Survive and Thrive in the Home Health Industry- Come to ASA and Learn All About It!
In the words of Bob Dylan, “the times they are a changin’.” By 2030, there will be about 72.1 million older adults, more than twice their number in 2000, according to the Administration on Aging. It’s time for aging industry leadership to shift thinking from the status quo to thinking about how we’re going to solve the influx of aging issues before us.
Thankfully, the 2015 Aging in America Conference is about a month away, and it’s the only summit that is totally focused on issues that an aging population will face, and what’s being done to create fail-safe systems to handle the extraordinary numbers that will cause unprecedented usage of our care systems. This year, I’m proud to be among the presenters—co-presenting with Sam Smith, Chief Culture Officer and Vice President of AXXESS—at the annual conference of the American Society on Aging.
When it comes to the industry, we need to be prepared, we need to become future thinkers and planners to be equipped to meet the demands of the what’s to come. Our workshop entitled Home Centered Care is the Model for the Future of Home Health: Chronic and Value Added will cover what home health agencies need to know and do today to prepare them to survive and thrive in the future. Sam and I have been attending the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation workshop and symposium held recently in Washington, DC. The AHHQI workshop was held at the Institute of Medicine with the National Research Council, and the topic was The Future of Home Health. A follow up symposium covered the salient topics in more depth. Sam and I are continuing that dialog as to what the future of home health will look like, and how the industry needs to change to meet the demands of the future.
Home health, as a benefit, was never intended to cover long-term chronic care, rather it was established to cover post-acute care (care after a hospitalization), and the need has changed to one of more chronic care. In order for our nation to be prepared for the current and continuing aging of its population, the entire health care delivery system has to change to meet the needs. A system focused on home-centered care that incorporates all sectors of the health care delivery system is what we are predicting for the future, but that means a lot of changes.
Sam and I will dive into those necessary changes, looking at what is happening in the CMS innovative grants, how insurance companies are now in the business of managing care of larger populations, and what it means to use bundled payments and diversify reimbursements.
In our own point-counterpoint presentation style, Sam will bring his areas of expertise to the podium—technology, finance and business development—and I’ll bring my competence on aging and home care expertise, a wealth of industry knowledge and the futurist aspect.
This year’s annual conference of the American Society on Aging will take place in Chicago from March 23-27. Book your tickets now, and set aside time in your itinerary to be a part of our workshop on day two of the conference.
The conference is the perfect opportunity to spend five full days of important educational and networking opportunities with worldwide leaders in the industry. Topics at the event will cover aging in community, retirement, health and wellness, elder justice, caregiving, older workforce, long-term services and supports, new legislation and regulations, public policy and everything in between.
It is the future thinker and the future planner who will be prepared to meet the demands of the future. Proclaim yourself as a futurist, attend the Aging in America Conference, and be prepared for the great wave of change coming toward us.