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#46 There’s more to private pay rates than most people think. Jesse Walters, CEO of Hillendale Home Care, shares what it’s like to operate as both a low-cost provider and a premium provider—and the challenges that come with each. Jesse walks through acquiring Hillendale, scaling the business by 600% in just three years, and how pricing decisions impacted competition, staffing, and continuity of care along the way. He also discusses opening multiple de novo offices in his California market—by the way, de novo means starting from the beginning—and what that taught him about rates as a long-term strategy, not just a short-term revenue lever. Jesse Walters on [email protected]://hillendalehomecare.com/ About HillendaleHillendale Home Care provides trusted, relationship-based in-home care for older adults throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, serving Contra Costa, Alameda, Sonoma, Santa Clara, and San Mateo Counties. The agency offers personalized support designed to help seniors live safely and comfortably at home, including companionship, personal care, dementia care, and assistance with daily living. Hillendale is known for its thoughtful caregiver matching, high standards of care, and deep commitment to the local communities it serves. Sponsors: Phoebe.workMertzTaggart.com 

#45 In the past 6-12 months, AI has gone from interesting and useful to reliable and effective. Dave Dworschak from Phoebe explains what that actually means for operators. It’s not a replacement for people, but a teammate that takes repetitive work off administrator’s plates. Dave breaks down three real scheduling workflows where AI is already being used today: last-minute call-out outreach, proactive shift confirmation, and missed clock-in and clock-out cleanup. Tasks that used to take schedulers 1.5 to 2 hours are now being handled in under 15 minutes. We focus on how agencies can integrate AI into their existing systems, workflows, and culture to reduce constraints, protect revenue, and give teams their time back without adding headcount. Dave Dworschak on [email protected] PhoebeHow Phoebe cut down missed shifts by 75%  If you're interested in learning more about Lab Partners—email me at [email protected]. 

#44 Nick Provost started in home care as a teenager at his family’s business and has now spent his entire adult life working his way up in home care, eventually stepping into his current leadership role at Gratitude Homecare in New Jersey. The core of his care philosophy is: every family should look back and say working with us was “the best money we ever spent.” We dig into the reality of private-pay business development in home care and the two hats every great BD leader must wear: building referral relationships and converting those referrals into clients. Nick had no formal sales training, but he explains how active listening, being a true resource, and deep industry knowledge have helped him thrive in a highly competitive market. He breaks down what’s working with his top referral accounts, how he asks for and earns business, and the feedback loops that keep referrals coming back consistently. Nick Provost on [email protected] Gratitude Homecare Sponsors: Mertz TaggartHelper Heroes

#43 - He’s scaled Sunny Days In-Home Care to more than 37,000 hours of care each week across five offices through a mix of organic growth and acquisitions. In this episode, CEO John Bennett breaks down exactly how he’s centralized his back office, structured his org chart, and defined a clear set of North Star KPIs. He shares why hours—not revenue—drive alignment across the organization, how shift coverage acts as a real-time pulse check on culture, and how RACI thinking brings clarity as teams grow. John also walks through the challenge of getting buy-in during periods of change, especially when roles evolve and specialization increases. And he shares the teams' simple but powerful focus: maximizing the “hours of good” they delivers to individuals and families who need care most. John Bennett on [email protected] Sunny Days In-home Care Sponsors: Mert TaggartPhoebe—10% off, mention the Lab

#42 He grew the business impressively for five years, exited daily operations, and then things didn’t go as planned. Justin Currie, CEO of Thema Home Care opens up about what happened after he stepped away, the people and process issues he discovered, and how he ultimately tuned the business around. He gets detailed and prescriptive on people in the wrong seats, processes not being followed, hard decisions and conversations he had to have, and the results of re-engaging in daily operations. He also shares an exciting update about partnering with the American Health at Home fund to expand his business and open new doors for accelerated growth.  Justin Currie on [email protected] Home CareAmerican Health at Home Sponsors: Helper Heroes—virtual assistants trained for home care operationsPhoebe—AI scheduling assistant for call-out coverage, shift confirmation, clock in/out reminders, and more

