Lessons from Global Home Care Models for Utah’s Healthcare System

Lessons from Global Home Care Models for Utah’s Healthcare System

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Ruby Mehta: Alright. Welcome back everyone to CareSmartz360 On Air, a Home Care Podcast and my name is Ruby. I’m VP of Sales at Caresmartz, and today we are travelling the globe well in spirit. Why? Because we have got the one and only Matt Hansen, Executive Director at Homecare & Hospice Association of Utah on the mic.

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Ruby Mehta: Matt isn’t just any healthcare expert. He’s a visionary with a passport full of transformative ideas.

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Ruby Mehta: His mission? To inspire us to take charge of our health and well-being while also expanding healthcare access in developing nations. He has tackled everything from pediatrics to autoimmune diseases, neurological conditions to hospice care and even emergency response in the most challenging corners of the world.

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Ruby Mehta: Today, Matt is bringing a world of experience right here sharing lessons from global home care models. So welcome, Matt, and thank you for doing this podcast with us.

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Matt Hansen: Thank you, Ruby. I’m doing great. Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity.

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Ruby Mehta: Great, great. Thank you. So the world is all right now. It’s all everyone’s talking about technology. Everyone’s talking about AI. So I want to start this conversation with the AI.

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Ruby Mehta: So how can advancements in AI and technology seem in global home care models be adapted to improve care, delivery, especially in rural and rural areas, I would say of Utah.

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Matt Hansen: Right? Well, thank you. I mean, I’m excited about AI with the rest of the world.

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Matt Hansen: There’s a lot of hype regarding AI, and it’s interesting if I attend a lot of conferences and you go to conferences. And it seems like almost 30%

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Matt Hansen: of the exhibition halls are now AI. Now.

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Matt Hansen: So you know, for owners and operators, I’d caution them 1st of all, get to know the I am the company, because, even though there are some fantastic ideas. Not all of them are really ready for market yet.

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Matt Hansen: However, in the short term I really do see, the AI will be able to help with assist, with scheduling documentation

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Matt Hansen: and client, monitoring, as that ties into remote, patient, monitoring also.

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Matt Hansen: and then really helping providers become more proficient.

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Matt Hansen: however, in the future AI and virtual reality are also likely to provide many new care opportunities, for example, on-site diagnostics, virtual wound, care.

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Matt Hansen: guidance, and even home safety assessments. So I think there’s a really exciting future for AI, and we just have to kind of

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Matt Hansen: in some ways. Be patient, go along for the ride right? But really look. And and I think, as you, as we visit with our peers as well, and if people are onboarding and they’re starting to utilize a particular solution and can give a good reference. That’s probably the best way to know if if a certain service or product is ready for market yet.

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Ruby Mehta: Yeah. And I think, if I may it’s great. AI is great. Everyone is offering something or the other. But it’s people should actually

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Ruby Mehta: find the right tool for for themselves.

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Matt Hansen: Because not everything works for everyone.

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Ruby Mehta: Especially. It’s true.

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Matt Hansen: And I mean the whole concept of AI right? It’s learning. So it’s learning itself in the system. So by adopting certain solutions too early, you’re too early in that learning curve. It may be that it’s not providing the solution that you thought it would.

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Ruby Mehta: So yeah, I agree, I agree.

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Ruby Mehta: let’s talk about compliance for a second. Here compliance challenges Utah, home care and Hospice providers face. And are there global regulatory approaches that could inspire more efficient or effective solutions here.

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Matt Hansen: Sure great question. I don’t know. There are challenges in Utah unique to other states or other areas. However, we certainly do have our own challenges. Right? I mean, we experience them.

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Matt Hansen: We’ve received recently reports of some providers becoming complacent with infection control.

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Matt Hansen: Following the pandemic. I think everybody kind of let their guard down right. It was so stringent, so strict, to begin with, and now that we’ve distanced ourselves from that public health emergency.

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Matt Hansen: We are from our State at least, and from the survey team starting to receive some reports of that. Some complacency documentation is always an issue and providing proper paperweight work to clients on time. Also.

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Matt Hansen: for example, a copy of the plan of care or advanced beneficiary notice to home health clients.

