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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Los Angeles-based Heal has raised $20 million in venture funding, bringing the med-tech startup’s total capital raised to more than $69 million.

Heal and its digital platforms assist patients in booking physician house calls, often for urgent care and routine illness visits. Heal has helped deliver more than 60,000 house calls since launching in 2015. In-home physician visits coordinated through Heal typically last for longer durations, according to the company.

The startup recently expanded its coverage area to include Sacramento and the Inland Empire and is now available to more than 70% of California residents. It’s also available to residents in Washington D.C. and northern Virginia. The company is an in-network provider with PPO insurance plans from from Blue Shield of California, Health Net, Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, CareFirst and other insurance companies.

New funding comes from Bascom Ventures, Inflection Capital, IRA Capital, RLJ Equity Partners and Trans-Pacific Technology Fund, among other sources. Heal will use the additional funds to pursue new markets, explore new business models and further advance its technology, according to the company.

In addition to house calls, Heal also currently offers services to coordinate in-home physical therapy and lactation consulting. A spokesperson for Heal told Home Health Care News that it plans to expand into other home-based services in the future.

Assisting Hands Expands to Two New States

Nampa, Idaho-based Assisting Hands Home Care has signed a string of franchise agreements to open new offices in Virginia and Illinois, along with its first locations in Michigan and Massachusetts.

Assisting Hands is a franchise company that offers non-medical companionship and personal care services, in addition to skilled nursing services. Launched in 2006, the franchise company has grown to 108 units across the country, largely using an area representative franchising model.

The new office locations in Virginia and Illinois will be in Arlington and Matteson, respectively. John Benchoff, a two-time cancer survivor, will open the Massachusetts Assisting Hands franchise in Wilmington in June. In Michigan, franchisee Monique Coleman, provide home care services to residents in Clinton Township and the surrounding area, including Detroit, also beginning in June.

Kaizen Health Raises $3.8 Million

Chicago-based Kaizen Health, Inc., has raised $3.8 million in Series A funding.

Kaizen Health is a health care logistics and non-emergency medical transportation technology platform that works with health systems to streamline the process of scheduling transportation for discharges, clinical trials and recurring appointments. The startup—which has national partnerships with Lyft and St. Louis-bsed MTM Inc.—also works with in-home health care providers and senior living communities.

St. Louis-based Lewis & Clark Ventures led Kaizen’s Series A round. Co-investors included MTM Inc., along with Chicago-based groups Ekistic Ventures, Hyde Park Angels and Impact Engine. Global philanthropy organization Acumen also contributed.

The cross-investment between the Chicago startup and the St. Louis fund will allow Kaizen to expand its reach, providing services for more patients and providers, according to the company. Kaizen’s current customer bases are in Illinois and California.

ResMed Acquiring HEALTHCAREfirst

San Diego-based ResMed (NYSE: RMD) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire HEALTHCAREfirst, a privately held cloud-based software and services provider based in Springfield, Missouri. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ResMed is a global tech-driven medical device company that specializes in sleep-disordered breathing and respiratory care. It has about 6,000 employees, while its technology helps provide services to patients in more than 120 countries.

HEALTHCAREfirst provides cloud-based tech and services to improve business and clinical operations for more than 4,000 home health and hospice agencies. Its services include clinical management software, outsourced revenue cycle management services, Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (CAHPS) surveys and, more generally, advanced metrics.

ResMed’s acquisition of HEALTHCAREfirst will complement its existing software solutions offered by Brightree, which ResMed purchased in 2016 for $800 million.

The transaction is expected to be finalized before the close of the first quarter of ResMed’s fiscal year 2019, which ends on Sept. 30.

Written by Robert Holly

The post M&A and Financing Newsflash: Heal Raises $20 Million appeared first on Home Health Care News.

That’s according to data from PHI, a worker advocacy organization focused on the direct care workforce. The organization analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data to produce the fact sheet “Younger Workers and the Direct Care Workforce,” breaking down the demographic profile of this group.

Direct care workers between 18 and 24 years of age are more likely to be living below the poverty line than their older colleagues. Unsurprisingly, they are also much more likely to be enrolled in education, while fewer of them are people of color, immigrants, or women.

The trends suggest some recruitment strategies that home care companies and other long-term care providers should consider to succeed in employing this generation. Doing so could be crucial to overcoming a shortage of caregivers reaching crisis proportions.

Partnering with schools and colleges is a wise move, PHI recommended. In addition, providers should consider linking training programs to guaranteed employment, and offer financial advice on topics such as paying off debt.

Communicating through text message is another tip from PHI. It’s a move that Heritage Senior Living—a Wisconsin-based provider of independent living, assisted living, and memory care—has found effective.

Dallas-based Encompass Health (NYSE: EHC) is a believer in engaging with millennials on social media, particularly via smartphones. Millennials make up 27% of the overall workforce for the company, which has 230 locations across 25 states.

While the PHI stats focused on direct care workers, providers such as Assisting Hands Home Care are also finding success in hiring millennials at the corporate level.

Direct care provider companies are doing a better job than the employers overall in attracting younger workers. People aged 18 to 24 make up about 13% of the entire U.S. labor force, according to the PHI fact sheet.

Written by Tim Mullaney

The post Young Adults Make Up 16% Of Direct Care Workforce appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Wilmington, North Carolina-based Well Care Home Health has appointed Robin Kipple, RN, BSN as its new senior director of population health and clinical integration. Well Care Home Health provides home care and nursing and rehabilitation services to residents throughout the state.

In her new role, Kipple will be in charge of implementing care models and oversee clinical pilot programs, including cardiopulmonary care, wound care and disease management. She will also lead the company in developing new value-based delivery models to foster relationships with local referral sources.

Kipple has 20 years of home health care experience under her belt. Prior to joining the company, she served as director of clinical and practice outcomes for 15 health care locations across three different states, and oversaw roughly 800 clinicians.

PreparedHealth Welcomes Brainch as Chief Marketing Officer

Health care engagement company PreparedHealth has welcomed Iqbal Brainch as its new chief marketing officer.

Prior to joining the team, Brainch served as vice president of marketing and product strategy for risk management and analytics software developer OptionsCity, where he spearheaded the firm’s growth phase.

PreparedHealth is a Chicago-based company that provides an online networking platform, called enTouch, which connects home health agencies and health care systems. The firm recently added Centegra Health System and Encompass Home Health to its platform.

Outside of the firm, Brainch is a current member and former chair of the alumni board of governors at Washington University in St. Louis, and is also involved with the Chicago Board for Camp Kesey, a national organization that supports children with parents battling cancer.

Clayton Fulfills Tech Role for Assisting Hands Home Care

Nampa, Idaho-based Assisting Hands Home Care has added Randon Clayton to the team as its new technology associate.

In his new role, Clayton will be in charge of assisting franchise owners with technology and account support, specializing in updating and maintaining IFX, opening new accounts, as well as helping owners with Facebook, Google Business, e-mail and Assisting Hands University, the company’s proprietary training program.

Clayton has a background in sales and technology. His hiring coincides with the company’s strategic efforts in assisting its franchise owners with technology and account support.

Hogan Steps Up to Executive Chair Role for Medalogix; Wood Named Successor

Health care predictive analytics firm Medalogix has appointed Dan Hogan as executive chairman of the board, with Elliot Wood stepping into the CEO role for the Nashville-based company.

As chairman, Hogan will lead the company’s board of directors and serve as liaison between the board and Medalogix management. He will also focus on building industry relationships to discover new market expansion.

Wood has been with the company since 2013, serving as its senior vice president of products. In his tenure, Wood has been promoted several times and was named president in January. He brings more than a decade of health care technology experience to the firm.

Prior to joining the team, Wood served as senior director of value strategy and informatics for health care mobile technology firm AirStrip Technologies.

Founded in 2012 by Hogan, Medalogix provides analytics, workflow and business intelligence solutions to home health providers.

SCAN Welcomes Two New Medical Directors

Long Beach, California-based SCAN, a Medicare Advantage health insurance plan provider, has welcomed Magda Lenartowicz, MD, and Terrence Offenberger, MD as its new medical directors.

In her new role, Lenartowicz will work with health care services and quality improvement teams at SCAN and oversee clinical programs for the company’s community home service, Independence at Home. Offenberger, on the other hand, will provide clinical direction across SCAN Health Plan staff and contracted  providers.

Lenartowicz specializes in internal medicine and has a fellowship in geriatric medicine and social science, with a focus in gerontology. Prior to joining the company, she founded a home health company and taught gerontology at McMaster University in Canada. She also served as medical director at a geriatric inpatient service in Southern California and continues her clinical work as a hospice and palliative care physician with Rozeroom Hospice.

Offenberger is a board-certified internist and is a fellow at the American College of Physicians. He has served as the Southern California market medical director for United Health Plan, and also held positions at UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser, Anthem Blue Cross and MemorialCare Medical Group.

Miller Appointed VP of Sales for PlayMaker

PlayMaker, a sales platform developer for the post-acute care sector, has added Holly Miller to its team as vice president of sales.

In her new post, Miller will help in developing the company’s growth in providing customers with products and services tailored to their needs.

She brings more than 15 years of health care and technology sales experience. Prior to joining the team, she served as associate vice president of sales at HealthStream, a company that provides workforce development, patient experience and provider solutions for the health care industry.