#41 Lawyers. Home Care. California. Need we say more… I sat down with Angelo Spinola, ‘the lawyer of home care’, shareholder at Poslinelli, and one of his clients, Yazmin Hamilton, VP of Compliance at industry giant, 24 Hour Home Care. Angelo talks about audit pitfalls, misunderstood regulations, when to bring in outside counsel, and how to be proactive before it’s too late. Yazmin breaks down her 20-person compliance team, what they’re focused on, how they operate, and lessons learned scaling across states, services, and payor sources. These two keep what could be a dry legal episode, fresh with stories and frameworks applicable to any home care business.   Angelo Spinola on LinkedInPolsinelli: Home Health, Home Care & HospicePOSH: Polsinelli Online Solutions for Home CareYazmin Hamilton on LinkedIn24 Hour Home Care Sponsors: Phoebe—AI assistant for scheduling communicationAcrisure—leading insurance broker for home care

#40 A $5M home care company can have upwards of 300-500 communication touch points in a single day. It’s not uncommon for an agency to be using 8-12 tech tools and for caregivers to interphase with 3-5 every week. Technology often feels like the root of many issues, even turnover, but often times it’s actually the integration and implementation of these tools. Denise DiSano, the Founder and CEO of enCappture breaks down her 3 C’s framework to analyze and improve your tech selection, adoption, and consolidation.  Denise DiSano on [email protected] websitePDF: Caregiver Retention Day 1 Checklist Sponsors: Helper HeroesSmartAutomations.Care

#39 Melissa Morante didn’t come from home care—she came from New York PR—but since joining her family’s agency in 2016, she’s become one of South Florida’s go-to experts on Parkinson’s and chronic illness care. In this episode, she shares how that deep dive into Parkinson’s led to her building a network of support groups that now serve hundreds of families looking for education, community, and relief from caregiver burnout. We talk about what it really takes to run effective support groups, why consistency matters more than structure, where she hosts these groups, and how these gatherings have become one of the agency’s most meaningful differentiators. Melissa also opens up about the challenges and the opportunities ahead as they expand into other chronic illnesses and community partnerships.  Melissa Morante on LinkedInComForCare Palm BeachAmerican Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA)Parkinson’s FoundationMichael J Fox FoundationPMD Alliance Episode brought to you by:SmartAutomations.Care smartautomations.careHelper Heroes helperheroes.com

Live @ HCAOA—20-minute conversation with Clayton Foutch, CEO of Home Matters Caregiving Clayton Foutch on LinkedInHome Matters CaregivingHome Matters started as a family business in 2007, franchised in 2020, and now has 39 locations nationwide.Built on a nurse-guided, innovation-focused model shaped by Clayton’s engineering background.Traditional care mainly serves the top 5% who can afford $10–30K/month, leaving a huge access and labor gap.The team has reviewed ~40 emerging technologies and formally tested several to close these gaps.Passive tech matters most—anything clients must wear, charge, or interact with quickly fails.Sensi leads in audio-based passive monitoring, but roughly 25% of clients still resist it.Operators must shift from reactive to proactive care models using tech to prevent incidents.Agencies can partner with discharge planners by offering tech-forward solutions for families who can’t afford full-time care, proving value through metrics like readmissions.Sponsors: Baba (callbaba.com): AI phone-based co-pilot for seniors to prevent loneliness, create support, and connect them with professionals Paradigm (paradigmseniors.com): Credentialing, billing automation, and revenue cycle management for VA and Medicaid paymentsHomeSight (vantiva.com/homesight): TV-based wellness hub for blended care—video visits, health monitoring, and daily reminders for the family and care team

