Home Care Strategy Lab

Miriam Allred
  • 5.0 (17)
  • MANAGEMENT

Is there a single right way to run a home care agency? We sure don’t think so. That’s why we’re interviewing home care leaders across the industry and asking them tough questions about the strategies, operations, and decisions behind their success. Join host Miriam Allred, veteran home care podcaster known for Home Care U and Vision: The Home Care Leaders’ Podcast, as she puts high-growth home care agencies under the microscope to see what works, what doesn’t, and why. Get ready to listen, learn, and build the winning formula for your own success. In the Home Care Strategy Lab, you are the scientist.

  1. How Coastal Care Partners Built a One-of-a-kind Integrated Care Model (Amy Pierce)

    6D AGO

    How Coastal Care Partners Built a One-of-a-kind Integrated Care Model (Amy Pierce)

    #60 Amy Pierce spent more than 20 years as a nurse and saw firsthand how fragmented healthcare makes it incredibly difficult—especially for older adults—to navigate.  In 2018, she and her husband Scott set out to fix that. They started with nurse-led care management, quickly growing to ~10 clients before expanding the team—and within just six months realized they needed to bring caregiving in-house to control quality and outcomes.  About 1–2 years later, they added clinical oversight so they could handle situations like a 4pm Friday change in condition without sending clients to the ER. Fast forward 8 years, Coastal Care Partners has grown to 340+ employees and become the largest single-site home care company in Georgia, with an integrated team that includes physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and therapists—even operating multiple primary care practices and specialty services.  Their caregivers go through a 100-hour internal training program, reinforcing their reputation as “elite” providers in their market. Amy shares how they built this model step-by-step—“building the airplane while flying it”—why hiring and communication are everything, and how integration allows them to manage rising conditions like dementia, Parkinson’s, and heart disease more effectively at home.  She also breaks down the operational lessons, leadership challenges, and why she believes integrated care is the future of aging services. Show Notes: Amy Pierce on LinkedInCoastal Care PartnersBook: The Aging Care Blueprint for Families by Amy PierceEOS—Entrepreneurial Operating System for businesses Sponsors: Mertz Taggart—Value Accelerator Program

    1h 3m
  2. Scaling to $13M Without Investors, Diversified Payers, or Traditional Playbooks (Scott Pierce)

    MAY 5

    Scaling to $13M Without Investors, Diversified Payers, or Traditional Playbooks (Scott Pierce)

    #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 through Scott Pierce on LinkedInCoastal Care PartnersBook: The Aging Care Blueprint for Families by Amy PierceBook: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara

    1h 10m
  3. The Office Team, SOPs, and Networking that Took Him from 700 to 3,000 Hours/Week (Conant Schoenly)

    APR 28

    The Office Team, SOPs, and Networking that Took Him from 700 to 3,000 Hours/Week (Conant Schoenly)

    #58 His father founded the first home care company in Connecticut in 1985. After leaving to pursue a career in finance and private equity, Conant rejoined the family business in 2018. What he walked into? Whiteboards, minimal systems, and plenty of opportunity. In less than eight years, he’s helped 4x the business, driven by thoughtful change management, stronger office staff, and continuous process improvement. Conant breaks down how he hires and develops his office team, how they approach micro vs. macro SOP changes, and why regularly visiting other home care operators has been a game-changer for challenging his thinking and bringing fresh ideas back to the business.  Conant SchoenlyCharter Oak Home Care Sponsors: Phoebe

    1h 6m
  4. The 6 Preventable Gaps Driving 30-Day Readmissions (Ethan Guerrieri)

    APR 21

    The 6 Preventable Gaps Driving 30-Day Readmissions (Ethan Guerrieri)

    #57 The federal government invested $500 million to understand why seniors are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days—and uncovered six key “preventable” gaps driving the problem. Ethan Guerrieri, VP of Operations at Preferred Care at Home, breaks down the research, explains each gap, and shares how his team turned these insights into their Smooth Transition Care Program. Designed for hospitals and SNFs, this evidence-based approach equips case managers and discharge planners with the tools and education they need to reduce readmissions—and shows why home care is the missing link in keeping clients safely at home. Ethan GuerrieriPreferred Care at HomeSmooth Transition Care BROCHURESmooth Transition Care FLYERSmooth Transition Care PERSONAL HEALTH RECORD Sponsors: GUIDE-Ready Respite Provider Program (Debbie Miller + Harmonic Health)CMS GUIDE Participant List (spreadsheet download)

    1 hr
  5. What 110,000+ Caregiver Applicants are Telling Us (Jen Waldron)

    APR 14

    What 110,000+ Caregiver Applicants are Telling Us (Jen Waldron)

