Advertise on podcast: Home Health Revealed (+Palliative and Hospice)

A box of donuts might be remembered for a day. A referral relationship takes a lot more work. In this episode of Home Health Revealed, Hannah Vale talks with John Dalton, founder and president of Optimum RTS, about what helps home health sales teams earn trust and grow. John shares how reps can help referral sources recognize the right patient, ask better questions, follow through on what they promise, and confidently ask for the referral. They also get into the leadership side of sales: hiring and coaching reps, planning territories, measuring conversations that move business forward, and building a culture where sales and clinical teams can work together. If your team is busy making calls but you’re unsure which activities are leading somewhere, this conversation is for you. Chapters (00:00:02) - Introduction of John Dalton(00:01:05) - Why Donuts and Lunches Don't Build Referral Relationships(00:03:20) - Painting the Picture: Identifying the Right Patient(00:06:50) - What Sales Reps Really Need to Know(00:09:58) - Thinking on Your Feet and Hiring Fresh Talent(00:13:56) - Asking for the Referral and Consultative Selling(00:16:16) - Circle Marketing: The Dr. P Story(00:19:33) - Building Trust Through Listening and Questions(00:21:26) - Interviewing and Onboarding Salespeople(00:25:19) - Sales Metrics: Calls, Meetings, and Referrals(00:27:18) - Territory Management and Avoiding the Jellyfish Approach(00:34:00) - Compensation Structure and Salary Benchmarks(00:37:20) - Separating Clinical, Sales, and Operational Leadership(00:39:58) - Building Company Culture Through Employee Benefits(00:44:25) - Optimum RTS Offerings and Sales Boot Camp(00:46:03) - Who the Boot Camp Serves and Closing Thoughts

Your managed care contract called. It might be time for a raise. In this episode, Hannah is joined by Joe Russell, founder and CEO of YieldHealth, to unpack what home health agencies need to know about managed care contracts, payer negotiations, and the revenue (or terms) that may be hiding in plain sight. Joe explains why agencies are often underpaid by contract, not by accident, and why a payment is not necessarily the same thing as the right payment. They discuss how outdated rates, missed escalators, auto-renewals, underpayments, denials, and administrative requirements can quietly reduce an agency’s actual margin. You’ll learn: • The difference between your contracted rate and your realized rate • What to review first in your managed care contracts • How to build leverage before approaching a payer • Which quality and operational metrics matter during negotiations • Why smaller agencies can win through better terms, timing, and proof • How clinically integrated networks can give providers greater collective power If your managed care contracts have been sitting untouched for years, consider this your reminder to pull them out, check the dates, and do the math. Chapters (00:00:02) - Introduction and Guest Background(00:01:22) - Founding Yield Health(00:03:22) - Dog Talk and Personal Updates(00:04:59) - Denials, Authorizations, and Underpayment Roots(00:08:18) - When to Pursue Managed Care Contracts(00:10:49) - Data Providers Need for Negotiations(00:13:16) - Understanding Your Realized Rate vs Contracted Rate(00:14:53) - What to Review First in Your Contract(00:18:02) - Contract Terms: Escalators, Notice Windows, and Timely Filing(00:21:22) - Recoupment Timelines and Payment Delays(00:22:49) - Payers Playing Games and Power in Numbers(00:26:13) - Industry Shifts Toward Value-Based Care(00:30:43) - Where Provider Leverage Really Comes From(00:35:22) - Quality Metrics as Currency and Timing Strategy(00:37:38) - Payer Strategy: Regional vs National Plans(00:39:22) - What Yield Health Offers Clients(00:44:41) - Clinically Integrated Networks and Contact Info