Live @ HCAOA—20-minute conversation with Michelle Cone, SVP of Industry Engagement at HomeWell Franchising, Inc. Michelle Cone on LinkedInHomeWell Franchising The investment that’s paid off in home care: 1) learning to lead with patience and 2) learning to play the long gameLeading with patience:Don’t scrap ideas or initiatives after a matter of weeks, give important things more timeMeasure everything and make decisions off of quantity and quality Find mentors who embody patience and shadow themHome care is reactive and we want to solve problems quickly, but give yourself time and space to think, reflect, and process issues accordingly Systematize ‘how you process’ as a leader, so you can improve over timePlaying the long game:In sales: building relationships, processes, and trust that lastsIn operations: short term goals, long term initiatives, and both require clear expectations and a plan of executionPut in place: monthly, quarterly, annual, and 5-year goalsMichelle’s personal mission: educating anyone and everyone on the impact and benefit of home careThe time is now for home care—we’ve put in the work, time to double down on what’s working.Keeping an eye on CMS Guide Program in 2026. Partnered with PocketRN with a focus on reducing hospital readmissions.The 3-legged stool: non-medical, skilled, hospice > personal care pulling apart from companionship, palliative care taking on a bigger role > the nature and structure of home care is shifting Sponsors: Baba (callbaba.com): AI phone-based co-pilot for seniors to prevent loneliness, create support, and connect them with professionals Paradigm (paradigmseniors.com): Credentialing, billing automation, and revenue cycle management for VA and Medicaid paymentsHomeSight (vantiva.com/homesight): TV-based wellness hub for blended care—video visits, health monitoring, and daily reminders for the family and care team

Live at HCAOA—30-minute conversation with Stephen Tweed, Founder/CEO of Leading Home Care Highlights Stephen Tweed on LinkedInleadinghomecare.comHome Care CEO ForumThe big metric: Hours per week = the currency of home careLesson common but more important: Hours per client per week = the health of the businessIt indicates:Where clients are coming fromWhich referrals give the longest hour clients Which referrals and clients have the longest length of stay and LTVHours per client per week + length of stay = $ value of the clientNext comes: Hours per caregiver per week3 types of caregivers: professional caregivers (40-60/hrs a week), half-time professional caregivers (20-30 hours a week), part-time intermittent caregivers (come and go) 4 levels of your ‘data stream’Level 1: raw dataLevel 2: information Level 3: knowledge Level 4: wisdom Clients and families want 2 things: reliability and continuityClients go through ‘5 phases of flow’: Phase 1: attractionPhase 2: conversionPhase 3: staffingPhase 4: caregiving Phase 5: collections 2026 Future of Home Care StudySystem = process + peopleIf you do a task weekly in your business, you need to systematize it. Applying AI: the task, the internal systems, and the competitive ecosystem (differentiation) 

#38 Most home care agencies talk about “differentiation,” but the Supported Living Group in Connecticut is actually doing it. In this episode, Executive Director Jamie Arber breaks down how his team built a high-acuity, high-retention brain-injury program anchored by Medicaid waivers (ABI), brick-and-mortar program sites, creative arts and vocational services, and an in-house clinical team. He explains the financial model (including $60K–$350K waiver budgets), how programs extend client lifetime value, and why specialization protects margins. Jamie also shares what Medicaid waiver work really requires—operational sophistication, rapid responsiveness, the ability to bolt on profitable private-pay and workers’ comp layers and more.  Jamie Arber on [email protected] Supported Living Group ABI Waiver Program in CT Sponsors: Acrisure / midwest.acrisure.com/home-careSmartAutomations.Care 

