Saturday, October 14, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

H3IT: International Conference on Home Healthcare, Hospice, and Information Technology
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 901
H3IT is an annual conference for all stakeholders interested in innovative approaches to home healthcare, hospice, and information technology. Building upon the success of the first eight years, the conference provides an authoritative forum where evidence-based findings, information, and tools are communicated to achieve reduced costs, better care, and better outcomes. H3IT's interdisciplinary and applied elements make the conference highly relevant to home health providers, IT vendors, and government agencies. For more information, please visit https://h3it.org.  There is a separate registration fee for this pre-conference.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Günes Koru
Professor
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  • Pre-Conference

Saturday, October 14, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Registration Hours
  • Room: Potomac Pre-function
Conference registration is open to pick up your badge and conference credentials. You can also evaluate sessions and get your CEs at registration.
  • Registration Hours

Sunday, October 15, 7:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Registration Reception
  • Room: Potomac Pre-function
Light refreshments will be served during registration hours this morning. Grab a cup of coffee and something to eat while you check out sessions and get ready for the conference.
  • Meals/Receptions

Sunday, October 15, 7:30 AM - 7:30 PM

Registration Hours
  • Room: Potomac Pre-function
Conference registration is open to pick up your badge and conference credentials. You can also evaluate sessions and get your CEs at registration.
  • Registration Hours

Sunday, October 15, 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM

HHFMA Advisory Board
  • Room: National Harbor 6-7
Committee Meetings are by invitation only.
  • Committee Meeting

Sunday, October 15, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Medicare Advantage (MA) Pre-Conference
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 902
Back by popular demand!  An amazing group of speakers who will break down critical aspects of Medicare Advantage (MA), including its impact on agencies like yours. MA is flooding our industry with change. There has not been a more significant financial change in home health in decades. This pre-conference addresses a diverse group of stakeholders who now must consider and understand MA from multiple angles. There is something here for everyone.  Home care providers are struggling with the impacts of the shift in the Medicare-eligible population to MA Plans. Forward-looking providers are asking essential questions, such as:  What are the implications of current demographic trends?  What operational and financial issues should providers expect as their payer mix shifts to mainly Managed Care? Will providers have a future where MA Plans also offer home-based services and products? In this Medicare Advantage pre-conference, we will hear provider & consultant perspectives addressing these questions and more.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Beau Sorensen
COO
VisionBound International
Faculty
Brent Korte MHA
CEO
Frontpoint Healthcare
Faculty
Lindsay Doak MBA
Director of Research and Education
BerryDunn
Faculty
Michael Puskarich MBA
Director - Advisory Consulting
McBee
Category:
  • Pre-Conference

Sunday, October 15, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Amplify Your Voice: The Power and Potential of Storytelling
  • Room: National Harbor 10-11
  • Session Number: 903
Critical to your success as an industry leader is your ability to communicate with employees, patients, families, and the public. Storytelling is a powerful, underutilized communication tool. The sharing of first-person stories builds a bridge, enabling people to connect, understand change, and develop a shared perspective.  This workshop addresses: What are the different types of stories?  Why do first-person stories have the most impact? How do I determine the best story or stories for my audience?  What are the steps to building a compelling story? How do I connect my message to my purpose? What tools can help me become more comfortable with storytelling? Becoming an effective storyteller will help you realize your potential as a leader in your professional and personal life and bring out the best in the people around you. This 90-minute pre-conference will help you move from talking and telling to persuading and advocating. Kemetia Foley is a gifted storyteller and teacher. You can learn more about her work at her website, coffee-and-courage.com. Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Kemetia Foley
Storyteller
Coffee and Courage
  • Pre-Conference

Sunday, October 15, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

HHFMA Work Group
  • Room: National Harbor 6-7
Committee Meetings are by invitation only.
  • Committee Meeting

Sunday, October 15, 1:00 PM - 2:45 PM

NAHC: The Voice of Home Care and Hospice
  • Room: Potomac AB
  • Session Number: 910
Join Ken Albert, President and Chief Executive Officer for Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice and chairman of the NAHC Board of Directors, and NAHC  President William A. Dombi for the opening session of the 2023 conference. Bill and the NAHC policy team will deliver the 2023 Legislative, Regulatory, and Legal Update, by far the most in-depth and insightful policy briefing in the industry. NAHC is highly engaged in advocacy to prevent crippling Medicare payment cuts to home health and hospice providers, expand and improve the direct care workforce, and many other issues vital to providing quality care in the home. Bill will explain what NAHC is doing for you now and what we are likely to face in the critical election year of 2024. Whatever it is, we will face it together. In addition, Bill will provide a detailed update on NAHC 2.0, the process of turning NAHC into a stronger trade association and a more effective advocate for home care and hospice. You will learn more about what NAHC is doing for its members and for the millions of patients and caregivers who depend on home care and hospice for their livelihood, health, and well-being.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Damon Terzaghi MSA
Director of Medicaid HCBS
National Alliance For Care at Home
Faculty
Katie Wehri
Director, Home Care and Hospice Regulatory Affairs
National Alliance For Care at Home
Faculty
Kenneth Albert RN, Esq.
President & CEO
Androscoggin Home Healthcare & Hospice
Faculty
Kristen Wheeler
Executive Director of Private Duty
National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC)
Faculty
Mary Carr RN, MPH
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
National Alliance For Care at Home
Faculty
Niles Godes Esq.
Senior Vice President for Advocacy
NAHC
Faculty
Theresa Forster
Vice President for Hospice Policy and Programs
National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC)
Faculty
William Dombi Esq.
President
National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC)
Sponsored by