What is the biggest problems inside your organization aren't the ones you can see?  In this episode of Home Health Revealed, Hannah Vale sits down with Chris Taylor, author of The Corporate Cure, to talk about the hidden issues that can quietly undermine culture, leadership, accountability, and performance.  Chris brings more than 30 years of executive leadership, operational, sales, and consultative experience to his approach, including his C.U.R.E.S. framework: Clarity, Unity, Readiness, Execution, and Sustainability. His personal story and approach to helping organizations diagnose what's broken is helping agencies build what lasts.  Hannah and Chris dive into some uncomfortable, and important leadership questions:  What are the warning signs that an organization is becoming unhealth?  How can leaders distinguish healthy accountability from fear-based leadership? Which part of organizational health do leaders most often underestimate?  Whether you're a CEO, executive, healthcare leader, or someone working in a team, this conversation will challenge you to look beneath the symptoms and ask a better question: What's really going on inside your organization?  Learn more a bout The Corporate Cure and Chris Taylor: https://taylordgrowth.com/the-corporate-cure Home Health Revealed,  hosted by HealthRev Partners.

Hospice providers are facing more scrutiny than ever—and audit readiness can no longer be treated as an occasional compliance project. In this episode, Hannah is joined by Annette Lee of Provider Insights to unpack what today’s hospice leaders need to know about audits, denials, documentation, and compliance. They explore common operational breakdowns, the growing importance of a culture of compliance, and why audit readiness should extend across the entire organization—from sales and intake to clinical teams, IDG, billing, and leadership. Annette also shares the metrics and risk indicators hospices should be watching, how stronger processes can help agencies move from reactive to proactive, and why good patient care and strong compliance ultimately go hand in hand. Amid increased oversight and changing regulations, the conversation comes back to what matters most: delivering the best possible care to patients and families while building an organization that is ready for whatever comes next. Chapters (00:00:02) - Home Health Revealed: Palliative Care and Regulatory Issues(00:00:39) - Palliative Care: The Middle Child Syndrome(00:01:15) - Hospice Audit Threats(00:05:25) - Hospice Adherence to the Code(00:10:06) - Hospice Board of Directors: Top 3 Denials(00:17:46) - Questions about medications in hospice care(00:21:11) - Palliative Care in Home Health, Compliance(00:24:58) - Hospice leadership on palliative care(00:33:28) - Home Health and Hospice: A Positive Message(00:35:04) - Hospice Leaders on Business(00:37:12) - Hospice Compliance: Annette Lee

Palliative care has been hanging out in the gray area of healthcare for a long time. CMS may finally be ready to do something about it. In this episode of Home Health Revealed, Hannah sits down with Annette Lee of Provider Insights to unpack what the proposed rule could mean for home health agencies, and why the details matter. They get into the big questions around medical necessity, documentation, quality measures, and whether palliative care could become the bridge between home health and hospice that patients actually need. They also talk about something that matters just as much as the policy: the patient. What if we stopped measuring palliative care by whether someone can walk farther and started paying more attention to whether they're comfortable, supported, and able to stay where they want to be? CMS is asking for feedback. Annette has some thoughts. And yes, you probably should too. Want to dig into the details? Read the CY 2027 Home Health Proposed Ruler here! Chapters (00:00:03) - Home Health Revealed: Palliative Care Proposal(00:00:48) - Annette Lee on CMS and the Home Health and Hospice Care(00:01:59) - MS: What Can We Do Different About Palliative Care?(00:05:17) - CMS Proposed Rule on Palliative Care RNs(00:10:00) - Are home health and palliative care compatible?(00:20:22) - Palliative Care in Home Health(00:27:19) - Palliative Health Care Comment(00:35:37) - On the Need to Be More Vocal(00:37:05) - Annette Lee on Provider Insights

