cut.

Ultimately, home-based care stakeholders, including Addus, have been pushing for Congress to make additional investment into HCBS.

“I know the Build Back Better Act is dead, but there’s still a lot of bipartisan support for investments in HCBS, through whatever reconciliation bill may or may not get introduced,” Anderson said. “That’s what we’re fighting for now. It’s going to leave a hole in state budgets, from the 10% investments that they’ve been making, and we need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

The post While Grateful for ARPA Funding Extension, HCBS Providers Worry About Long-Term Implications  appeared first on Home Health Care News.

From his perspective, Right at Home President and CEO Brian Petranick is optimistic about what the labor climate will look like in 2022.

Founded in 1995, the Omaha, Nebraska-based Right at Home offers in-home care to seniors and adults with disabilities across its more than 600 franchise locations in the U.S. and seven other countries.

“We’re starting to see caregivers coming back. We’re starting to see the number of applications increasing broadly across the system,” Petranick said at the Home Health Care News Home Care Conference. “We’re seeing some positive, we’ll call it, leading indicators. It looks like we’re starting to break this cycle.”

On the flip side, Jennifer Sheets, president and CEO of Caring Brands International and Interim HealthCare, believes next year will likely be even tougher for providers on the staffing front.

“The reality is there are more and more people coming into the need for our care, with less and less people to provide the care,” she said during the event. “I think a lot of that’s also going to depend on what happens at the federal and the state level.”

Based in Sunrise, Florida, and a part of Caring Brands National, Interim is a franchise that provides home health, hospice, palliative care and other services across over 330 locations in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.

At Interim, roughly 50% of referrals have been left on the table due to staffing shortages, according to Sheets.

“We provide 500,000 people care every single year, so how many more need care if we’re saying no to 50%,” she said.

New buyers coming in

Apart from staffing, dealmaking activity played a major role in shaping home care this year. A number of larger franchise organizations were acquired, and this will likely continue next year, according to Petranick.

“There’s a lot of really smart people that are looking at this industry from the outside in, so to speak, and they’re seeing all the drivers and seeing the runway ahead,” he said. “We’re going to continue to see a lot of M&A activity. We’ll probably see more strategic buyers, at some point, enter into the marketplace.”

One notable example of this is Advocate Aurora Enterprises’ acquisition of Senior Helpers in April. Advocate Aurora Enterprises is a subsidiary of Midwest-based Advocate Aurora Health, one of the 12 largest not-for-profit, integrated health systems in the U.S.

Still, there are potential downsides to more buyers entering the market, according to Sheets.

“We’ve also got a lot of investors that have never invested in health care before, … and I think there’s good and bad to that,” she said. “What I worry about is people coming into our space who don’t understand that it’s a people business, that can actually degrade our reputation as an industry.”

As the year continues to wind down, Right at Home and Interim are looking ahead to 2022 and keeping a close eye on potential trends, challenges and opportunities. With this in mind, finding solutions for labor market issues will continue to be a significant focus, according to Petranick.

“We’re seeing right now, with this labor market, the pandemic has pulled back the curtain, so to speak, and given us a preview for the future,” he said. “We know that there are labor shortages predicted for five, 10 years down the line.”

Similarly, recruiting and expanding the workforce will be a major priority at Interim. The company will also be focusing its efforts on advocacy.

“If we could figure out how to bring the voices together in this industry, we would be the strongest [advocates],” Sheets said. “Often, all of our groups aren’t on the same page or taking a bold stand. I think we have to keep fighting at the federal level and the state level because [home care is] the lowest cost setting with the highest quality. It’s where 90% of the people want to be.”

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