  • General Session

Sunday, October 15, 2:50 PM - 3:50 PM

Transforming the Value-Driven Journey: Person-centered Decisions Aligned with Advance Care Planning in Home Health
  • Room: Potomac C
  • Session Number: 101
As the contemporary Japanese writer Haruki Murakami noted: “Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.” Informed, and competent advocacy for both home health patients and agencies is made stronger when we normalize having advance care planning conversations. This session will provide advance care planning conversation skills and their importance within person-centered, value-based home health. Sharing leaders’ direct experiences in improving advance care planning conversations, and their aligned use of prognostic tools, we will discuss how teams have helped the people they serve to navigate complexities of illness or face end of life decisions. From case conference processes to embedded, focused education, we will share how agencies have achieved value-based, high-quality performance, yielding an efficient, effective transition of care between home health, advanced illness management, palliative care, and hospice.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Cindy Campbell MHA Healthcare Informatics, BSN, RN
Senior Director Advisory Services
WellSky
Faculty
Katherine Morrison RN, MSN, CHPN, CCS-HH
Director of Hospice Consulting
WellSky
Faculty
Megan Willardsen RN, BSN, COS-C
Quality and Compliance Director
The LTM Group
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Moving Hospice From Good to Great: Data Insights and Best Practices for Improved Satisfaction and Success
  • Room: Potomac D
  • Session Number: 102
End-of-life is one of the most vulnerable times for patients and their families. And, what many do not understand is that there is a significant amount of stress on family caregivers as they care for their loved ones throughout this process. Electing the hospice benefit to support this process can be a life saver for many of these families. But unfortunately due to staffing constraints, regulatory fears, and financial scrutiny there are times when families do not receive optimal hospice care. Resulting in lower family satisfaction and a negative end of life experience. In this interactive presentation attendees will hear from Lead Industry Researcher, Lindsay Doak and CEO of one of the largest hospices Alivia Care, Susan Ponder-Stansel, as they share data driven best practices for optimal hospice performance. This includes best practices in care delivery, integrated technologies that can relieve family burden, patient and family centered care strategies, and more.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Lindsay Doak MBA
Director of Research and Education
BerryDunn
Faculty
Susan Ponder-Stansel ACSW, QCSW, ACHE, MSW
President & CEO
Alivia Care, Inc.
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
ROI and Financial Imperative of Legislative and Regulatory Advocacy and Engagement
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 103
As state and federal governments are the major payors of Medicare and Medicaid home-based care, provider organizations that establish Government Affairs and Legislative Advocacy as mission-critical business functions are achieving a return on investment in the form of increased reimbursement. BAYADA has garnered significant dollars in incremental top line revenue due to its legislative and regulatory advocacy engagement at State Capitols on Medicaid issues, as well as in Washington DC around federal Medicare home health and hospice. BAYADA will discuss its strategy and success in achieving state Medicaid rate increases to support business growth. Axxess will demonstrate why a technology partner has invested heavily in an in-house public policy and advocacy team and established the Axxess Political Action Committee to lead and elevate the entire home-based care sector on reimbursement rates and interoperability.Read More
Speaker(s)
David Totaro MBA
Chief Government Affairs Officer
BAYADA Home Health Care
Deborah Hoyt
Senior Vice President of Public Policy
Axxess
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
VBP Performance Year One: Finish Strong!
  • Room: Potomac 4-6
  • Session Number: 104
By October, year one of the VBP national expansion will be quickly winding down and the stakes are high with a potential 5% payment adjustment in 2025. Agencies will have limited time to apply strategies to impact performance and allow for a strong finish to year one. This session will review key elements that make up and impact the VBP TPS and explore practical strategies for improving specific performance measures. The session will explore strategies specific to each of the three scoring areas, with particular focus on those measures that are most heavily weighted. This session will also assess various scoring examples and measure the impact of how improving the score on specific measures can impact the total TPS and estimated payment adjustment.Read More
Speaker(s)
Angela Huff RN
Senior Managing Consultant
Forvis Mazars
Lisa McClammy BSN, RN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-O
Senior Clinical Education Consultant
MAC Legacy
Faculty
M. Aaron Little CPA
Managing Director
Forvis Mazars
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Confronting Burnout with Breakthrough Ideas
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 105
Forbes Magazine recently published an article saying burnout has become an international crisis. This was true for healthcare long before Covid-19 arrived. Causes include inadequate support, escalating workloads, administrative burdens, & and increasing demands. Burnout is not only about long hours, but also about the fundamental disconnect between health workers and the mission to serve that motivates them. New research has uncovered addressable drivers of homecare worker burnout. The metrics reveal information helpful to leaders to increase employee satisfaction and decrease turnover. “Quietly quitting” habits have entered the workforce, leaving employers searching for effective courageous methods to retain staff. Methods such as quietly hiring & searching for micro clues such as resentment, depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges will be discussed. This session will also include essential techniques to help improve the bottom line by increasing overall employee morale.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Marcylle Combs MS, RN, BS, CHCE
Owner
MAC Legacy
Faculty
Stephanie Johnston MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer
Transcend Strategy Group
Category:
Handout(s)
Sponsored by

  • Education
Government Audits and Investigations: Preparation and Defense
  • Room: National Harbor 10-11
  • Session Number: 106
This session will begin with an overview of the various types of audits and initiatives, following the progression from least intensive (e.g., ADRs) to most intense (False Claims Act). We will cover current types of audit denials, leading to a discussion of how to reduce your organization's risks during an audit. Specifically, this will include how to elevate internal audit and reimbursement to the forefront of compliance. We will finish with an overview of what a government investigation entails, including tips for reducing your company's expense and exposure in advance.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Jason Bring JD
Healthcare Attorney
Arnall Golden Gregory, LLP
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Voices from the Frontlines: Tackling Workforce Challenges through Candid Caregiver Conversations
  • Room: National Harbor 4-5
  • Session Number: 107
Join us for a groundbreaking session with Brandi Kurtyka, CEO of MissionCare Collective, as she presents the release of a brand-new NAHC & MissionCare Collective study on workforce challenges facing caregivers, home health aides, and CNAs. Based on a series of in-depth interviews, Kurtyka delved into the lives, stories, realities, and obstacles of the workforce. In this eye-opening session, you will: Discover the common themes among workers Listen to candid conversations firsthand to gain behind-the-scenes insight Consider new strategies to support your team and advocate to your local policy makers This is a unique opportunity to learn from the experiences of caregivers and gain insights into how to strengthen your agency. All attendees will receive a copy of the new study. Private Duty education sessions are sponsored by Generations Homecare System In My Team Kaleida Systems, Inc MatrixCare Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Brandi Kurtyka
CEO
MissionCare Collective
Handout(s)
  • Private Duty Summit

Sunday, October 15, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Home Health Regulatory Roundup
  • Room: Potomac C
  • Session Number: 201
This session provides an overview of the current regulatory environment impacting home health agencies.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Mary Carr RN, MPH
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
National Alliance For Care at Home
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Taking Accreditation to the Next Level with Age-Friendly at Home CHAP Certification
  • Room: Potomac D
  • Session Number: 202
Hear Dr. Jennifer Kennedy, Vice President of Quality and Standards for CHAP review the components for certification and the value to hospice and home health agencies designated as Age-Friendly Care at Home providers. Most people want to receive care at home as they age. Community Health Accreditation Partners recently launched Age-Friendly Care at Home certification as an extension of the Age-Friendly Health Systems program, an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with the American Hospital Association and Catholic Health Association of the United States. To be certified, a provider must support a care model that follows four evidence-based elements of high-quality care, known as the “4Ms”—what matters most, medication, mentation, and mobility.Read More
Speaker(s)
Jennifer Hale MSN, RN, CHPN, CPHQ
Vice President, Clinical Quality and Standards
Compassus
Jennifer Kennedy EdD, BSN, RN, CHC
VP, Quality, Standards, Compliance
Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP)
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Utilizing Incentive Compensation to Drive Clinical Operations Towards Success in Value Based Reimbursement
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 203
Organizations are moving towards new innovative reimbursements models based on value and quality. In order to keep up with the demand from payer, providers need to look at ways to differentiate themselves in compensation models to retain and recruit staff. This session will provide insight on how to align compensation models for clinicians, clinical managers and support staff to incentivize them to provide quality care and drive financial results. This session will provide example of compensation models, data to measure performance and how to execute on these strategies. The session will provide how these models can assist in recruitment and retention of staff for Home Health and Hospice organizations.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
RJ Gagnon DBA, MBA, CHFP, CSAF
Chief Financial Officer / Chief Operating Officer
Andwell Health Partners
Faculty
Robert Simione CPA
Principal
SimiTree
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Home Health Benchmarks: How Best Practice Agencies Achieve Balanced Results
  • Room: Potomac 4-6
  • Session Number: 204
Home health agencies have experienced some challenging years and 2023 and 2024 promise more of the same. Reimbursement rates have been squeezed and further cuts are proposed by CMS, yet costs and regulatory requirements continue to rise. Not to mention the expansion of home health VBP nationally. Agencies are challenged to maintain quality while attempting to become more efficient and productive to battle margin compression. In this interactive session in a panel format, findings will be shared from the FORVIS and SHP’s annual benchmark analyses as they study the financial and operational indicators of the top performing agencies in quality and financial performance. Findings from survey results will be shared on the operational approaches and strategies these top performing agencies use to achieve optimal results in a balanced manner.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Angela Huff RN
Senior Managing Consultant
Forvis Mazars
Faculty
Chris Attaya MBA
Vice President, Product Strategy
Strategic Healthcare Programs
Faculty
Marcylle Combs MS, RN, BS, CHCE
Owner
MAC Legacy
Faculty
Mark Sharp CPA
Partner
Forvis Mazars
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
PDGM Simplified: Finding Middle Ground Between Management and Clinicians
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 205
Soon we will begin our fourth year with PDGM, yet agencies still struggle with the “new” reimbursement algorithm. Management and clinical staff seem to be at opposite ends of the pole, trying to reconcile limited utilization while still meeting the patients' needs. Appropriate number of visits used by clinical staff shouldn't be a difficult battle, nor should micromanaging clinicians be a necessary solution to the new PDGM payment structure. This session will help provide meaning to PDGM in the midst of the gibberish we are attempting to comprehend. A simplistic approach to PDGM will allow agencies to fully train clinicians on what CMS expects from them at the bedside, providing the best quality care and still help the agency thrive. PDGM is NOT a cost-cutting measure implemented by CMS to reduce overall costs. Rather, it's an evidence-based guide for home health agencies to provide quality care that result in better patient outcomes.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Conrad Aquino BSN, RN, MD
CEO
HH People Solutions
Category:
Handout(s)
Sponsored by