Live at HCAOA—15 minute conversation with Jenny Cambra, CEO of Senior Helpers Honolulu Highlights: Jenny’s hospitality background and personal family experience with dementia care led her into home care.She sees strong overlap between hospitality and home care—both people-centered service industries.She went to nursing school to better understand and support her caregivers.Early growth came quickly: a referral on day two and she hired 12 caregivers ahead of demand.Her philosophy: don’t overthink it—listen to what families say they need.Hawaii’s high cost of care requires transparency; she openly explains why they aren’t the cheapest.Their pricing reflects strong caregiver investment: fair wages, 401(k), recognition, training, and a real career path.They emphasize that the agency carries the liability—something families often don’t see.Goal: keep clients safe at home with the right tools, hours, and support.They now recommend an 8-hour/week minimum and do 90-day reassessments to track changes in condition.Close collaboration with DME companies helps maintain safety in the home.Aiming for CHAP certification in 2026 to validate their patient-centered [email protected] Sponsors: Baba (callbaba.com): AI phone-based co-pilot for seniors to prevent loneliness, create support, and connect them with professionals Paradigm (paradigmseniors.com): Credentialing, billing automation, and revenue cycle management for VA and Medicaid paymentsHomeSight (vantiva.com/homesight): TV-based wellness hub for blended care—video visits, health monitoring, and daily reminders for the family and care team

Live at HCAOA—45 minute conversation with Carmen Perry, the VP of Provider Engagement @ Paradigm Highlights: Carmen started in skilled nursing, where she saw how many seniors wanted to stay home but couldn’t afford care—driving her to learn funding options like Aid & Attendance.Veterans often distrust the VA due to past inconsistencies; bringing in TriWest and Optum improved operations and triggered an influx of providers.Many markets are now oversaturated, but veterans still have choice—agencies can find and enroll veterans directly, even in “closed” states like CA and TX where rural gaps still exist.Biggest myth: getting credentialed brings instant referrals. Reality: you earn growth through excellent care and strong relationships with case managers.Success depends on communication, advocacy, and becoming the local expert—engage with VFW posts, American Legion, and Wounded Warrior groups.Credentialing varies widely by state and timeline; you need proper licensing, NPI, compliance, and patience.First referrals are high-stakes: follow VA rules (no OT, no holiday pay, correct billing cycles) to avoid risking credentialing.Nationwide, VA hours and authorizations are tightening; incomplete caregiver notes can result in lost hours because case managers lack context.Providers must tell the full story in documentation and prepare for stricter screening and re-credentialing processes that are popping up at more and more VA offices. Paradigmseniors.com / vault.paradigmseniors.com National Aging in Place Council: https://ageinplace.org/ Sponsors: Baba (callbaba.com): AI phone-based co-pilot for seniors to prevent loneliness, create support, and connect them with professionals Paradigm (paradigmseniors.com): Credentialing, billing automation, and revenue cycle management for VA and Medicaid paymentsHomeSight (vantiva.com/homesight): TV-based wellness hub for blended care—video visits, health monitoring, and daily reminders for the family and care team

#37 42% of Direct Care Workers rely on public health coverage and on average only 32% of agencies doing $1.6-4.9M in annual revenue are offering major medical. Joseph Kitonga, CEO of Vitable, breaks down what small, medium, and large agencies need to know about ACA compliance, nuances for part-time and FTEs, major medical plan options, and other advice and warnings when it comes to offer major medical. (See the chapter highlights below to skip to the content relevant to your size.)  Joseph Kitonga on [email protected] Vitablehealth.comPHI: Direct Care Workers in the USActivated Insights Benchmarking—pg. 83Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Home Care and Health Insurance06:09 Joseph's Journey and Founding Vitable Health15:23 Common Misunderstandings in Health Insurance for Home Care20:50 Exploring Health Insurance Options for Home Care Agencies27:41 Understanding ACA Compliance and Employee Classification30:40 Strategies for Small Home Care Agencies38:51 Navigating Compliance for Mid-Sized Agencies44:58 Benefits and Challenges for Large Home Care Companies50:36 Preparing for Future Changes in Medicaid and Employee Needs Sponsors: SmartAutomations.Care 24/7 Solutions 247solutions.co