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Matt Hansen: You know, it’s important that that we’re involving clients in the process, and that they’re aware of the plan of care, and that we’re following. And really making sure that we’re compliant with

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Matt Hansen: everything that’s particular to our state.

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Matt Hansen: We’ve also received a reminder that family members who are hired by an agency to care for a loved one. They also still need to have a background check. So, it’s interesting. We are seeing a lot more

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Matt Hansen: family members being hired by provider agencies with the with the staffing shortages that we have.

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Matt Hansen: and they need to remember they’re still an employee.

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Ruby Mehta: Yeah, you brought up a good point there, staffing shortage, caregiver retention. And that’s exactly where I wanted to go next.

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Ruby Mehta: you’ve traveled a lot. So, you address that caregiver shortage and home care, and what are some of the lessons or advice would you give to improve workforce recruitment, and also retention.

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Matt Hansen: Yeah, I mean, we’ve seen the shortage actually get better since its peak during COVID-19 or the Public Health emergency. However, it’s absolutely still an issue, and during the past year inflation’s probably been a bigger issue, at least for private duty, home care.

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Matt Hansen: But looking down the road, we know the staffing shortages are going to become even more of an issue.

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Matt Hansen: Our State, Utah, is the youngest state in the nation. In large part because of our birth rate

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Matt Hansen: we have a high birth rate which brings that average age down. However, our population is aging along with the rest of the country.

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Matt Hansen: and more caregivers and healthcare professionals are going to are going to be needed in the future. It’s that simple

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Matt Hansen: so groups within our state are trying to move upstream and introduce classes and job shadow opportunities for high school students.

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Matt Hansen: There’s also been a lot of discussion in committees. I sit on too many committees. There have been a lot of committee discussions about recruiting and retention efforts.

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Matt Hansen: However, if someone’s found that silver bullet for recruiting, I’m not aware of it yet.

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Matt Hansen: As a trade association or our State’s Trade Association. We’ve tried to provide our members also with some good solutions through community partners. I think there are a lot of different community partners, and even working with your Emr. For example, with your company, right and partnering.

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Matt Hansen: That experience that employees have is huge.

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Matt Hansen: In helping to foster retention.

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Matt Hansen: And then finally, more providers, as I mentioned

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Matt Hansen: in your previous question about family caregivers, more providers are turning to family caregivers as employees, or at least providing non-paid family caregivers with more support through training and resources.

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Ruby Mehta: Yeah, no, that’s a good advice. Definitely, it’s a mix of providing technological solutions and also support. And I have seen agencies they have rewards programs depending on how caregivers are performing and their daily conduct and everything. So it’s really there are. There are great tools, thanks.

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Matt Hansen: I think you really incentivize employees, right? I mean, a lot of those tools. And what I refer to as an allied partner or community partner is would be a 3rd party business, all right, a vendor.

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Matt Hansen: But they have some great apps. A lot of them are gamified now, so it encourages engagement. There’s ways that you can. You know a lot of people, a lot of providers saying, How can I afford to give somebody, you know, a gift card or to give them money and credit they can spend on on a gift card. But if you look at the cost of hiring and onboarding, it’s astronomically higher than it is to give somebody a gift card once a month.

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Matt Hansen: right? Or some type of credit in that way. It’s worth the investment. It helps your employees to to, you know, with job satisfaction. And and it really increases that stick ability as well as referrals. I mean, if we, if our employees are happy, they’re gonna tell their friends, and hopefully, you know, they choose to come and join our company as well.

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Ruby Mehta: Yeah, yeah. True. True. Just reflecting on on 2024, since we are at the tail end of the year. Now, what global trends in home care had the most significant impact. According to you. And how did they align with the challenges and accomplishments of Utah’s home care system?

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Matt Hansen: Hands down. I’d say the reimbursement has been the most significant challenge, both nationally as well as in Utah.

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Matt Hansen: The Medicare home health rate cuts have been devastating nationally in Utah. Our Hcvs waiver programs are on the brink of extinction. If we don’t get an increase in the upcoming legislative session.

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Matt Hansen: and then, for the 1st time, Cms. Recently recommended. A freeze

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Matt Hansen: on hospice rate increases, following the advice of Medpac.