Every patient has a different definition of what matters most. The challenge is making sure their care reflects it. In this episode of Home Health Revealed, Hannah Vale sits down with Raianne Melton, Senior Director of Clinical Services at Axxess, to discuss the Age-Friendly Care framework and how it helps home health and hospice providers deliver more personalized, patient-centered care. Drawing from both her clinical expertise and her own personal health journey, Raianne shares why understanding a patient's priorities can change the entire care experience. Together, Hannah and Raianne explore the four pillars of Age-Friendly Care: What Matters Most, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. They also discuss practical ways agencies can incorporate these principles into everyday care, improve patient engagement, support quality outcomes, and strengthen collaboration across care teams. Whether you're a clinical leader, agency executive, compliance professional, or frontline clinician, this conversation offers practical ideas for putting patients at the center of every care decision. Chapters (00:00:03) - Hospice and Palliative Care Leader Raeanne Melton(00:01:44) - Honorizing the Seafood Industry(00:02:51) - Americans talk about the time change(00:05:52) - One Woman's Fight Against Breast Cancer(00:10:05) - Hospice Care's 4M Age Friendly Care(00:13:23) - Age-Friendly Care: The 4M's(00:23:00) - Palliative Hospice CAHPS Survey(00:30:51) - Hospice and Home Health: What We Need to Do to(00:38:44) - Home Health Leaders on the Hospice Conference(00:43:24) - Ray Melton on the Future of Hospice Care

Patients are coming home from the hospital sooner, sicker, and with more complex needs than ever before. For home health agencies, that shift is changing everything from clinical workflows and documentation to staffing, caregiver support, and revenue cycle performance. In this episode of Home Health Revealed, Hannah Vale sits down with Rachel Trombly, Director of Clinical Services at Mosai, to discuss what higher-acuity care really means for today's home health providers. Together, they explore how agencies can move from reactive to proactive care through stronger risk stratification, better care coordination, more meaningful documentation, and empowered caregivers. Tune in to learn: Why patient acuity is increasing—and what it means for your agency How documentation can better capture patient complexity The critical role caregivers play in preventing rehospitalizations Why risk stratification is becoming essential for operational success How agency leaders can better support clinicians while improving quality and financial performance Whether you're a clinician, operational leader, or revenue cycle professional, this conversation offers practical strategies to help your agency adapt to the new reality of higher-acuity home health. Access Rachel's recently published a blog, "Why Risk Stratification Is Becoming Essential Amid Staffing Shortages in Home-Based Care" which expands on many of the themes discussed in the interview: www.mosai.com/blog/why-risk-stratification-is-becoming-essential-amid-staffing-shortages-in-home-based-care Chapters (00:00:03) - Home Health Revealed: The Shift towards higher-acuity patients(00:01:39) - Interviews with Home Health Agency Executives(00:02:50) - Home Health Care: Higher Acuity in the Home(00:04:39) - Home Health Care: Complex Care Needs(00:08:12) - OASIS 12, Documentation(00:10:56) - What are the biggest gaps or risks when agencies are managing higher ac(00:13:27) - The Plan of Care for High-Acuity Patients(00:15:59) - Caregiver-centered care(00:22:35) - What are the biggest drivers of home health hospitalizations?(00:25:53) - Capacity planning for complex patients(00:30:11) - How to better support complex cardiac patients?(00:37:36) - What's the One Thing Home Health Companies Need to Do to Man(00:39:53) - Interviews with Mosay On Home Based Care

In this episode, we break down the CMS nationwide six-month moratorium on new home health agency and hospice Medicare enrollments—effective May 13, 2026—and what it means for your agency, your growth plans, and your revenue cycle. We’ll cover exactly what the moratorium blocks (new enrollments, certain ownership changes, branch and practice location expansions), what it does not block (existing provider operations, billing, and routine compliance), and why agencies are seeing intensified scrutiny through targeted investigations and advanced analytics during this period. You’ll get a clear action plan for how to respond.  This episode is designed for home health and hospice leaders, RCM specialists, compliance officers, and operations teams who need practical, compliance-focused guidance to stay ahead of the rules. Whether you’re planning acquisitions, branch expansions, or ownership changes, this conversation will help you make smarter decisions and keep your agency operating with excellence during a period of heightened regulatory pressure. Want to be audit ready? Check out healthrevpartners.com to learn about coding, OASIS review, and RCM services.  Chapters (00:00:03) - CMS Home Health and Hospice Moratorium