  • Education
Many Voices, One Goal: Mastering Private Duty Sales
  • Room: National Harbor 4-5
  • Session Number: 207
In this dynamic and engaging presentation, you'll discover cutting-edge techniques and tactics to help you stay ahead of the competition and achieve greater success in your growth efforts. Learning objectives for this session include: Learn how to break free from "old" sales approaches and embrace new and innovative techniques that resonate with today's referral sources. Home Health and Hospice is a secret source of cross referrals! (With structure comes FREEDOM!) Discover how to leverage remote marketing and your current clients to expand your reach and connect with a broader audience (in less TIME!) Gain insight into the latest trends and best practices in private duty sales, and gain practical tips for applying these strategies to your own business. (One representative walked out with six referrals in hand - hear how she did it - and you can too!) Whether you're a seasoned sales professional or just starting in the private duty industry, this session is not to be missed. Join us and get ready to take your field marketing & sales game to the next level! Private Duty education sessions are sponsored by Generations Homecare System In My Team Kaleida Systems, Inc MatrixCareRead More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Melanie Stover OT, MBA, MS/ISM
Owner
Home Care Sales
Handout(s)
  • Private Duty Summit

Sunday, October 15, 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Expo Hours
  • Room: Prince Georges Expo Hall
The largest home care and hospice expo is open with 180+ solution providers to help you take your agency -- and your career -- to the next level. 
  • Expo Hours
Opening Reception
  • Room: Prince Georges Expo Hall
Join NAHC and 180+ vendors for the grand opening celebration of the largest home care and hospice expo! Find the solution providers you need in this year's expo. The opening reception is celebrating America's favorite pasttime: Baseball! Step up to the plate for some baseball games throughout the Expo or get your souvenier baseball card photo taken.  Play the Explore the Expo game for a chance to win $5,000! (Game cards are in your tote bag.) Stop by the NAHC membership booth to find out what's new and to get a professional head shot taken. And visit the Bark Park and spend some quality time with local service dogs.  Read More
  • Meals/Receptions

Monday, October 16, 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

HHFMA Education Committee
  • Room: National Harbor 8
Committee Meetings are by invitation only.
  • Committee Meeting

Monday, October 16, 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

HHFMA Women in Leadership
  • Room: National Harbor 6-7
Committee Meetings are by invitation only.
  • Committee Meeting

Monday, October 16, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Registration Hours
  • Room: Potomac Pre-function
Conference registration is open to pick up your badge and conference credentials. You can also evaluate sessions and get your CEs at registration.
  • Registration Hours

Monday, October 16, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM

Breakfast
  • Room: Potomac AB
Breakfast is served from 8:30am-9:30am before the general session starts.  Breakfast is sponsored by: Red Road Health Solutions Lincoln Healthcare Leadership Mazda National HME
  • Meals/Receptions

Monday, October 16, 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Voices of Advocacy
  • Room: Potomac AB
  • Session Number: 911
NAHC Director of Grassroots Advocacy Summer Napier will host agency leaders who are advocating for home care and hospice in a variety of ways. Summer will explain how the decisions you make in business can be advocacy, and she has proven you don’t need to be a professional lobbyist to make an impact. She will show you how to remove the doubts around becoming an advocate and help you be an effective everyday spokesperson for care at home. Joining Summer to discuss personal advocacy will be leaders from across our industry. Jeff Salter, CEO at Caring Senior Service, started in home care 33 years ago, turning five locations into a franchise enterprise with over 50 locations in 22 states. In a memorable display of personal advocacy, in 2021 he rode an electric bike 9500 miles across the United States to raise awareness to seniors’ issues and close the gaps in their care. His ride helped raise over $170,000 to install grab bars in senior’s homes. Tonya Gray is Director of Home Health and Home Care Services at UW Health Northern Illinois and a member of NAHC’s Board of Directors. She regularly speaks in her local church and advocates for care in the home because it isRead More
Speaker(s)
Moderator
Summer Napier BSN, RN, HCS-C, HCS-O
President & CEO
Healing Hands Healthcare, LLC
Faculty
Calvin McDaniel
National Association for Home Care & Hospice
Faculty
Davis Baird MS
Director of Government Affairs for Hospice (NAHC)
National Association for Home Care & Hospice
Faculty
Jeffrey Salter
Founder & CEO
Caring Senior Service
Faculty
Robert Love
Executive Director
Butte Home Health
Faculty
Tonya Gray MSHA, CPA
Director, Home Health Care & Home Services
UW Health Northern Illinois Home Health Care (formerly SwedishAmerican Home Health Care)
Faculty
Vince Moffitt
CEO/Administrator
Basin Home Health & Hospice, Inc.
Sponsored by

