Home Care Strategy Lab

Why You Might Be Headed For 6-Figure Fines (And How to Avoid Them)

#65 Many home care agencies don't realize they've crossed the Affordable Care Act threshold until the IRS comes knocking. Brendan Mullins, CRO of Vitable Health, explains why agencies with as early as $1–2M in annual revenue can already qualify as Applicable Large Employers, how 30 hours per week (not 40) triggers eligibility, and why variable caregiver schedules make ACA compliance especially difficult. We break down how the 50 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) threshold is calculated, the misconceptions that lead agencies into trouble, and why penalties can quickly climb into the six figures. Brendan also walks through how ACA audits typically unfold, why compliance issues often surface years later, and the common mistakes agencies make along the way.  * Brendan Mullins [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanmullins/] on LinkedIn * Vitablehealth.com [https://www.vitablehealth.com/aca-autopilot]  * ACA Penalty Calculator [https://www.vitablehealth.com/penalty-calculator]

Can Your Agency Survive Losing Its Best Scheduler? (Corey Grissom)

We cover: * Why home care leaders are moving from AI exploration to real-world adoption. * The buy-vs-build debate and why many agencies are choosing AI partnerships. * Helping schedulers spend less time chasing call-outs and more time supporting people. * Supporting owner-operators as they scale from zero schedulers to their first hire. * How AI can fill open shifts in minutes instead of hours. * Moving from reactive scheduling to planning weeks in advance. * Capturing caregiver preferences and scheduling knowledge through AI memory. * Preventing tribal knowledge from walking out the door with staff turnover. * Why AI works best as an amplifier—not a replacement—for great schedulers. * Lessons learned from overcoming office-team skepticism and driving adoption. * The surprising ways caregivers are embracing AI-powered communication. * How AI is creating more proactive and human-centered operations. Extras: * Connect with Corey Grissom [https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-grissom-61579222/] / corey@phoebe.work [corey@phoebe.work]  * See how Phoebe [https://www.phoebe.work/] can transform your scheduler’s daily life

The Hidden Cost of Bad Data in Home Care (Brady Schwab)

We cover: * Brady's journey from audiology to home care innovation. * Right at Home's growth to 600+ franchises across four countries. * Staying focused on non-medical home care. * Why AI is exposing long-standing data quality issues. * The importance of data hygiene and integrity. * How bad data can erode trust and create risk. * Common gaps in referral tracking, scheduling, and workflows. * Making care documentation easier through voice-to-text technology. * Aligning caregiver incentives with better documentation. * Combining in-home observations with vital sign data. * Moving from documentation to predictive care. * Piloting RespirAI [https://bestcare.org/clinical-trials/pulmonology/respir-ai]to identify COPD exacerbations earlier. * Using technology to reduce avoidable hospitalizations. * Why strong documentation is the foundation for predictive analytics. * Solving for affordability, workforce shortages, and chronic disease. * How home care can become the preferred model for aging in place. * Navigating the realities of aging while embracing innovation. Some extras: * Connect with Brady Schwab [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradyschwab/] / bschwab@rightathome.net  * Learn more about Right at Home [https://www.rightathome.net/] * RespirAI [https://bestcare.org/clinical-trials/pulmonology/respir-ai]—the COPD pilot that Right at Home is conducting * See how Phoebe AI [https://www.phoebe.work/] can eliminate missed clock in/outs and save your team hours each week

How Team Select Is Predicting Readmissions Before They Happen (Meghan Willson)

We cover: * Team Select's growth across 15 states, 9,000 employees, and 5,000 patients. * Meghan's transition from physical therapist to technology leader. * Using operational technology to reinvest dollars into patients and caregivers. * Building a new enterprise data warehouse from the ground up. * Why successful AI starts with a strong data foundation. * The launch of CareSight AI and Team Select's partnership with Questa [https://www.questa-ai.com/]. * Using AI to identify patient deterioration sooner. * Predicting potential readmissions 3–5 days in advance. * Combining vitals, documentation, and AI-driven insights. * Reducing avoidable hospitalizations through earlier intervention. * How clinician buy-in accelerated adoption. * Lessons learned from implementing AI at scale. * Overcoming AI skepticism and technology resistance. * Why clinicians should lead healthcare innovation. * Start: Put clinicians first and solve their biggest workflow challenges. * Stop: Boiling the ocean—focus on one problem at a time. Some Extras: * Connect with Meghan Willson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-willson-a25b7980/] / mwillson@tshc.com  * Learn more about Team Select Home Care [https://tshc.com/] * See how Phoebe AI [https://www.phoebe.work/book?utm_source=homecarestrategylab&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=homecarestrategylab] can nearly eliminate scheduling call-outs

Why Response Time is Your Most Important Sales Metric (Brad Gilmore)

Bonus episode recorded live @ Home Care Innovation Forum in Palm Springs, CA Key topics include: * Why weekly new revenue is the most important sales measurement and how it provides a real-time view of where new business is coming from. * Ensuring sales activity stays aligned with referral accounts that are actively generating new business. * What success looks like for new sales reps, including tracking the number of new referral accounts established. * Brad's "controlled shotgun" approach to account management: * Tier A: 10 key accounts  * Tier B: 10–15 growth accounts  * Tier C: 15–20 contingency or "just in case" accounts * The role of sales, operations, and branch leadership in building referral partner relationships and ensuring smooth transitions to start of care. * Why great sales professionals focus on being present, not just visible, when engaging referral partners. * How leaders can better equip sales teams with meaningful data that supports conversations and decision-making. * The growing complexity of patient care and why sales professionals need a stronger understanding of clinical and complex-care scenarios. * Positioning home care organizations as outcome-driven partners who help referral sources solve patient care challenges. * Why organizations with service models that solve the widest range of problems are positioned to win. * What to stop and start measuring: * Stop: Overloading sales teams with insignificant data.  * Start: Viewing revenue as a measurement of performance rather than the sole metric of success. * How experienced reps focus on long-term referral source retention and relationship management. * Why response time may be the most important quality assurance metric in home care sales—and why speed matters. Extras: * Connect with Brad Gilmore [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradgilmore/] on LinkedIn or via email: brad.gilmore@familytreecares.com  * Learn more about Family Tree Private Care [https://familytreecares.com/] * See how Phoebe AI [https://www.phoebe.work/book?utm_source=homecarestrategylab&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=homecarestrategylab] can double your scheduling output * Home Care Innovation Forum 2027 [https://homecareinnovationforum.com/live/] / Pasadena, CA on May 16-18 for Orgs $30M+