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Matt Hansen: So, in addition to insufficient reimbursement rates, to say providers have had to deal with improperly denied med advantage, and Medicaid managed care claims

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Matt Hansen: even for episodes that were pre authorized right? So, as we’ve learned recently some advantage. Payers have actually been using AI to review and deny claims. So there is a dark side to AI as well.

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Matt Hansen: There’s certainly other challenges. But many providers are just so busy trying to figure out how to survive that they often don’t have much time to worry about or address the other issues.

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Ruby Mehta: Yeah, okay, and looking at 2025. Now, which innovations or strategies do you predict will influence the industry in 2025, and how can local agencies prepare for these trends?

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Matt Hansen: Yeah.

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Matt Hansen: And that’s the crystal ball question. Right? So I mean, based on recent election results. I believe that things are unfortunately going to become even more difficult for Medicaid providers in the near term.

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Matt Hansen: For example, we’re anxiously waiting to see what happens with the Federal medical assistance percentage or the fmap.

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Matt Hansen: And however, I’m expecting positive developments as well. Bipartisan leaders have really expressed a lot of support for care in the home during the last, you know, decade, but increasingly so.

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Matt Hansen: particularly during the last leg. Or, excuse me, Presidential

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Matt Hansen: term, however, or administration. But that support has to be more than just rhetoric. We need to pass important legislation like the preserving access to Home Health Care Act components of the Hospice Care Act.

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Matt Hansen: One thing we’re really excited about there is giving Hospice clients the the option to receive respite services in their own home.

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Matt Hansen: There is also the Access act. The 80 20 rule needs to be removed

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Matt Hansen: so legislatively, I think there we will see some of those wins in 2025. They also predict that we’ll continue to see some really cool technologies come to market, and with them also new business models and potential revenue streams for for companies.

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Ruby Mehta: Yeah, yeah, there’s definitely good things happening. And we hope for the best.

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Ruby Mehta: Yes, absolutely. Yeah.

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Ruby Mehta: Anything else, Matt, that you want to share with our audience today. Advise them. We are, as we just said, the final you know, few days of 2024, and everyone is preparing for 2025. Success? What’s what’s your advice for home Care agency owners.

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Matt Hansen: Yeah.

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Matt Hansen: thanks, Ruby, I’d say. Don’t lose hope right to go back on that. The pendulum. Yes, the pendulum effect. The pendulum oftentimes will swing too far this way, right? But it has to come back. Really, our officials, as well as the market itself, understand the value of care in the home.

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Matt Hansen: The future is in the home. I really believe that I’ve never been more optimistic about caring the home than I am right now.

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Matt Hansen: However, there are definitely some headwinds.

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Matt Hansen: There are some challenges, some struggles. I think the best thing that business owners can do is to become familiar, become aware of the options that are there to help them. There are all kinds of different programs. I mean, we’re working with some things with our

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Matt Hansen: members now, with different, you know legislation that’s been passed, and with the Affordable Care Act to give different credits

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Matt Hansen: to businesses where they can actually save, not only provide free supplemental insurance to their to their employees. But it’s actually a net positive because of the tax savings. So there are all kinds of programs like that. But again, people get so wrapped up in the reimbursement and claims that they just don’t give themselves the time that they need to run the rest of the business, or to look at other ways that they already mitigate those rate cuts.

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Matt Hansen: We also, you know, have to be careful with with how

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Matt Hansen: you know we’re addressing the rate cuts themselves. Oftentimes, I think it’s a race kind of to the bottom.

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Matt Hansen: and by accepting lower reimbursement rates that can’t sustain our businesses, but doing it because we want to be one of the only providers that’s on a panel. It doesn’t help us, and it doesn’t help the industry as a whole.

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Matt Hansen: So yeah, take time. We have to be business owners also, and not just operators.

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Matt Hansen: But yeah, that’s that would be my advice. People, you know, don’t lose hope. Take the time that you need to make your business successful.

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Ruby Mehta: Thank you so much, Matt, for your advice and for coming to this Podcast, it’s a great content for home care operators, owners and everybody in the industry. So I thank you very much.

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Matt Hansen: Thank you, Ruby. Happy holidays and happy new year.

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Ruby Mehta: Yeah, happy holidays to you, too. Goodbye.

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Matt Hansen: Thank you. Bye.