  • General Session

Monday, October 16, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Value=Quality+Patient Experience/Cost: Learn how Cleveland Clinic Home Care is Driving Patient Value with ACO /Home Care Plus Program
  • Room: Potomac C
  • Session Number: 301
Our health system implemented an innovative high-intensity home-based rehabilitation model—“Home Care Plus” (HCP)—in 2019 for patients attributed to our ACO. The primary aim of this presentation is to examine functional status at PAC discharge for patients in HCP versus a SNF. We also compare hospital length of stay, 30-day readmission, and 30- and 90-day post-hospital healthcare costs between HCP and SNF cohorts. In this session we will discuss our vision, goals, inclusion and exclusion criteria, operational challenges and successes, as well as outcomes. In the end, we believe we are driving VALUE. Come see for yourself.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Steven Pamer PT, MPA, GCS
Administrator, Director of Rehabilitation Services
Cleveland Clinic Center for Connected Care
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to Identify Potential Workplace Violence Risk
  • Room: Potomac D
  • Session Number: 302
Workplace violence presents a unique challenge to home health, hospice, and private duty clinicians and their managers as the underreporting of violent incidents can have a dangerous impact on our clinicians. Our research investigated the use of natural language processing to help better identify violence incidents not reported to leadership. This session reviews research of nearly 600,000 home health clinical notes to identify type II workplace violence prevalence data and a comparative analysis of established reporting results. The researchers will review the innovative use of machine learning and the procedures to use natural language processing to help home health, hospice, and private duty agencies identify and address potential violence insight opportunities. The team will identify how automated algorithms were designed and discuss why this innovative use of technology can better inform agency leaders to help keep staff members safe.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Catherine Harris MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Director
Continuum Home Health/ Univ. of Virginia Health
Faculty
Ha Do Byon PhD, MPH, MS, RN
Assistant Professor
University of Virginia School of Nursing Family, Community & Mental Health Systems
Faculty
Mary Crandall PhD, RN
Nurse Scientist
University of Virginia Health System
Faculty
Max Topaz PhD, MA, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor of Nursing, Columbia University
VNS Health
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Care Coordination Playbook: Optimize Referral Relationships
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 303
Post-acute care can involve multiple different providers, each relying on the other to coordinate care. Additionally, in many cases communication between these providers remains both ad hoc and analog, all while reimbursement models shift and the labor market remains tight. Learn how you can overcome these challenges with the right interoperability. Through industry research featuring post-acute and referring provider perspectives, as well as an executive panel discussion, we will dive into steps to create your own playbook that can help you build and grow your referral partnerships in our ever-evolving value-based world.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Deborah Wesley RN, BN, MSN, MHA
CEO
Addison County Home Health and Hospice
Faculty
Kenneth Albert RN, Esq.
President & CEO
Androscoggin Home Healthcare & Hospice
Faculty
Nick Knowlton
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives
ResMed SaaS
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Hospice Regulatory and Policy Roundup
  • Room: Potomac 4-6
  • Session Number: 304
The hospice world is undergoing dramatic changes as legislators, regulators, and policymakers seek to ensure appropriate oversight and transparency for one of the fastest-growing segments of the Medicare program and explore policy options that could irrevocably change the hospice benefit as we know it today. NAHC’s hospice experts will provide an overview of expanding federal program integrity efforts, hospice care patterns being tracked by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and others, efforts by CMS to incorporate hospice into the Medicare Advantage benefit package, as well as other important issues in hospice, and their implications for the future of the hospice program.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Davis Baird MS
Director of Government Affairs for Hospice (NAHC)
National Association for Home Care & Hospice
Faculty
Katie Wehri
Director, Home Care and Hospice Regulatory Affairs
National Alliance For Care at Home
Faculty
Theresa Forster
Vice President for Hospice Policy and Programs
National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC)
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Key Performance Indicators in Home Health: Clinical and Financial Impacts
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 305
As if dealing with a new reimbursement model, a global pandemic, and the multitude of regulatory and practice changes that came with both weren’t enough, CMS continues to challenge the home health community. Providers must now fortify themselves for the -3.925% permanent payment adjustment and the nationwide expansion of home health value-based purchasing (VBP) finalized for this year and prepare for additional cuts expected in coming years related to the statutorily required temporary payment adjustment. Best practice episode management is more important than ever, and the use of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and data analysis tied to clinical practice is critical to success. This session will delve into identification of KPIs for home health, using KPIs and data analysis to drive clinical success, and how successful implementation of data-driven strategies will lead you to financial success under PDGM and VBP.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Carissa McKenna BSN, RN, COS-C, HCS-D
Director Clinical Consulting
McBee
Faculty
Rebekah Mattocks BSN, RN
Director of Quality & Education
Knute Nelson Home Care and Hospice
Category:
Handout(s)
Sponsored by

  • Education
CSI: Investigating Why M&A Transactions Fail
  • Room: National Harbor 10-11
  • Session Number: 306
The due diligence process is cumbersome and overwhelming for buyers and sellers. it is filled with analysis, thorough review, and expert insight to assess the inter-workings and history of a potential merger or acquisition. This session will cover the investigation of “dead deals,” in addition to “Quality of Earnings,” and Clinical Compliance and will highlight the various reasons – legal, employment, and others that resulted in failed transactions. Attendees will take away a stronger understanding of the due diligence process through the stories shared by industry experts and lessons learned on what to look for and avoid in a future successful transaction.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Andrew Voss MA, JD
Shareholder
Polsinelli PC
Faculty
Chris Consalus
Sr. Vice President of Development
BrightSpring Health Services
Faculty
Maria Warren
Vice President
McBee
Faculty
  Mark Kulik MAMI
Senior Managing Director.
The Braff Group
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Telling Your Private Duty Story
  • Room: National Harbor 4-5
  • Session Number: 307
Stephen Tweed will deliver the Private Duty Summit’s keynote address, which will set the stage for the day, stimulate strategic thinking, and help Private Duty Home Care leaders tell their story more effectively. As a result, attendees will be able to:            Define Private Duty Home Care and share the Story of its history. Describe the story of Private Duty Home Care today, and its role in the health care continuum. Discuss Six Seismic Shifts or trends that are shaping the Story of Private Duty Home Care in the future. Examine how to incorporate these stories into telling the story of your own agency. Private Duty education sessions are sponsored by Generations Homecare System In My Team Kaleida Systems, Inc MatrixCareRead More
Speaker(s)
Keynote Speaker
Stephen Tweed BA, MS, CSP
CEO
Leading Home Care
Handout(s)
  • Private Duty Summit

Monday, October 16, 12:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Expo Hours
  • Room: Prince Georges Expo Hall
The largest home care and hospice expo is open with 180+ solution providers to help you take your agency -- and your career -- to the next level. 
  • Expo Hours

Monday, October 16, 12:30 PM - 3:15 PM

Lunch
  • Room: Prince Georges Expo Hall
Join NAHC and 180+ vendors for lunch. Play the Explore the Expo game for a chance to win $5,000! (Game cards are in your tote bag.) Stop by the NAHC membership booth to find out what's new and to get a professional head shot taken. And visit the Bark Park and spend some quality time with local service dogs.  Lunch is sponsored by Red Road Health Solutions HomeFree Pharmacy Services Hospice Support Specialists Transcend Strategy Group
  • Meals/Receptions

Monday, October 16, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

HHFMA Business Analytics Committee
  • Room: National Harbor 8
Committee Meetings are by invitation only.
  • Committee Meeting

Monday, October 16, 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

HHFMA Young Professionals Committee
  • Room: National Harbor 6-7
Committee Meetings are by invitation only.
  • Committee Meeting

