The Home Health Consultant

🚨 Is your intake team the MOST undervalued department in your home health agency? In Part 3 of our Scaling Home Health podcast series, our co-founder Mariam Treystman sits down with Austin Degenhardt, Managing Partner of HHA Pros Consulting, to discuss why intake may be the single most important (and most overlooked) part of the referral-to-admission process. 📈🏥 Austin specializes in helping ho...

🚨 Important Update for Home Health Agencies Waiting for Their Medicare Provider Number 🚨 If your agency has already passed its second survey and you’re currently waiting for your Medicare provider number, this episode is a must-watch. CMS has begun conducting Validation Surveys: unannounced site visits designed to verify information from your accreditation survey before moving your application f...

🚨 Most home health agencies think they know their referral-to-admission rate… until they actually audit it. This week our co-founder Mariam Treystman sits down with Austin Degenhardt, Managing Partner of HHA Pros, for Part 2 of our conversation on the hidden operational problems affecting home health agency growth, admissions, and patient care. 🏥📈 Austin specializes in helping agencies improve...

🚨 Are referrals slipping through the cracks in your home health agency without you even realizing it? This week on The Home Health Consultant Podcast, THHC co-founder Mariam Treystman is joined by Austin Degenhardt, Managing Partner of HHA Pros, to discuss one of the most overlooked operational problems in home health: the referral-to-admission gap. 🏥📉 Austin specializes in helping home health...

📋 California home health & hospice providers: are you prepared for your next license renewal? In this episode, Kelly from The Home Health Consultant breaks down how California home health and hospice license renewals actually work, including: ✅ When renewal forms are released ✅ Why July renewals always create confusion ✅ How California’s fiscal year impacts licensing ✅ What happens if you...

Hospice eligibility mistakes can cost your agency everything 💸 and most denials come down to missing just a few critical requirements. In this episode of The Home Health Consultant Podcast, Mariam Treystman breaks down hospice eligibility criteria under Medicare in a clear, practical way so you can confidently admit patients, document correctly, and protect your claims from denial. Hospice eligib...

Struggling to understand home health Medicare eligibility and why claims get denied? In this episode our co-founder Mariam Treystman, breaks down the exact criteria your agency must meet to admit, document, and bill patients correctly, and how to avoid costly mistakes. In this episode of The Home Health Consultant Podcast, we walk through the 4 core eligibility requirements: ✔️ Homebound status (w...

💰 Are LUPAs and outlier payments quietly impacting your agency’s revenue? In this episode of The Home Health Consultant Podcast, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down LUPA (Low Utilization Payment Adjustment) and outlier payments… two of the most misunderstood (and financially critical) components of Medicare home health reimbursement. Learn how OASIS, HHRG/HIPPS codes, and visit thresholds...

Why do so many home health and hospice agencies struggle to grow, even after investing in training, conferences, and business education? The answer often isn’t a lack of knowledge. It’s a lack of execution frameworks. In this episode our cofounder Mariam Treystman breaks down what framework consulting is and why it’s one of the most important concepts for scaling a successful home health or hospic...

If you’re new to home health or hospice charting, understanding frequencies is non-negotiable. In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down what frequencies are, how to read them, how they’re written, and why they matter so much in compliance, scheduling, and physician orders. This episode is especially helpful for: • New clinicians • Office staff touching charts for the first time...

Acuity levels aren’t just a clinical concept, they’re a critical compliance & emergency planning tool for home health and hospice agencies. In this episode, Home Health Consultant co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down what acuity levels really mean, how low, medium, and high acuity patients differ, and why getting this wrong can create serious operational and survey risk, especially during e...

MD orders are the backbone of home health and hospice care, and they’re one of the fastest ways agencies end up noncompliant. In this episode, co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down everything agencies need to know about MD orders, including: • What qualifies as an MD order (and what doesn’t) • Who is legally allowed to receive, write, and sign orders • How care plans, verbal orders, and “empty o...

