Volume 11, Number 22 — December  7, 2022

Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,

Time is running out to register for Homecare 100 2023. Click on the Lincoln Health Leadership graphic on this page. Imagine Orlando in January! In My Life, I would not miss it. I hope to see you there too.

In this week's news

Guest author and home care attorney Elizabeth Hogue offers some cautions about giving gifts to referral sources at holiday time. A national researcher, SteriCycle, shared with us their new study about caregiver safety, including managing pharmaceutical waste in the home. 

We also offer two in-depth interviews in this issue with a couple of healthcare leaders you will be glad you met. The next installment of our "Meet the CEO" video series features Complia Health CEO Rich Berner. Rich is a longtime healthcare executive but new to our post-acute sector. After 18 months with Complia Health, he has put together a plan to create a single, common platform to serve home health, home care, and hospice agencies. We asked him to describe his initial impressions of our industry and outline his plans. To start this video episode, click here, or scroll down to this week's headlines and open "Complete List of "Meet the CEO" Video Episodes."

When we attended the annual user convention of our longtime sponsor AlayaCare a few weeks ago, we met their keynote speaker, April Hansen. Don't miss my write-up of our conversation. She is a highly respected healthcare executive and in demand as a keynote speaker. Most importantly, Ms. Hansen is a nurse and Group President of WorkForce Solutions for a national clinical staffing services company, Aya Healthcare. We talked about recruiting and retention of staff, the differences between hospital and home health clinical jobs, and the pros and cons of using temporary or traveling nurses in home health. Scroll down and open this week's "Rowan Report Interview."

Lastly, with this issue dated December 7, I decided to reprint a personal piece I penned eleven years ago. I was honoring the anniversary of Pearl Harbor and remembering my father's role in it. He was near the end when I wrote it and did pass three months later. I was reminded of that essay when I heard about two friends in home care who are dealing with that inevitable life event, the loss of a parent, right now. I hope you do not find it too self-indulgent of me to resurrect it. 

Happy Holidays

And So This Is Christmas, and Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah. Therefore, this is our penultimate edition of 2022. Look for one more, our annual look-back, the week of December 26, where we re-run the 10 (or so) most-read articles of the year. Even a glance at the headlines will help you reflect on the year and get a glimpse of the kinds of stories you and your colleagues found most important. 

Have a great week. Don't just sit there watching the wheels go round and round. Get out there and make a difference! 

Rowan Report Interview: April Hansen on Recruiting and Retention
Nation's largest clinical staffing company president advises home care owners how to cope with staff shortage crisis.

Attorney Cautions About Gifts to Referral Sources During the Holidays
Guest author Elizabeth Hogue's refresher on the Stark Laws could save you some holiday headaches.

Report Reveals Insights for Improving Patient and Provider Safety
Stericycle's Second Annual Healthcare Workplace Safety Trend Report focuses on concerns of Home Health clinicians.

December 7 Tribute: From War Hero to Father to Home Health Patient
December 7 always makes me think of my dad and his band of brothers at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Back in 2011, when he was nearing the end, my memories spilled over into these words. I thought it was time to take another look at it.