Emmott Joins Fazzi as VP of Business Development

Home care and hospice consulting firm Fazzi Associates has welcomed Peter Emmott as vice president of business development.

He brings 23 years of experience to the firm, most recently serving as vice president of sales and marketing for McKesson Provider Technologies’ home health and hospice business unit.

In his new role, Emmott will oversee account management and business development, working closely with agencies to promote and deliver Fazzi’s various services.

Jordan Health Welcomes New CFO

Dallas-based home care provider Jordan Health Services has named John Pitts as its new chief financial officer. He succeeds Jeff Bonham, who is shifting into the role of executive vice president of finance and integrations.

Pitts has more than 30 years of experience in the finance industry, with 14 years in health care. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for Lewisville, Texas-based Horizon Health Corporation, where he eventually served as its CFO.

He also served in this role for Varsity Brands, an athletics apparel provider based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Written by Carlo Calma

The post Movers & Shakers: Well Care Home Health, PreparedHealth appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Millennials’ strengths with technology, social media and communications have made them successful in corporate roles at Idaho-based Assisting Hands Home Care, according to the agency’s president and CEO, Lane Kofoed.

“Millennials go right into solving problems with technology,” Kofoed told Home Health Care News. “They know how to stay in touch and how to keep our brand looking updated and fresh with social media.”

While some home health agencies have had great success in hiring millennials to caregiver roles, Kofoed has not found this to be the best fit within his company, which serves more than 99 franchised territories in 16 states across the U.S. and one Canadian province.

However, when it comes to filling positions in the corporate office, specifically technology roles, millennials have brought problem-solving skills and new ideas to the table.

One such idea was developing a tool for the company’s website and social media pages to generate positive reviews. Having grown up in an environment where it was easy to go online and get other consumers’ opinions on products, millennials understand how positive reviews can validate and promote a company.

“The millennials in our office don’t buy things unless they read what others said about it first,” Kofoed said. “And now, millennial consumers are teaching their parents and grandparents more and more that reviews are important.”

So how does a home care company bring strong millennial candidates into its corporate offices? Kofoed says that he considers whether the potential hire has a degree, checks sources from previous jobs, and makes sure to set expectations in the interview.

Once Kofoed had a few millennials in place in his corporate office, he found that word-of-mouth hiring picked up.

“Pre-millennials, we were doing more traditional recruiting, such as through Craigslist ads,” Kofoed said. “Now, our millennial employees bring in new millennials through social interactions.”

Millennials are also good at spotting needs within the company and recommending solutions, according to Kofoed. The company has added a social media specialist and internal systems specialist recently.

“In the past, I’ve been wary of millennials and questioned whether they would be reliable,” he said. “But I have strong millennial team members now who I have promoted quickly because of the skills that they brought to the job right away.”

Written by Elizabeth Jakaitis

The post Millennials Solve Corporate Needs in Home Care appeared first on Home Health Care News.

The 2017 roundup featured a total of 22 in-home care providers, up from 13 last year. This stronger presence should come as no surprise, as M&A activity for the industry remains strong, and as agencies continue to explore the opportunities that come with franchising.

In its 36th year, the Inc. 5000 list is ranked according to a company’s percentage revenue growth between 2013 to 2016. The fastest-growing private companies come from 25 different industries, ranging from construction to education, to travel and health.

The following in-home care providers were included in the 2017 list:

#206 — NuevaCare

#404 — Blossom Ridge Home Health & Hospice

#439 — Virginia Home Care Services

#642 — Genova Health

#672 — Best Home Healthcare Network

#1226 — Innovative Homecare Solutions

#1283 — Northwest Healthcare

#1387 — Great Lakes Caring

#1556 — Capitol Home Health

#1844 — Home Care Assistance

#1925 — Sunny Days In-Home Care

#2143 — FirstLight Home Care Franchising

#2480 — Total Care Connections

#2546 — Compassus

#2773 — Assisting Hands Home Care

#2938 — Beech Medical Group

#3125 — 24Hr HomeCare

#3396 — Senior1Care

#3931 — People’s Care

#4123 — Lifesprk

#4167 — SYNERGY Home Care

#4182 — Lifematters

Clinching the top spot for the industry is San Mateo, California-based NuevaCare, at #206. The company posted a revenue of $2.2 million in 2016, experiencing a three-year growth of 2,103%, according to Inc.

CEO Kamran Nasser calls the distinction a “monumental achievement” for the company.

“I contribute this success to our innovative programs and dedicated staff and caregivers who work tirelessly every day to care for the elderly and those dealing with the challenges of diseases like Alzheimer’s and different types of dementia,” Nasser said in a press release.