Monday, October 16, 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

Design with the End in Mind: Best Practices for Contracting and Managing Multiple Populations at Risk
  • Room: Potomac C
  • Session Number: 401
As the healthcare and payment model landscape evolves, join us as we hear from VNS Health executives who have positively disrupted the provider and health plan status quo. The VNS Health organization will share insights and lessons learned from a holistic care continuum lens that provides care for 44,000 patients' lives every day. Nearly 70% of VNS Health’s annual revenue is derived from their health plans or is attached to full risk contracts across various service lines. In this session the VNS Health team will share their journey in becoming a national leader in at-risk contracting and population health management as well as how to lean into the advantages of becoming a Payvider.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Devin Woodley
Vice President of Managed Care Contracting and B2B Sales
VNS Health
Faculty
Rose Madden-Baer DNP, APN, FAAN, MSN, MHA, BC-PHCNS, CPHQ, CHCE
SVP Population Health and Clin Support
VNS Health
Faculty
Scott Green
Senior Vice President, Population Health
Netsmart
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Update on Hospice Survey Reforms & Enforcement: What’s at Stake
  • Room: Potomac D
  • Session Number: 402
In late 2020 the Congress enacted significant changes to the hospice survey and enforcement process, including creation of a “Special Focus” program for poor performing hospice providers, expansion of the enforcement remedies that CMS can use to penalize seriously deficient hospices, and requirements that CMS make survey findings publicly available. In 2023 CMS separately revised the process surveyors use for hospices. The significantly revised process targets four conditions of participation and focuses on quality of care. Later in 2023 CMS proposed a structure for the Special Focus Program. This session will explore, the details of the revised survey process and enforcement remedies that hospices will be subject to, what’s at stake for hospice under these reforms, and tips for where hospices should focus preparation efforts will be discussed.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Katie Wehri
Director, Home Care and Hospice Regulatory Affairs
National Alliance For Care at Home
Handout(s)
  • Education
Addressing Health Disparities Through Care in the Home
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 403
Session attendees will understand and identify home care’s unique and vital role in addressing health disparities. HCA E&R sought out grant funding and multiple partners to develop the initiative, Addressing Health Disparities Through Home Care. As a part of this initiative, a needs assessment was conducted to identify interventions and best practices that can help eliminate persistent gaps in care. To address home care and hospice needs, multiple initiatives were developed. Education and training to support staff development and training of cultural competencies, the enhancement of their ability to treat and care for patients with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, and certifications of clinicians at a sample set of agencies in population care coordination. Additional components include a translation initiative, a new health literacy program, and a collaborative pilot model. When disparities are recognized and addressed, the patient and the community benefit.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Kaylee White
Associate for Public Health and Policy
Home Care Association of New York State
Faculty
Taylor Perre MPH, MSW
Senior Associate for Public Health and Policy
Home Care Association of New York State
Handout(s)
  • Education
Visit Utilization and Outcomes: How to Marry the Two
  • Room: Potomac 4-6
  • Session Number: 404
This educational session aims to enhance the knowledge and skills of home health professionals in maximizing the utilization of home health visits to achieve positive patient outcomes. Participants will learn strategies to improve patient engagement, promote adherence to care plans, and facilitate effective communication between patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. This session will include interactive case studies and group discussions to apply the concepts learned to real-life scenarios. At the end of the session, participants will have the knowledge and skills to maximize the utilization of home health visits to achieve positive patient outcomes.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Alicia Marr RN
CEO
Excelin Health
Faculty
J'non Griffin MHA, HCS-D, COS-C, HCS-H, HCS-C
SVP Coding and Compliance Department
SimiTree
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Telling the Story: Utilizing Technology and Process Improvement to Enhance Quality, Reduce Clinical Risk, and Stay Compliant with Hospice Regulations
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 405
Has your hospice had payment denials based on the content quality of a physician’s Certification of Terminal Illness (CTI) narrative during surveys or external audits? Since the 2016 OIG report, hospices have seen increased scrutiny of the CTI narrative based on OIG recommendations. Amedisys took a proactive approach and utilized natural language processing technology to review and audit CTI narratives. The automated audit monitored for the presence or absence of key narrative phrases and gave a pass or fail result. Failed narratives were reviewed individually by the PI team and clinical leaders provided educational feedback that engaged the team and physicians to improve CTI narrative content quality. Company-wide fail rate was monitored weekly using p-charts to follow interventions and outcomes. Outcomes include reduction in CTI narrative fail rate from 15% to 3% in 9 months, improved content quality of CTI narratives, and reduction in denials by Medicare Administrative Contractors.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
  Abi Katz DO, MS, HMDC, FAAHPM
Vice President, Executive Medical Director HSP
Amedisys
Faculty
  Amy Moss DO, MBA, HMDC, FACOI
SVP Clinical Operations HSP
Amedisys
Faculty
  Aye Aung MD, HMDC, MHA, FAAHPM
Vice President, Executive Medical Director HSP
Amedisys
Faculty
Manjeet Kaur DNP, RN, CPHQ
VP Regulatory Affairs and Clinical Risk – Hospice
Amedisys
Category:
Handout(s)
Sponsored by

  • Education
Surviving Hospice and Home Health Targeted Probe and Educate Audits
  • Room: National Harbor 10-11
  • Session Number: 406
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented the Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) program to help providers and suppliers reduce claim denials and appeals through one-on-one help. This program helps in identifying and correcting errors, including common errors such as missing physician signatures. However, TPE is a major issue that makes Home Health and Hospice agencies anxious. TPE is the current process that Medicare MACs are using to conduct medical review in the pre-payment model. The TPE process involves receiving a letter explaining the process, with 20-40 claims being pulled for review. Failing a review means your agency has a denial percentage greater than the Medicare MAC's allowed percentage and this process can be repeated with ongoing review for three additional rounds. This is a costly process and it is important than ever to have clinical staff members review charts and document accurately to prevent denials.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Brian Lebanion MBA, CPC, RNC, HCS-O, HCS-D
Healthcare Consulting Manager
Wipfli
Handout(s)
  • Education
The Myriad Voices of Advocacy
  • Room: National Harbor 4-5
  • Session Number: 407
Join members of NAHC's Advocacy Team for this informative session! Attendees will learn about current advocacy efforts affecting private home care. Find out how to get involved in advocacy in your state and at the federal level. Private Duty education sessions are sponsored by Generations Homecare System In My Team Kaleida Systems, Inc MatrixCare
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Damon Terzaghi MSA
Director of Medicaid HCBS
National Alliance For Care at Home
Faculty
Kristen Wheeler
Executive Director of Private Duty
National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC)
Faculty
Summer Napier BSN, RN, HCS-C, HCS-O
President & CEO
Healing Hands Healthcare, LLC
Handout(s)
  • Private Duty Summit

Monday, October 16, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Evaluating Quality Outcomes & Star Ratings
  • Room: Potomac C
  • Session Number: 501
As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implements Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP), the home care landscape continues to become more competitive; agencies must track patient outcomes and train their staff to capture the appropriate and best results. In this session, Angie Karr of McBee, and Steve Pamer of Cleveland Clinic, will explain how these organizations collaborated to identify lower performing staff, monitor functional outcomes, evaluate and develop countermeasures to improve risk adjustment, develop platforms to improve staff performance and drive results including a 1.5-star rating improvement in Quality.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Angie Karr BSN, RN, HCS-D, HCS-O
Senior Manager, OASIS and Coding
McBee
Steven Pamer PT, MPA, GCS
Administrator, Director of Rehabilitation Services
Cleveland Clinic Center for Connected Care
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
The New World of Hospice Surveys in 2023: Updates and Strategies for Success
  • Room: Potomac D
  • Session Number: 502
Hospice leaders need to understand more than ever the importance of key survey readiness priorities to avoid CMS survey enforcement remedies and ensure regulatory compliance. This interactive program focuses on changes to the survey process with hospice survey changes as well as top survey issues and the potential for enforcement remedies that will shape surveys for years to come. Specific strategies hospice managers and leaders can implement to demonstrate hospice-wide compliance will be discussed.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Kimberly Skehan RN, MSN, HCS-D, COS-C
VP of Accreditation
Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP)
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Administrative Appeals: Strategies for Success in UPIC, ALJ and MAC Appeals
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 503
This session will provide an overview of the CMS Administrative Appeal process for home health and hospice providers. This session will discuss: (i) Redetermination Appeals by a Medicare Administrative Contractor, (ii) Reconsideration Appeals before a Qualified Independent Contractor, (iii) ALJ Appeals before the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals, and (iv) Appeals to the Medicare Appeals Council. This session will also provide an overview of audit activity and initiatives by UPICs and other governmental investigative bodies. This session will further provide an overview of best practices to responding to governmental and private payor audits and with navigating through the multi-tiered Medicare appeal process.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Alan Schabes JD
Partner
Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP
Faculty
Rachel Hold-Weiss RPA-C- JD
Partner
Benesch Friedlander Coplan and Aronoff LLP
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
VBID Model Extended Through 2030
  • Room: Potomac 4-6
  • Session Number: 504
This session will cover the details of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model – Hospice Benefit Component. Medicare Advantage (MA) has long had coverage for home health patients, but there has never been coverage for Hospice under the MA benefit. VBID is a demonstration that was set to end in 2025, has now been extended through 2030. There are multiple Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAO) that are participating and have coverage in multiple states. CMS is testing how the hospice benefit component can improve beneficiary care through greater care coordination, reduced fragmentation, and transparency in line with recommendations by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and others. Hospice must prepare as more and more MAOs are participating in VBID to offer the hospice benefit to their beneficiaries.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Melinda Gaboury COS-C
Chief Executive Officer
Healthcare Provider Solutions, Inc.
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
PrepAIring for the Coming Revolution: How AI will transform your agency and how you can get ready now for the future
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 505
Artificial Intelligence is prepared to transform companies around the world with the promise of intelligent software doing tasks that, until now, have always required a human to perform it. This session will help agencies see where they can use artificial intelligence now, where the technology is going, and what they need to do to fully unleash it in their organizations over the next several years.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Beau Sorensen
COO
VisionBound International
Category:
Handout(s)
Sponsored by

