Netsmart Carethreads Podcast

Mike Valentine, CEO, Netsmart
Doug Beebe, CEO, Benchmark Human Services
Anne Titus, Vice President, Benchmark Human Services
Dr. John Lovett, State Director, Benchmark Human Services
Sarah Chestnut, Director, Development Strategies, Benchmark Human Services

December 16, 2022

Benchmark Human Services has been uniquely successful in serving the most complex populations with a variety of models focused on providing individuals with comprehensive care to drive better outcomes. With a clear mission of serving people at the forefront, they’ve taken a lifestyle approach to care, adjusting their approach to meet the unique needs of each state, as well as to serve people no matter what their needs are today.

Maggie Cameron, Senior Solution Strategist, Netsmart
Eva Bering, MSN, MHA, RN, NHA, President, Bering Consulting LLC

November 30, 2022

The expectations seniors have for healthy aging is changing and it is up to continuing care retirement communities (CCRC), also referred to as life plan communities, to adapt. A tenured leader in senior living and long-term care dives into the changes, challenges and opportunities ahead to ensure long-lasting success for CCRCs.

Amy Wilson, senior solution strategist, Netsmart
Barbara Karnes, RN, end-of-life educator

November 10, 2022

Hospices around the country are dealing with a similar issue – staffing shortages. It’s forced some to reduce services while others have shut down. One renowned end-of-life expert has some ideas on how to retain staff and how to prepare hospice nurses for the rigors of the job.

Tom Herzog, COO, Netsmart
Dr. Eleanor Castillo-Sumi, Senior Vice President of Strategy, Innovation & Growth for Pacific Clinics.

October 25, 2022

All communities of care are faced with the challenge of navigating a sea of change, while at the same time trying to scale services to those in need. In this podcast, we’ll discuss how Pacific Clinics has learned to anticipate changes and transform accordingly. By focusing on strategy, innovation and growth, they’ve managed to serve 40 million people over the last 155 years, and continue to adapt and grow through an ever-changing landscape.

Mike Valentine, CEO, Netsmart
Hao Wang, Chief Information Officer, Institute for Community Living
Uday Madasu, Chief Administration Officer, Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services

September 30, 2022

Health and human service organizations are faced with the challenge of maintaining and improving care coordination, clinician satisfaction, and client outcomes with shrinking resources. In this episode, learn from two executives how emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence, have the power to simultaneously transform the client and staff experience, making their lives easier and enabling better outcomes.

Chuck Ingoglia, President and CEO, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Kevin Scalia, Executive Vice President, Netsmart

September 14, 2022

Learn about the importance of advocacy in driving change, and how recent funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) is the result of years-long advocacy efforts across the human services community.

Kevin Scalia, EVP, Corporate Development, Netsmart
Joanne Cunningham, CEO, Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare

September 06, 2022

A “really dramatic effect on access to home healthcare.” That’s how the CEO of the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH) describes the expected impact of a -7.69% permanent cut to Medicare home health services proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) starting in 2023. PQHH says the proposal amounts to a $1.33 billion reduction in 2023 alone. Providers and home health advocates are fighting back and are even receiving bipartisan support in Congress. Learn about the proposed cuts, concerns about the methodology behind their creation and how you can add your voice toward passing key legislation aimed at pausing these cuts.

Tim Rowan, Editor“Healthcare at Home: The Rowan Report”
Mike Dordick, President, McBee and SVP Post-Acute Strategy of Netsmart
Dawn Iddings, SVP of Post-Acute, Netsmart

August 04, 2022

The pandemic forced home-based care providers to throw out the old playbook and eliminate “this is the way we’ve always done it” mindset.

Now, providers must be able to prove to Medicare Advantage plans that they are not only the lowest cost setting but can also produce the best outcomes. How to do that is the big question.

In this episode, three industry experts share the key steps home health agencies must take today to be successful under Medicare Advantage.

Mike Valentine, Chief Executive Officer, Netsmart
Jim Parker, Editor, Hospice News
Dawn Iddings, Sr. VP / Managing Director, Post Acute, Netsmart

July 08, 2022

Palliative care is growing at an accelerated pace with providers beginning to unlock the keys to profitability through value-based contracts. By taking a deep dive into one of the most rapidly growing fields of healthcare in the U.S., we can understand why these predictions for growth point to palliative as one of the highest demand and most needed services in the post-acute care continuum and what the future of palliative care includes. Join us as we discuss team skills to expand service offerings, a technology foundation with robust data, interoperability, pursuing a value-based contract to improve patient care and reduce costs, and much more.

AJ Peterson, VP & GM of CareGuidance, Netsmart
Jennifer Miller, Program Director of Integrated Care, North Range Behavioral Health
Hank Watson, Chief Development Officer, American Health Partners

June 27, 2022

Learn how post-acute and human services organizations are successfully incorporating integrated care models into their programs.

Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart
Dr. Dennis Morrison, Ph.D., Chief Clinical Advisor, Netsmart

June 17, 2022

The past several years have seen accelerated technology application for healthcare organizations across the continuum of care, but this trend hasn’t always been the case. The origins of healthcare IT adoption for providers stemmed from the financial compliance era for electronic health records (EHRs). Historically, behavioral health providers across the country had been slower to adopt healthcare IT in comparison to other care settings; but the shift of bringing consumers and clinicians to the technology table has driven rapid innovation and development of solutions and services.