Rounding out the top three of the fastest-growing agencies are Sacramento, California-based Blossom Ridge Home Health & Hospice, at #404, which posted a three-year growth of 1,083%; and Vienna, Virginia-based Virginia Home Care Services, at #439, which experienced a three-year growth of 1,003%.

Jeff Bevis, CEO of FirstLight Home Care—which came in at #2143—attributes the company’s growth to the “booming senior care industry,” and its strategy. Since opening its first franchise location in 2010, the company has grown its footprint to more than 240 locations across 33 states.

“We know our franchisees’ commitment to providing dedicated service is integral to our continued growth as a company, and to being included on this prestigious list,” said Bevis in a press release.

Some agencies are no stranger to the list, as some have been listed in Inc.’s honor roll as being a “Five-Time Inc. 5000 Honoree.” These agencies include: Jackson, Michigan-based Great Lakes Caring; San Francisco-based Home Care Assistance; El Segundo, California-based 24HR HomeCare; Mishawaka, Indiana-based Senior1Care; Chino Hills, California-based People’s Care; and Silver Spring, Maryland-based Lifematters.

All honorees featured will be recognized at the annual Inc. 5000 event in October in Palm Desert, California.

Written by Carlo Calma

The post NuevaCare Leads Industry Among Fastest-Growing Agencies appeared first on Home Health Care News.

With a minimum investment of under $100,000, 80 brands made the publication’s Top Low-Cost Franchise list, including several home care companies. The list narrowed down franchisee satisfaction survey data from 13,000 franchisees representing 123 brands, collected between October 2015 and April 2017.

Here are the top low-cost home care franchises that made the cut, as ranked by franchisees:

—Assisting Hands. With 117 total units, Idaho-based Assisting Hands Home Care is a non-medical in-home care services franchisor. The startup investment ranges from $70,550 to $147,500, with a $38,500 cash requirement.

—FirstLight HomeCare. Cincinnati-based franchise company FirstLight HomeCare has 232 locations in 32 states. Its startup investment ranges between $95,156 and $140,734, with a cash requirement of $65,000. The company opened its first location in 2009. The company also offers a discount for veterans looking to open a franchise.

—Senior Care Authority. While not a home care provider, Senior Care Authority is a senior placement services company that helps seniors and families find care options, including in-home care. The company has 38 total units and a startup investment of $52,350 to $78,150. The cash requirement for a franchise if $50,000.

—Visiting Angels. One of the nation’s larger home care franchise companies, Visiting Angels has 546 total units. Its startup investment ranges between $67,935 and $92,685, with a cash requirement of $40,950 to $48,950. The company has been previously ranked No. 1 of All Senior Care Franchises in a franchisee satisfaction survey by Franchise Business Review. It was also recently ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the fastest-growing franchises in America.

Written by Amy Baxter

The post Home Care Makes Low-Cost Franchise List appeared first on Home Health Care News.

The companies that made the cut include Assisting Hands Home Care, FirstLight HomeCare, Home Instead Senior Care and Visiting Angels, according to Franchise Business Review’s Top 50 Franchises for Women in 2017.

There were 300 franchise brands in the running for the list as well as 6,400 female franchise owners who participated in the research for the list.

The companies were chosen based on owners’ responses to 33 benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding critical areas of their franchise systems. Some of these areas included leadership, training and support, financial opportunity and work/life balance.

“The franchise industry provides many options to women seeking business ownership on a full- or part-time basis in multiple sectors,” Michelle Rowan, president of Franchise Business Review, said in a press release. “The number of franchise opportunities can be overwhelming, so it’s critical to examine feedback from other female franchise owners on how well the franchise meets their expectations regarding support, work/life balance, financial opportunity, and other key areas of business ownership.”

For FirstLight Home Care in particular, this is not its first recognition. The franchise was named to the Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 as well as the Franchise Times Top 200+ list 2016 and was number 21 on the Inc. 5000 ranking.

“We pride ourselves on maintaining gender equality and diversity throughout our franchise community, and this valued reward is just another sign that we are building our company in the best possible ways,” Jeff Bevis, FirstLight Home Care CEO, said in the press release. “Our female franchisees exhibit the passion and discipline that make them excellent leaders and owners.”

Women owners were also found to be extremely satisfied leading franchises, the survey by Franchise Business Review found:

• 90% of female franchise owners surveyed enjoy operating their business
• 88% enjoy being part of their organization
• 85% would recommend their franchise brand to others
• 84% of owners respect their franchisor
• 80% of owners believe their franchisor acts with a high level of integrity

See the full list of the Top 50 Franchises for Women in 2017.

Written by Alana Stramowski

The post Four Home Care Franchises Named Best for Women Entrepreneurs appeared first on Home Health Care News.