  • Education
CGS Regulatory Updates for Hospice Providers: Elevating Provider Knowledge
  • Room: National Harbor 10-11
  • Session Number: 506
This session will be presented by the J15 HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), CGS Administrators, LLC. You don’t want to miss this session if your hospice agency is in Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, or the District of Columbia, or other states where CGS might be your MAC. This session will address recent and future changes in Medicare that have or will impact processing and reimbursement of Medicare claims to hospice agencies. It will also discuss common billing errors and resources for preventing and resolving these mistakes.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Nykesha Scales MBA
CGS J15 Provider Outreach and Education Manager
CGS Administrators
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
The Legal Voice: 2023 Update for Private Home Care
  • Room: National Harbor 4-5
  • Session Number: 507
Everyone wants to be on the right side of the law and stay compliant. Join legal expert Angelo Spinola for an in-depth discussion about the latest legal and regulatory developments impacting your home care business this year. Updates will include federal government updates related to the Department of Labor, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice and others as well as timely topics related to changes to state law and litigation trends. Attendees will walk away with practical, business-minded strategies for fortifying their organizations against these external threats and legal compliance. Private Duty education sessions are sponsored by Generations Homecare System In My Team Kaleida Systems, Inc MatrixCareRead More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Angelo Spinola Esq.
Shareholder, Practice Co-Chair
Polsinelli PC, Polsinelli LLP
Handout(s)
  • Private Duty Summit

Tuesday, October 17, 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Breakfast
  • Room: Potomac AB
Breakfast is served from 8:00am-9:00am before the general session starts.  Breakfast is sponsored by: Red Road Health Solutions Lincoln Healthcare Leadership Mazda National HME
  • Meals/Receptions

Tuesday, October 17, 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Registration Hours
  • Room: Potomac Pre-function
Conference registration is open to pick up your badge and conference credentials. You can also evaluate sessions and get your CEs at registration.
  • Registration Hours

Tuesday, October 17, 9:00 AM - 10:45 AM

Your Story: From Impossible to Possible
  • Room: Potomac AB
  • Session Number: 912
Ben Nemtin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? and a star of MTV's highest rated show on iTunes and Amazon called The Buried Life. As the co-founder of The Buried Life movement, Ben's message of radical possibility has been featured on The Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, FOX, and NBC News. President Obama called Ben and The Buried Life "inspiration for a new generation," and Oprah declared their mission "truly inspiring." An acclaimed keynote speaker, Ben has headlined business conferences and Fortune 100 leadership teams around the world, garnering standing ovations from AIG, Anthem, Amazon, FedEx, Harvard, Microsoft, Verizon, and more. Ben is recognized as one of the World's Top Organizational Culture Thought Leaders and was ranked 3rd Best Motivational Speaker in the world by Global Gurus in 2022. In his first year of university, Ben was unexpectedly hit with a depression that forced him to drop out. In an attempt to feel more alive, he created the world's greatest bucket list with his three best friends. They borrowed a rickety old RV and crisscrossed North America, achieving the unthinkable. And most importantly, every time they accomplished aRead More
Speaker(s)
Moderator
Andrea Devoti MSN, MBA, RN, CHCE
Executive Vice President
National Association for Home Care & Hospice
Keynote Speaker
Ben Nemtin
  • General Session

Tuesday, October 17, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Making Sense of Medicaid
  • Room: Potomac C
  • Session Number: 601
This session will provide an overview of the Medicaid program, key concepts that govern its policy and programmatic decisions, and the program's statutory and regulatory framework. The presentation is intended to enhance participants' understanding of Medicaid to increase the ability to participate in the program as well as to engage with policymakers to influence decisions.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Damon Terzaghi MSA
Director of Medicaid HCBS
National Alliance For Care at Home
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Prevent Emergency Department Visits By Understanding PCP Relationships and Home Health Service Opportunities
  • Room: Potomac D
  • Session Number: 602
Researchers investigated the prevalence of emergency department (ED) utilization by focusing on primary care provider (PCP) relationship support use by home health patients. This session provides a review of reasons why home health patients used the ED, coupled with preventable and non-preventable analysis. We will discuss when the home health patients could not wait for a home health visit, and the percent of patients using the on-call option versus following nurse and physician guidance to go immediately to the ED. This session will discuss the research findings, and which patients were admitted to the hospital from their ED visit. The researchers will identify opportunities for changing home health care options to better support the population of patients seeking assistance in an ED. The presenters will identify how PCP relationships are impacting home health patients and clinicians, payors, and providers.Read More
Speaker(s)
Carter Norbo-Girvin DPT
Physical Therapist
Continuum Home Health/University of Virginia Medical Center
Faculty
Catherine Harris MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Director
Continuum Home Health/ Univ. of Virginia Health
Faculty
Ha Do Byon PhD, MPH, MS, RN
Assistant Professor
University of Virginia School of Nursing Family, Community & Mental Health Systems
Faculty
Mary Crandall PhD, RN
Nurse Scientist
University of Virginia Health System
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Preparing Your Team for Your Absence: Lessons from CEO Jeff Salter's 9500-Mile Bike Ride
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 603
During this session hear from Jeff Salter, the CEO who biked across the US for 4 months, and Ian Klaes, the VP who kept the business thriving in Jeff's absence. Jeff's 9500-mile journey on two wheels was a feat that not only raised funds for a good cause but also proved the importance of a well-prepared team. Ian will share his experience of leading the team through the challenges of Jeff's absence, including the frequent questions of "Where's Jeff?" and "When is he coming back?" Learn how Ian managed to keep things running smoothly, from making tough decisions to dealing with the daily grind of running a 53-location home care business. And of course, we'll get Jeff's perspective on what it was like to ride every day, sleep in a different bed every night, and miss out on all the fun back at the office.Read More
Speaker(s)
Ian Klaes MPT
Vice-President of Caring Senior Service and Multi-Unit Franchise Owner
Caring Senior Service
Faculty
Jeffrey Salter
Founder & CEO
Caring Senior Service
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Health Equity in Homecare: Results from Studies using Mixed Methods
  • Room: Potomac 4-6
  • Session Number: 604
Addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) is a key approach to achieving health equity. In this session, we will present the findings from multiple research studies, including an analysis of national data (OASIS, MedPAR, MBSF, etc.) to understand how socioeconomic status affects infection outcomes for Medicare recipients receiving home healthcare (HHC). Using data from qualitative interviews and national surveys, we will describe staffing challenges faced by HHC agencies in rural areas and those serving primarily racial/ethnic minorities and explore the solutions the HHC agencies adopted to ensure quality care.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
  Andrew Dick PhD
Senior Economist
The RAND Corporation
Faculty
  Ashley Chastain DrPH, MPH
Senior Project Director
Columbia University School of Nursing
Faculty
Jingjing Shang PhD, RN, OCN, FAAN
Professor of Nursing
Columbia University School of Nursing
Patricia Stone PhD, RN, FAAN, CIC
Centennial Professor of Health Policy
Columbia University School of Nursing
Uduwanage Gayani Perera PhD, MS
Data Manager
Columbia University School of Nursing
Handout(s)
  • Education
CGS Regulatory Updates for Home Health Providers: Elevating Provider Knowledge
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 605
This session will be presented by the J15 HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), CGS Administrators, LLC. You don’t want to miss this session if your home health agency is in Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, or the District of Columbia, or other states where CGS might be your MAC. This session will address recent and future changes in Medicare that have or will impact processing and reimbursement of Medicare claims to home health agencies. It will also discuss common billing errors and resources for preventing and resolving these mistakes.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Nykesha Scales MBA
CGS J15 Provider Outreach and Education Manager
CGS Administrators
Category:
Handout(s)
Sponsored by

  • Education
Palmetto GBA: Updates from Your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC)
  • Room: National Harbor 10-11
  • Session Number: 606
This program, featuring Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) Palmetto GBA will include information regarding the most recent updates and changes in Medicare regulations that affect the states for whom Palmetto is the MAC, as well as potential future changes. Participants will also learn about documentation requirements, self-service tools, and resources that will enable them to better implement processes that ensure they comply with the rules.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Charles Canaan MPH, BSN, RN, CCA, CPC, CPB, APM
Senior Provider Education Consultant
Palmetto GBA
Faculty
Dan George
Senior Provider Relations Representative
Palmetto GBA
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Simplify Operations and Create A Clear Path to Next Level Success
  • Room: National Harbor 4-5
  • Session Number: 607
Using a Growth Positioning System (GPS) can help agencies discover their keys stages of growth by identifying where you currently are and the actions you need to take to reduce operational bottlenecks, team frustrations, and personal stress. Home Care Ops' Jessica Nobles will share best practices to streamline operations, as well as how to build a strong team, and grow a business that fuels your purpose and profit so that you can have the income and impact that you desire. Private Duty education sessions are sponsored by Generations Homecare System In My Team Kaleida Systems, Inc MatrixCare
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Jessica Nobles
Co-Founder
Home Care Ops
Handout(s)
  • Private Duty Summit

Tuesday, October 17, 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Expo Hours
  • Room: Prince Georges Expo Hall
The largest home care and hospice expo is open with 180+ solution providers to help you take your agency -- and your career -- to the next level. 
  • Expo Hours

Tuesday, October 17, 12:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Lunch
  • Room: Prince Georges Expo Hall
Join NAHC and 180+ vendors for lunch. Play the Explore the Expo game for a chance to win $5,000! (Game cards are in your tote bag.) Stop by the NAHC membership booth to find out what's new and to get a professional head shot taken. And visit the Bark Park and spend some quality time with local service dogs.  Lunch is sponsored by Red Road Health Solutions HomeFree Pharmacy Services Hospice Support Specialists Transcend Strategy Group
  • Meals/Receptions

Tuesday, October 17, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

HHFMA Innovations Committee
  • Room: National Harbor 6-7
Committee Meetings are by invitation only.
  • Committee Meeting

Tuesday, October 17, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Palliative Care: Its Status as a Loss Leader Must Change
  • Room: Potomac C
  • Session Number: 701
Palliative care has been a care concept for many years, helping many patients and communities deal with chronic care and the management of these conditions. Although this is a misunderstood care concept, it is equally misunderstood from a business perspective. In this session we will delve into palliative care and how it works to support communities. We will also look at the start of many programs, both within systems and within hospice providers, that we designated as “loss leaders” that were touted by the ability to direct more patients into acute services or create a better transition into hospice. In both situations, palliative care did not achieve those goals. We will unpack the reasons behind this, as well as how your agency or system can begin to better coordinate the palliative care model into your operations to utilize the value that these services can provide to the organizations and communities they support.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Michael Puskarich MBA
Director - Advisory Consulting
McBee
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Use of AI and Technology in the Home to Care for Patients with Heart Disease
  • Room: Potomac D
  • Session Number: 702
Care of the patient in the home has become more complicated. As technology advances, it fosters the ability to meet the complex needs of the patient in a more effective way. This includes identifying the best ways to educate the patient and caregivers, improving communication, and ongoing remote monitoring. Technology is extremely important for patients suffering from complex heart disease. In this session, you will be able to see how the latest technology/AI is applied to this patient population.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Steve Dentel RN, BSN, CPHQ
Director Post Acute Care Certification
American Heart Association
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
More than just dressing: How occupational therapy improves outcomes and supports success within the Home Health Quality Reporting Program
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 703
Since implementation of the Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), CMS has significantly increased the emphasis on quality of care over amount of care, tying payment to outcomes. At the same time, patients are going home sooner, and sicker, than ever before, and continued workforce shortages have further added to challenges in home care delivery. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners can play many different roles in delivery of home health services by improving efficiency, implementing new administrative requirements, and optimizing outcomes for patients, yet many providers and patients only think of OT when addressing dressing and bathing skills. Learn how occupational therapy intervention goes beyond basic activities of daily living skill training to achieve improved patient outcomes, reduced costs, and helps home health agencies ignite their quality reporting program success.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Ciera Whitmore MOT, OTR/L, COS-C
Occupational Therapist
Stillwater Medical Plaza
Faculty
Sharmila Sandhu JD
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Journey to a New Home Health Delivery Model
  • Room: Potomac 4-6
  • Session Number: 704
Post Covid-19 leaders recognize that meeting patient needs and increasing service demand would require changes, allowing clinicians to practice at the top of their license. Many home visit issues distracted clinicians from patient care and could be done virtually by other roles. Timely initiation of care and job satisfaction by clinicians was necessary. Administrative tasks were time-consuming and unnecessary tasks performed by clinicians. We created a new care delivery model allowing the patient to be the center of the care team. Case management and quality care were developed into central team roles to support field clinicians, allowing them to have satisfying patient care visits.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Elizabeh Ruello DNP, RN, NPD-BC
Education Team Coordinator
Sentara
Faculty
Sherry Kesler MBA, BSN, RN
Director Home Health Services
Sentara
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Let the Games Begin: Competing for Better Patient Outcomes, Higher HHVBP and Star Rating Scores!
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 705
Now that both HHVBP and OASIS-E have been implemented, how should you be working to improve your HHVBP Total Performance Scores (TPS), HHCAHPS and Quality Star Ratings? How do these programs intersect and which measures and data points should you be tracking in improving your patient outcomes and agency scores? Join Amanda Gartner and Chris Attaya as they navigate these programs and the operational approaches and strategies that will make you a winner.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Amanda Gartner RN, BSN, MSN, COS-C
Senior Clinical Documentation Manager
Corridor
Faculty
Chris Attaya MBA
Vice President, Product Strategy
Strategic Healthcare Programs
Category:
Handout(s)
Sponsored by