Rachelle Casto, VP of Administration, McLeod Addictive Disease Center
Melanie Conforti, VP of Medication Assisted Treatment, McLeod Addictive Disease Center
Christy Majors, VP of Finance, McLeod Addictive Disease Center
Mary Ward, President, McLeod Addictive Disease Center
Tricia Zerger, Director of Child & Family and Developmental Services, Netsmart

April 20, 2022

In this episode, representatives from the McLeod Addictive Disease Center and Netsmart discuss where addiction treatment is now and how the use of technology can take treatment to a whole new level. While the COVID pandemic created challenges for treatment, it also provided many opportunities, creating many roads to recovery.

Denny Morrison, Chief Clinical Advisor, Netsmart
Peter Flick, VP and General Manager of Bells, Netsmart
Mike Dordick, Senior VP Post-Acute Strategy, Netsmart and President, McBee
Danielle Ross, VP and Virtual Chief Information Officer, Netsmart

April 14, 2022

Employers in all sectors are facing labor shortages, and care providers are no exception. What can you do to create a work climate that reduces staff turnover and increases job satisfaction? The key word is ‘optimization.’ Hear our panel of healthcare experts discuss what it takes to elevate every facet of your organization – from a people, process and technology perspective – so your staff can thrive.

Kari Norris, Emergency Services Coordinator, Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB)
Brandie Williams, Deputy Executive Director of Operations, Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB)
Julie Hiett, Senior Director of Population Health, Netsmart

April 06, 2022

The 988 Implementation Act is drawing increased attention and funding support to the development of community-based crisis response systems. Because RACSB has been providing crisis management services since 2009, we spoke with them about their experiences and what other organizations can expect as they create and expand their crisis services.

Kevin Scalia, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, Netsmart
Keith Boushee, Director of Community Strategy, Netsmart

April 04, 2022

Identifying, preparing and applying for human services funding opportunities that align with your organization’s goals is crucial to better serve communities. In preparing to apply for grants ahead of time, one should think about how these funds can help grow and expand the business.

Wes Williams, PHD, VP & CIO, WellPower
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

March 17, 2022

In this episode, Wes Williams, VP & CIO at WellPower, talks about the transformation of the past two years and the rise of telehealth and how he’s working to make it a complement to mental health services rather than a complicated one — Telehealth has always been here, but the mindset is shifting.

Wenona Bowen-Palombi, Manager of Healthcare Informatics, Treasure Coast Hospice
Latessa Hinson, Vice President, Netsmart
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

January 06, 2022

In this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, Wenona Bowen-Palombi and Latessa Hinson, Vice President at Netsmart, share insider tips, pitfalls, and best practices of an EHR implementation.

Mary Madison, Clinical Consultant, Long-Term/Senior Care, Briggs Healthcare
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

December 21, 2021

In this episode, Mary Madison, Clinical Consultant, Long-Term/Senior Care at Briggs Healthcare, talks about MDS Coordinators and other critical roles that will help long-term care providers and reimbursement teams thrive in 2022 and beyond.

Amy Goldsmith, SVP of Care Management, SavaSeniorCare
Jeremy Mercer, Director of Post-Acute Care Strategy, Netsmart

December 17, 2021

In this episode, we interview Amy Goldsmith, SVP of Care Management at SavaSeniorCare, about leveraging technology and analytics to improve care coordination (and many other aspects of patient care).

Robert Love, Executive Director, Butte Home Health & Hospice
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

December 14, 2021

In this episode, Robert Love, Executive Director/Administrator at Butte Home Health & Hospice, talks with us about achievements that earned his agency a Fortune BEST Workplace in Aging Services, coming in at #5 in the country in the ‘at home’ category.

Dr. Michael Wasserman, Past President, California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine (CALTCM)
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

November 30, 2021

In this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, Dr. Michael Wasserman, Past President of the California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine (CALTCM), shares his recommendations for improving the quality and financial viability of long-term care.

Dr. Holly Miller, MD, MBA, FHIMSS, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), MedAllies
AJ Peterson,VP & GM, CareGuidance G&A- Human Services, Netsmart

November 11, 2021

In this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, Dr. Holly Miller, Chief Medical Officer at MedAllies, shares the benefits of and use cases for electronic transition of care.

Samira Beckwith, President & CEO, Hope Healthcare
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

September 23, 2021

In this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, Samira Beckwith, President and CEO at Hope Healthcare, unpacks what it means and why it’s so important for hospices to go back to the future.

Bob Sheehan, CEO, Community Mental Health Association of Michigan
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

August 31, 2021

Recent history has impacted many foundational elements of the behavioral health care delivery system as we know it. To make the most of the opportunities before us, we need to understand five key elements that are driving the delivery of behavioral health services.

Tim DeWeese, Director, Johnson County Mental Health
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

August 19, 2021

Law enforcement officers, especially the ones on the street, have so much contact with individuals who are having mental health issues. The notion of a co responder means embedding a licensed medical health professional with a police officer to provide immediate access to care for individuals in need, as well as many other community benefits.

Sonnie Linebarger, