Home Care Strategy Lab

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

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

#63 Most home care agencies treat dementia care as a service line. Full Bloom built an entire company around it. Jim Kimzey, Co-Founder of Full Bloom Home Care, shares the systems, training, and care philosophy that allow his team to successfully serve some of the most challenging dementia clients while helping caregivers, families, and staff thrive.Jim breaks down the three levers that drive better dementia outcomes, an eight-step process for overcoming care refusal, and the gold standard for supporting complex dementia clients at home. He also explains how a dementia-first approach can reduce caregiver burnout, ease operational strain, and create better experiences for clients and families. This conversation is a practical roadmap for delivering better care to anyone serving dementia clients and families. Jim KimzeyFull Bloom Memory CareBreakthrough: The Full Bloom Method for Overcoming Resistance to CareBest Practices Booklet—Dementia Home Care (Alzheimer’s Association)Danny Meyer's Salt Shaker Theory of Leadership Sponsors:Mertz Taggart—Home Care M&A Experts

#61 90% of home care calls still happen in crisis mode—after the fall, hospitalization, or cognitive decline has already escalated. Paula Marks, VP of At Home Caregivers, explains why the industry must move from reactive “sick care” to preventative wellness models before the caregiver shortage reaches a breaking point. From the growing demand for in-home monitoring technology to the surprising resistance coming from referral sources themselves, Paula breaks down what’s actually preventing families from aging safely at home—and why quality, prevention, and trusted partnerships will dictate the future of home care.Paula Markspaulam@athomecaregivers.comAt Home Caregivers Sponsors:Phoebe.work

#59 Scott Pierce didn’t come from home care—he came from broadcasting and healthcare software. But after navigating his parents’ complex health needs, he and his wife Amy built something entirely different in Savannah, Georgia. Eight years later, Coastal Care Partners is doing nearly $13M in revenue and 7,000 hours of care per week—all from a single location.Scott breaks down some of the unconventional decisions behind their growth:Why he focused on hours and Google reviews—not margins or EBITDAHow staying 100% private pay shaped their modelThe early bets on caregiver pay, training, and infrastructureLessons from distractions, failed ideas, and scaling without outside capitalAnd why most agencies stay stuck—and what it actually takes to break throughScott Pierce on LinkedInCoastal Care PartnersBook: The Aging Care Blueprint for Families by Amy PierceBook: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

#47 If you’re building a strong culture, social media is easy. If you’re not, social media feels impossible—and most leaders opt out. Nick Bonitatibus breaks down how home care leaders should actually be using social platforms: not as a sales channel, but as a weekly business tool. We talk about what content really performs right now, why raw posts build more trust than polished ones, how to attract referrals and talent, and what real relationship-building looks (and it’s not cold DMs). We talk about how to translate visibility and credibility into real business outcomes—tune in. Nick Bonitatibus on LinkedInDigital ChampsVideo Sales Accelerator Sponsors:Acrisure

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

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