  • Education
National Government Services (NGS): Medicare Updates
  • Room: National Harbor 10-11
  • Session Number: 706
This education session has been designed to highlight the role of the JK & J6 Home Health Medicare Administrative Contractor and provide an overview of information regarding the federal Medicare home health & hospice benefits. Faculty will offer providers information regarding how to respond to an ADR, the most current NGS home health and hospice edits, as well as how to avoid and appeal your claim denials. Providers will receive the most up-to-date references and resources and contact information for future questions regarding the federal Medicare home health and hospice benefits.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Andrea Freibauer
HomHealth & Hospice Provider Outreach & Education Team
National Govenment Services
Handout(s)
  • Education
The Art of Fractional Sales Management: Optimizing Sales Teams for Growth
  • Room: National Harbor 4-5
  • Session Number: 707
The role of Sales Management holds immense significance in the expansion of a Home Care business as it spearheads crucial aspects such as hiring competent staff, training them, identifying unchartered territories, cultivating sales skills and overseeing daily operations such as ride alongs. What happens when your team is stabilized and reaching goals? You have a highly paid employee whose full-time benefit has lost his or her potential to be a revenue producing person.  Enter the fractional manager! We will cover: Define what a fractional sales management Traditional model for sales management Benefits and  of the traditional model Benefits of the fractional sales management Duties of the FSM I can just do that myself, is not always the right answer Private Duty education sessions are sponsored by Generations Homecare System In My Team Kaleida Systems, Inc MatrixCareRead More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
John Dalton
CEO/Founder
Optimum RTS
Handout(s)
  • Private Duty Summit

Tuesday, October 17, 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM

The Role of the Hospice Medical Director in Improving Quality Care. Imperatives for Success in a Value Based Future
  • Room: Potomac C
  • Session Number: 801
The role of a hospice medical director traditionally focused on clinical care and discipline specific tasks as part of the IDG. However the role is changing, with increasing responsibilities in areas such as regulatory compliance and quality improvement. This session will focus on the changing nature of the responsibilities of a hospice medical director. Particular emphasis on the changing nature of quality measures in hospice, the relationship between quality and value based payment methods, and the importance of the hospice medical director in quality improvement.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Michael Lalor MD, MBA, CPE, FACHE, HMDC, FAAHPM, FAAPL
Chief Medical Officer
Trellis Supportive Care
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
A Data-driven Approach to Support Effective Case Management of the High Risk Home Health Patient
  • Room: Potomac D
  • Session Number: 802
VNA of Ohio is a member of the VNA Health Group, a large non-profit provider of home-based services with just under 42,000 home health admissions in 2022. Innovation is imbedded in our mission statement. In 2015 we created the Connected Health Institute. Early projects focused on data collection, aggregation, and reporting. In 2016, we created specialty programs to care for specific populations. From there, the need to operationalize data from flat reporting into actionable information was apparent and we created a web-based application to organize and present information from multiple sources. Multiple times a day we mine Homecare Homebase to surface assessment findings that provide critical pieces of information about a patient and their individual risk factors, including social determinants and confidence in their ability to manage their condition(s). We have since expanded to wider patient populations with an evolving set of risk models and alerts, including sepsis risk.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Jeffrey Sommer PT, DPT, MBA, MS
Chief Quality Officer and Vice President of Clinical Innovation
Visiting Nurse Association Health Group
Faculty
Renee Coughlin PT, DPT, MHS
VP, Service Development Chief Operating Officer, VNA Ohio
VNA Health Group
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Collaborative Models of Community Medicine and Paramedicine: Reaching Hard-to-Reach Populations
  • Room: Potomac 1-3
  • Session Number: 803
Attendees in this session will learn about a new, innovative model of care, Collaborative Models of Community Medicine and Paramedicine. HCA E&R sought grant funding and multiple partners to initiate and pilot a multiyear plan that is currently underway in three rural and small community regions across New York State. Instead of focusing solely on statutory change, this initiative uniquely draws upon collaboration. Core health sector partners and practitioners from the hospital, home care, physician, and EMS sectors were brought together to tailor pilots to each community's specific needs, resources, and residents. The goal is to avoid ED episodes and visits, reduce hospital readmissions, and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations and ambulance transports. In the first year of the grant, community-centered collaboration among providers resulted in successful patient outcomes that can be attributed to continued education, communication, and trust-building.Read More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Kaylee White
Associate for Public Health and Policy
Home Care Association of New York State
Taylor Perre MPH, MSW
Senior Associate for Public Health and Policy
Home Care Association of New York State
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Top Questions to Ask and Answer Before Starting a Successful Sales Process
  • Room: Potomac 4-6
  • Session Number: 804
Join an information-packed session detailing how to best prepare for a successful transaction and avoid the clinical, operational, financial, and legal issues in order to maximize valuation, other deal terms and chances of a successful and timely closing.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
David DeGumbia
Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer
Compassus
Faculty
Joe Lynch
Partner and Managing Director
Stoneridge Partners
Faculty
Leslie Levinson JD
Partner
Robinson & Cole LLP
Faculty
Tom Lillis
Partner
Stoneridge Partners
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Home Health & Hospice Medicare Payer Panel
  • Room: National Harbor 2-3
  • Session Number: 805
Representatives from Palmetto, National Government Services (NGS), and CGS will participate in a panel to discuss vital home health issues. This is an opportunity to hear directly from these Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) about global issues impacting home care. Audience participation is encouraged and there will be time to ask questions.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Katie Wehri
Director, Home Care and Hospice Regulatory Affairs
National Alliance For Care at Home
Category:
Sponsored by

  • Education
Protecting Home Care Workers from Workplace Violence
  • Room: National Harbor 10-11
  • Session Number: 806
Join Johns Hopkins Care at Home in an interactive discussion on the recently published resource guide to create awareness about the work done by the Task Force, understand from the audience the tools needed to support the safety of home and community-based workers, and spurring national discussion on next steps in building a safety plan for your organization.
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Ali Byro
Director of Administrative Services
Johns Hopkins Care at Home
Faculty
Nathan Thompson RPh, MBA, MPH
Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer
Johns Hopkins Care at Home
Faculty
Rama Abou-Seif
Project Manager, Office of Strategic Alignment
Johns Hopkins Care at Home
Category:
Handout(s)
  • Education
Many Voices on Retention: A Panel Discussion
  • Room: National Harbor 4-5
  • Session Number: 807
Amidst the ongoing conversation surrounding the significant shortage of caregivers entering the care at home industry, it is crucial to also recognize the importance of retaining our current workforce. While efforts to attract new workers are undoubtedly necessary, prioritizing the retention of exceptional caregivers should hold greater significance. In this interactive session, three expert home care providers from various sectors of the industry will come together to share their invaluable insights on retaining top-notch caregivers. Attendees will have the opportunity to gain knowledge about best practices, innovative programs, and creative solutions. The session will allow ample time for discussion, questions, and fruitful exchanges, ensuring that attendees leave with actionable strategies to enhance caregiver retention within their organizations. Private Duty education sessions are sponsored by Generations Homecare System In My Team Kaleida Systems, Inc MatrixCareRead More
Speaker(s)
Faculty
Bob Roth BS
Managing Partner
Cypress HomeCare Solutions
Faculty
Neal Kursban
CEO
Family & Nursing Care
Faculty
Tabitha Dowd RN, MSN, EMC, SOLC, LGBH
VP Home Care Division
MAS Medical Staffing
Handout(s)
  • Private Duty Summit

Tuesday, October 17, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Happily Ever After: The Closing Party
  • Room: Riverview Ballroom
The Home Care and Hospice Conference and Expo comes to a close with Happily Ever After, the closing party, featuring dancing and great food and drinks.
  • Meals/Receptions