Medicare cost reports are not optional and filing them late (or incorrectly) can stop your Medicare payments entirely. In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down everything home health and hospice agencies need to know about Medicare cost reports, including who must file, deadlines, cost report categories, and the real consequences of getting it wrong. If your agency is Medicare-...

Compliance isn’t something you “finish.” It’s something you maintain, even when you’re busy, understaffed, or putting out fires. In this mindset-focused episode, Mariam Treystman breaks down why doing things the right way matters, why “catch-up mode” creates stress and risk, and how small, consistent compliance efforts protect your agency long-term. If you’re running a home health or hospice agenc...

The Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC) is one of the most commonly misunderstood (and most frequently cited) discharge requirements in home health and hospice. In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down: • What the NOMNC actually is • When it’s required (and when it’s not) • The updated timing rules (it’s no longer exactly 48 hours) • How to properly deliver, explain, docume...

Survey deficiencies happen… but not every deficiency should be disputed. In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down how to decide when, why, and how to dispute deficiencies identified by surveyors, and when it’s smarter to accept them and move on. This episode is designed for agency owners, administrators, compliance leaders, and management teams preparing for surveys or respondi...

Insulin injection cases are some of the most scrutinized claims in home health ADRs, and many agencies don’t realize where they’re exposed. In this episode, Mariam Treystman discusses a real-world compliance strategy agencies use when caring for insulin injection patients: having social workers validate the lack of available caregivers to support medical necessity. ⚠️ Disclaimer: This episode is f...

Are you confident your hospice agency has the required contracts surveyors look for at accreditation and renewal surveys? In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down the mandatory hospice contracts that are reviewed at survey, why these contracts matter, what surveyors verify, and which ones can cause an automatic failure if missing or non-compliant, especially around Medicare cer...

Private insurance is a completely different world than Medicare, and if you’re not prepared, the mistakes can happen quickly and be costly. In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down the key elements every agency owner and management team must understand before working with private insurance, including: • In-network vs out-of-network contracting (and why rates are negotiable) • A...

Wondering why a good Quality Assurance Specialist is so important? In this episode, Mariam Treystman breaks down one of the most overlooked (but absolutely essential) roles in every home health and hospice agency: the Quality Assurance (QA) Specialist. If you’ve ever wondered: ✔ What does a QA actually do? ✔ Do they need to be clinical? ✔ How many QA reviewers does a growing agency need? ✔ Why is...

Should you start from scratch or buy an existing home health or hospice agency? In this episode, our co-founder Larry Treystman breaks down the real differences between the three paths you can choose. Including the risks, timelines, and hidden costs most people never hear about. Whether you’re new to home health, expanding, or deciding between building or buying, this is your essential roadmap. If...

If you’re a home health or hospice agency in California, ALIRTS reports are one annual requirement you need to understand. In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down:✅ What ALIRTS (Automated Licensing Information & Report Tracking System) actually is✅ Why every home health & hospice software must include an ALIRTS report✅ The statistical data California requires, and w...

Why did we create The Administrative Compliance Program? In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman shares the story behind the program and the gap it fills for small to mid-sized home health and hospice agencies. After decades in the industry, we saw how difficult it was for newer (and even seasoned) owners to find clear, actionable guidance, not just regulatory jargon. That’s where this pr...

Choosing an accreditor for your home health or hospice agency is a bigger decision than most people realize. Costs, survey timelines, rules, culture, surveyor attitude, tech systems, ROI, referral expectations, they all impact your operations for years. In this episode, our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down what really matters when comparing Joint Commission, ACHC, and CHAP, including insigh...

All agencies need to have an “alternate location” in their emergency plan…but does yours have everything you actually need stored there? In this episode our co-founder Mariam Treystman breaks down the exact forms, supplies, tech, and documents you must keep at your alternate operations site to stay Medicare compliant during a real disaster. If you don’t want surveyors (or an emergency) to catch yo...