What changes are impacting our readers most? We asked you that question, and here’s what we heard.

HOMECARE

What current or ongoing obstacle are you most focused on right now?

“Change doesn’t keep me up at night—sameness does. The homecare industry’s always shifting, but that’s where opportunity hides. The trick isn’t handling change; it’s harnessing it before it harnesses you.”

Jess W. Smith

Founder

Sinuosity LLC

“1-My age; 2-Competitive bidding; 3-The low percentage of funds from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that are directed to homecare and durable medical equipment (1%!); 4-A lack of available equipment"

Bill Baker

CEO/Owner/Operator

RxO2 Oxygen & Medical Equipment Supply Co. Inc.

“Medicare instituting competitive bidding for oxygen.”

Jorge Bolano

President

Health Care Solutions Group, Inc.

“Recruitment and retention.”

Linda Soffen

Director

Visiting Angels

“The cost of doing business as it relates to our bill rates. We have outpriced many people who need our help.”

Phil Davidson

President

Always Best Care of Rock Hill (state)

“Homecare leaders are wrestling with the growing tension between mission and sustainability. For small and mid-sized agencies like Veritey HealthCare, the unpredictability of Medicaid reimbursements and delayed payments has created severe cash flow strain. Many providers are forced to make tough choices, reducing hours, delaying payroll or even terminating contracts, not because of a lack of compassion, but because the system isn’t structured to reward quality or timeliness. Meanwhile, the shift toward managed care and value-based payment adds layers of administrative burden without the infrastructure support smaller providers need to keep up. What keeps me going is the people, the clients and caregivers who depend on us. Every time a caregiver shows up for work despite uncertainty, or a family calls to say their loved one is thriving at home, it reminds me why we started this journey.”

James Ichitey

Executive Director

Veritey HealthCare

“The incorporation of new technologies that can support us with more than scheduling and compliance is what we are mainly focused on.”

Antony Mbugua

Owner/CFO

Angel Hearts Care

HOMECARE

What are you doing to manage the change?

“Prayers. Reaching out to surveys & individuals to let those who can offer the service know of the need. Another possibility would be larger companies in our area letting us be part of their education program.”

Pamela Dagenhart,

Caregiver/Owner/Founder,

DayBreak Personal Services

“Training and providing information.”

Gimbert Fernandez

CEO/Owner,

Always Best Care Princeton (New Jersey)

“We’re doing our best to get into being a contract provider for managed health care plans but most are closed networks. We’re staying more focused on tightening up our internal process in working accounts receivable, collections, stop/hold reports and picking up equipment when not in-network with a provider that a customer changed to. Also evaluating our vendors and which one can save us money on inventory and taking advantage of monthly specials.

Robert Beard

Owner

YD Home Medical

“Medical billing and moving away from prescriptions to services.”

Eric Shoffner

Pharmacist/Owner,

Gammel’s Clinic Pharmacy

“From a franchisor perspective, we are managing this industry-wide change through a strategic and multifaceted approach focused on workforce development, operational efficiency and caregiver engagement. We continue to strengthen partnerships with community colleges, workforce boards and local training programs to expand the pipeline of qualified caregivers entering the profession. Standardized onboarding and competency-based training resources have been developed to help franchisees accelerate caregiver readiness, ensure consistency in care delivery and improve long-term retention. In addition, we are emphasizing caregiver engagement initiatives across the network, encouraging franchisees to adopt recognition programs, flexible scheduling, and career pathway opportunities that promote satisfaction and loyalty.

Technology also plays a critical role in our strategy. We are expanding the use of digital tools to streamline scheduling, documentation and communication, enabling caregivers to spend more time focused on client care while reducing administrative burden. Through enhanced data analytics and network-wide reporting, we monitor staffing trends, turnover rates, and satisfaction metrics to identify workforce challenges early and support franchisees with targeted interventions. Finally, we remain actively engaged in industry advocacy and collaboration with national and state associations to advance policies that strengthen the home care workforce and promote the long-term sustainability of home- and community-based care.”

Sheila Davis

COO

Always Best Care Senior Services

“If there is a long list, (label it) “A” through “C” and assign each thing on the list A, B or C. Some things need to be done in stages. How many “A” things do you have? Can you get help? A helper makes it easier and maybe even fun. Or do one step a day on the tough things.”

Jan Soderquist

CEO

Rehabilitation Equipment Associates, Inc.

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