Revenue cycle management has long been a cornerstone of financial success in home health, but what if there was a way to connect revenue, capacity, margin, and cash flow into one complete picture? In this episode of Home Health Revealed, host Hannah Vale sits down with Victoria Kuklina and Alex Shekaroff, founders of Fin Health Inc., to discuss the emerging concept of Profit Cycle Management (PCM). Drawing from decades of experience in healthcare finance, operations, and technology, Victoria Kuklina and Alex Shekaroff explain how PCM helps agencies move beyond measuring performance to understanding the drivers behind it. Together, they explore how home health organizations can gain greater visibility into their financial operations, identify hidden revenue and profit leakage, improve accountability across departments, and make more informed decisions about growth, staffing, and cash flow. They also share the story behind Fin Health Inc. and how their platform is helping agencies turn complex data into actionable insights. Whether you're focused on financial stability, operational efficiency, or sustainable growth, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on what it takes to build a stronger healthcare organization in today's evolving landscape. Home Health Revealed is proudly hosted by HealthRev Partners- your tech-enabled, people-led revenue cycle management partner! Chapters (00:00:03) - Pcm: Profit Cycle Management in Home Care(00:01:11) - Victoria and Alex's Personal Capital Management(00:05:01) - Profit Cycle Management(00:09:35) - FinHealth Agency's Profit Cycle Management Platform(00:13:27) - Pricing and Accountability in Home Healthcare(00:16:15) - Finn Health's Home Health Innovation

Dementia care requires more than clinical expertise, it requires understanding, patience, and the right approach. In this episode of Home Health Revealed, we sit down with Jessica Iorio, VP of Hospice Operations, and Lauren Adams, Dementia Care Coordinator for the LTM Group, to discuss how specialized dementia education is transforming care for patients, families, and clinicians alike. From recognizing subtle signs of decline to improving communication techniques and supporting caregivers through every stage of the journey, Jessica and Lauren share practical insights on what it takes to provide compassionate, person-centered dementia care. They also explore how training programs like Dementia Live help caregivers see the world through the eyes of those living with dementia, leading to better outcomes and more meaningful connections. Tune in to learn why creating confidence in dementia care is essential as more families and healthcare providers navigate the growing impact of dementia across the continuum of care. Chapters (00:00:03) - Home Health Revealed: Dementia Care(00:08:29) - How to Prepare for the Care of a Dementian Person(00:11:47) - Dementia Care Talk

What does it take to grow a home health and hospice organization from a startup into a thriving, multi-location agency? In this episode of Home Health Revealed, Greg Davis, Owner and President of Business Operations at Patriot at Home, shares the story behind the agency’s growth journey, from humble beginnings and early business failures to strategic expansion, acquisitions, and long-term planning. Greg discusses the role of grit, leadership, and continuous learning in building a sustainable organization, along with lessons learned from scaling quickly, navigating acquisitions, empowering leaders, and adapting to industry change. He also shares insights on leveraging technology, strengthening operational infrastructure, and preparing for the future of home-based care. Whether you're leading a growing agency or planning your next stage of expansion, this conversation offers practical insights on what it takes to scale through growth and grit. Chapters (00:00:03) - Home Health Revealed: Growing Patriot Home(00:04:02) - Exclusives: New Things Next Year(00:08:27) - Leadership in the COVID Era(00:10:20) - Ohio Council on Home Health

