Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice

08/08/2025

It's podcast time! 📽️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEIaq1EHcM0 We have reinvented our monthly member update, the Hot Topic Forum, from a live webinar to a podcast. Our hope is that the new format is a better fit for your busy schedule. This month's conversation included team members Lisa Von Lehmden & Drew Cook with Provider Help Desk Experts Kristy Pyles, Hope Mullikin, and Cheryl Meister.

Total transparency - we're podcast rookies 😉 but the information is solid and we had a lot of fun. It's under 30 minutes and we hope you watch/listen!



🪕 Thanks to Jen Goldsberry for our official theme song 🪕

The Ohio Council for Home Care & Hospice has reinvented it's monthly member update from a live webinar to a pre-recorded podcast format. Our hope is that the...

08/05/2025

We're thrilled to announce that our Executive Director Lisa Von Lehmden has joined the Steering Committee for the National 2025 Healthcare at Home Best Practices Study kicking off this fall. We need your voice to ensure this study reflects the real challenges and opportunities YOU see every day. By August 18, please take 3 minutes on this short input survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2025study

Our focus includes Home Health, Hospice, and Private Duty, so whether you’re an agency leader, staff member, board member, or simply passionate about advancing home-based care — your perspective is essential. Thank you for helping move our industry forward. Let’s build the future of home care, together!

Read the full announcement here: https://www.berrydunn.com/news-detail/berrydunn-announces-the-national-healthcare-at-home-2025-best-practices-study

BerryDunn

07/03/2025

CALL TO ACTION! 📢 The Ohio Council for Home Care & Hospice stands with National Alliance for Care at Home in opposition of proposed cuts to home care by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Home and community-based care is a proven solution to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. The proposed rule includes policies that would reduce payments to home health agencies by over $1 billion dollars in 2026. This is not a sensible solution to advancing America's health care system into a sustainable and caring future. This will take us backwards, not forwards.

We ask all Ohioans to make your voice heard by CMS and your elected officials during the critical comment period ending September 2. Here are links to help you reach out.

📢 CMS comment page: https://www.regulations.gov/document/CMS-2025-0242-0002 Comments must be received no later than 5 pm EDT on September 2, 2025.

📢 Find your legislator: https://findmydistrict.ohiosos.gov/
Send them an email or call their office to comment.

📚 Press release from CMS about the proposed 2026 Rule: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/calendar-year-cy-2026-home-health-prospective-payment-system-proposed-rule-fact-sheet-cms-1828-p

📚 Alliance statement on the proposed 2026 Rule: https://allianceforcareathome.org/the-alliance-responds-to-cy-2026-home-health-proposed-rule/



https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stevelandersmd_the-alliance-responds-to-cy-2026-home-health-activity-7345567784371732480-aq4U

Sad, angry, confused---why in 2025 would we be gutting America's home health system? This proposal from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services threatens the health, safety, and very lives of our most vulnerable community members. Home health is a solution to the rising cost of health care....

06/26/2025

Thank you, Steve Landers at the National Alliance for Care at Home for including us, and having Lisa Von Lehmden join this critical conversation with Sen. Moreno about protecting essential support for Ohio families. It was an honor to stand virtually alongside of you to advocate for home and community based services in Ohio. These programs are not only lifelines for families-they are the foundation of a more compassionate and effective healthcare system.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stevelandersmd_medicaid-home-and-community-based-services-activity-7344017891060539393-hbvT

Medicaid home and community based services must be protected—-these programs are among the most compassionate, highest value parts of the healthcare system. Families facing the challenges of aging with serious illness and supporting children with complex care needs depend on these lifelines—and ...

06/25/2025

Hello and wow we have some big news! The agenda for the OCHCH Annual Conference & Trade Show is officially complete! We had so many excellent speaker submissions and honestly, we are simply stunned now that we've put all the content side by side. It's going to be fantastic! EARLY BIRD rates through July 15th! https://ochch.org/annual-conference/agenda

06/10/2025

Show your support on the green! Our upcoming golf outing directly supports the Ohio Council for Home Care & Hospice PAC—our strongest tool in advocating for meaningful change, reforms, and essential initiatives impacting home and community-based care across the state. This year, we are working tirelessly to ensure our industry is treated fairly in the upcoming state budget - but advocacy takes more than energy and effort. It takes resources. We need you.

Sponsoring a hole is an easy, visible way to show your support for this mission. Your brand will be proudly displayed on the course, showing all 150+ in attendance that you are part of the solution — standing up for provider-friendly policies and for the future of care in Ohio.