    #56 From 110,713 caregiver applicants, 76% of those hired live less than 20 miles from the center of an agency’s service area. Location, hours, and pay are a few of the most important things applicants care about according to Jen Waldron, Co-Founder of Augusta. Every quarter, Augusta publishes the Recruitment Benchmark Report that details top recruitment channels, interview preferences, time-to-hire stats, previous caregiving experience, and top benefits applicants are looking for. Jen shares data and insights she’s gleaned having seen nearly 1 million caregiver applications over the years—the results are simple, yet staggering.   Jen WaldronAugusta - Home Care Recruitment Operating Solution Augusta Q4 2025 Caregiver Recruitment Benchmark Report Sponsors: Mertz Taggart—check out their Value Accelerator ProgramPocketRN—team up with a GUIDE partner

    1h 2m
  6. How CareAdvantage Integrates Virtual Assistants into Recruiting and On-Call (Olivia Jones)

    APR 7

    How CareAdvantage Integrates Virtual Assistants into Recruiting and On-Call (Olivia Jones)

    #55 Adding virtual assistants hasn’t just been a cost-strategy, it’s become a growth strategy for CareAdvantage. EVP Olivia Jones shares how initial skepticism gave way to a fully integrated model supporting both recruiting and on-call operations. Today, a team of 6 VAs drives the top of the recruiting funnel—each completing ~220 calls per week and collectively bringing in 40+ new caregivers weekly, while also placing dozens into their new caregiver training program. Olivia explains down how they hire, onboard, and train VAs like any other team member, and why that’s critical to success. She also unpacks how they’re unraveling a 30+ person, reactive on-call model with a proactive, live-answer approach that improves both cost and quality. The integration of VAs is creating a new hybrid operating model that’s helping CareAdvantage cut costs, improve quality, and increase accessibility.  Olivia JonesCareAdvantageHelper Heroes - Home Care VAs / mention the Lab Sponsor: Phoebe—mention LAB for 10% off

    1 hr
  7. How Debbie Miller is Approaching $1M from GUIDE—And Giving Away Her Exact System

    MAR 31

    How Debbie Miller is Approaching $1M from GUIDE—And Giving Away Her Exact System

    #54 So you joined the GUIDE Program…but referrals aren’t coming in like you expected. Now what? That’s exactly where Debbie Miller—Owner of Senior Helpers Nashville and Founder of 52 Weeks Marketing—found herself. Instead of waiting, she got to work. After running into gaps during implementation, Debbie didn’t just “figure it out”—she built a complete system around GUIDE: A step-by-step process to train her teamA way to onboard and track every referralProven marketing to sell GUIDE to current clients, referral partners, and new familiesOngoing coaching and supportShe partnered with Harmonic Health to bring it all together—and the results speak for themselves: 1) over $500K generated (and climbing toward $1M) from GUIDE clients and 2) significant additional revenue from added hours. Debbie calls GUIDE “the best thing to hit home care in 20 years”—but only for providers who take action.If you’re sitting on GUIDE and waiting for it to work… this is what it actually looks like to make it work. Debbie Miller on LinkedInSIGN UP HERE for GUIDE-Ready Respite Provider ProgramPodcast slide deck52 Weeks Marketing—turnkey home care sales systemHelper Heroes—home care trained virtual assistants  Sponsors: Acrisure—mention the 'LAB'

    1h 3m
  8. Should Home Care Build, Buy, or Partner with Care Management (Steve Barlam)

    MAR 24

    Should Home Care Build, Buy, or Partner with Care Management (Steve Barlam)

    #53 “Care managers turn chaos into clarity—bridging what families want with what their loved ones truly need.” Steve Barlam, a 40+ year geriatric care management leader, former ALCA president, and CEO of JFS Care, shares lessons from building one of the most integrated care management–led home care models in the country. He breaks down the critical differences between home care management and aging life care management, and why clarity in terminology and scope are essential for both families and providers. We unpack the business realities of adding care management—from recruiting the right talent to navigating pricing, market demand, and referral dynamics. Steve also explains how care management can both drive home care growth and coexist with external partners when done thoughtfully. He offers a forward-looking perspective on the industry, adapting to technology, coaching families, and the urgent need to scale care management to meet the growing demand. Steve Barlam on LinkedInJFS Care Thoughtful Engagement ProgramALCA—Aging Life Care Association Care Management Certification bodies:NACCM CCMC NASW Sponsors: Phoebe—mention 'LAB' for 10% off

    1h 2m
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5
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Is there a single right way to run a home care agency? We sure don’t think so. That’s why we’re interviewing home care leaders across the industry and asking them tough questions about the strategies, operations, and decisions behind their success. Join host Miriam Allred, veteran home care podcaster known for Home Care U and Vision: The Home Care Leaders’ Podcast, as she puts high-growth home care agencies under the microscope to see what works, what doesn’t, and why. Get ready to listen, learn, and build the winning formula for your own success. In the Home Care Strategy Lab, you are the scientist.

Information

  • Creator
    Miriam Allred
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Home Care Strategy Lab LLC
  • Show Website
    Home Care Strategy Lab

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