Home health value-based purchasing continues to be one of the most important topics shaping agency performance, reimbursement, and patient outcomes. In this episode, Katie Eisel, Director of Payer Relations for the Ohio Community at Home Network (OCHN), joins the podcast to break down HHVBP in a practical, easy-to-understand way. Katie shares how agencies can simplify complex performance reports, engage clinicians in improvement efforts, and focus on the measures that have the greatest impact on results. The conversation explores the connection between clinician actions and HHVBP scores, strategies for improving OASIS-based measures and hospitalization outcomes, the role of HHCAHPS in overall performance, and why patient experience remains a critical piece of long-term success. Katie also discusses the differences between star ratings and HHVBP, common opportunities agencies overlook, and how organizations can build a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Whether you are a clinical leader, executive, or operations professional, this episode offers practical insights to help your agency better understand HHVBP and turn performance data into meaningful action. Chapters (00:00:03) - What Do Home Health Value Based Purchases Need to Know?(00:05:35) - Home Health Value Based Purchasing, Star Ratings(00:08:05) - HHSCAHPS: Value Based Purchasing(00:16:08) - Face-to-Face Care(00:18:33) - Ohio Community at Home Network (OCHN)(00:24:40) - Where can somebody find out about the OCHN?

In this episode of Home Health Revealed, we sit down with Hope Mulliken, Help Desk Coordinator at the Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice (OCHCH), to talk about what’s really happening behind the scenes in home health operations today. From Medicaid and Medicare changes to rising denials, authorization delays, and audit pressure, Hope breaks down the challenges agencies are facing right now and why things continue to get more complex. We also explore the OCHCH Help Desk, where Hope supports both member agencies and the community with questions ranging from EVV and OASIS issues to appeals, compliance, and operational challenges. During the conversation, we affectionately refer to it as the “Hope Desk,” a nickname that stuck thanks to Hope’s name and the fact that she’s often the go-to for agency questions. Finally, we discuss defensible documentation, why every visit note needs to tell a complete clinical story, and how agencies can better protect themselves in today’s regulatory environment. Chapters (00:00:03) - Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice Help Desk(00:02:19) - Medicare and Medicaid: How to manage both of your patients'(00:06:39) - What is the top question you get at the help desk?(00:07:26) - Face to Face for Care(00:09:04) - Visit Notes(00:11:03) - Home and Community Based Nursing Program

In this episode of Home Health Revealed, we sit down with Victoria Barkin, Regional Director of Operations for Home Health at National Church Residences, to talk about what it really means to create a true continuum of care. Too often, care is delivered in silos. But patients don’t experience it that way. Victoria shares real-world stories that highlight the gaps that can happen between settings and what it takes operationally and clinically to close them. From navigating complex discharges without an established physician to quickly transitioning a patient to hospice and avoiding an unnecessary hospitalization, this conversation brings the concept of “continuity” to life. We also dig into the role of relationships, both within an organization and across the community, and why having the right connections in place can make all the difference for patients and their caregivers. Whether your organization offers a full continuum of services or relies on trusted partners, this episode explores how home health leaders can better support patients through every stage of care. Chapters (00:00:03) - What's the Core of Home Health?(00:02:34) - Home Health for the Complex Patient(00:06:52) - OCCAS 2017(00:07:31) - Och-Care Ohio Association annual meeting

In this episode of Home Health Revealed, we sit down with Mecca Abdul-Aziz, owner of E&M Home Care in Columbus, Ohio, to hear the real story behind building a home care agency from the ground up. Mecca shares how a career shift from marketing and education, paired with a sudden layoff and a growing desire to build something of her own, led her into the home care space. With no prior experience running an agency, she walked through licensing, landing her first client, and quickly realizing what it means to build a business while you are actively learning how to run it. We also talk about the realities that come with growth: hiring caregivers, defining culture, balancing faith and family, and leading with purpose when every decision carries weight. Mecca reflects on what it means to build a mission-driven agency, the importance of trust in home care, and how she thinks about legacy and long-term impact for her family and community. This is a grounded conversation about starting from scratch, learning in real time, and building something meaningful while you are still in motion. Chapters (00:00:03) - How to Start a Home Care Business at 23(00:02:56) - Caregiving as a Step-by-Step Process(00:07:00) - Non-RN Families: Building a Legacy(00:11:13) - OCH Networking Event