Please consider saying yes to a hole sponsorship today. Sign up online: https://birdease.com/ochch

06/10/2025

Hey golfers! What would summer be without our annual outing? Well, this year we have two! It’s more than just a beautiful day on the greens—it’s an opportunity to support our PAC, network with fellow providers, and renew our shared commitment to the mission that connects us. Join our Executive Director Lisa Von Lehmden & Team on Monday, July 28 at Red Tail Golf Club in Avon (RSVP: https://birdease.com/ochch) and Friday, September 26, at PipeStone Golf Club in Miamisburg (RSVP: https://birdease.com/ochchsouthwest). There is a networking-only option too!

06/06/2025

Change is constant, but effective leaders don’t just manage change; they lead it. Join us for an exciting six-part series led by Dan Docherty, PhD. Explore the neuroscience behind change management and decision-making, giving you the tools to understand how the brain reacts to change and how to guide teams through uncertainty with confidence. RSVP and learn more at https://council.ochch.org/events/Details/neurocoaching-leadership-series-1397742. Download a brochure: https://ochch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/OCHCH-Braintrust-Leadership-2025.pdf

Register by JULY 16TH to attend all six sessions!

05/01/2025

We have three special online educational sessions coming up soon that you don’t want to miss! Register on https://council.ochch.org/events to join us for a detailed conversation on the intricacies of Managed Care. Katie Eisel, Payer Relations Director at Ohio Community at Home Network (OCHN), will present this three-part series of educational webinars.

All webinars will be on Zoom from 11 am to Noon on a Tuesday.
May 6 (next week!) – Authorizations
May 20 – Owning the Plan of Care
June 3 – Denials & ADRs

04/10/2025

🚨 Know someone new to home healthcare or hospice care? Please share this!

Researchers at Ohio State University are testing a virtual safety training tool designed to help home-based care providers (like nurses, aides, social workers, and therapists) recognize and manage safety risks in client homes.

They’re looking for new or future home healthcare workers to try the program and provide feedback.

🧠 Participants will:
✅ Complete a short survey
✅ Try the training software
✅ Apply what they learn in a home-like environment

📍 Where: Ohio State University – Columbus
⏰ Time: 1.5–2 hours at a time that works for you
💳 Compensation: $100 gift card

🔹 Must be:
- 18 or older
- Living in Ohio
- New to home healthcare or preparing to start
- Have little or no formal safety training

Share this flyer:https://ochch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/OCHCH-OSU-Grant-Flyer-4-2025.pdf

📩 Interested?
Contact **Savannah Meinen** at savannah.meinen@osumc.edu or call (815) 708-1276.

Let’s work together to improve safety for those who care for others in the home. 🙌

03/14/2025

It's time for Palmetto GBA! Visit https://lnkd.in/gVTzPuhy and join us in person at the Spring Financial Conference on March 19+20 for two days of content from thought leaders in the home care & hospice fields. Plus networking! ★★ Our keynotes will be delivered by Charles Canaan and Marlene Frierson from Palmetto GBA! Each session is approved for 4 Nursing Contact Hours.

• Hospice in the news, National data, utilization, length of stay and level of service, documentation, CERT, TPE. Followed by a 2025 Final Rule Summary, Updates and Reminders, VBID, Palmetto eServices, TPE, CERT, and provider resources.

• Review of a good compliance program, Special Areas of OIG Concern, Survey Deficiencies, Claims at Risk for Incorrect Billing, Avoiding Medical Necessity Denials, Nursing process, documentation and more! Followed by a 2025 Final Rule Summary, key reminders for agencies, how to use Palmetto’s tools, CERT Updates and educational resources for providers.

Full agenda at https://ochch.org/education/sfc. Featuring keynotes from Palmetto GBA!

03/13/2025

Time to register! Visit https://lnkd.in/gVTzPuhy and join us in person March 19+20 at The Spring Financial Conference for two days of content from thought leaders in the home care & hospice fields. Plus networking! ★★ Amanda Waesch with Brennan Manna Diamond will ensure we are up to speed on Corporate Document Checklists.

This session will explore essential deal terms and concepts that should be considered and incorporated to ensure less tumultuous corporate operations and prevent business break-ups. This session will explore key concepts of employment agreements and corporate agreements.

Full agenda at https://ochch.org/education/sfc. Featuring keynotes from Palmetto GBA!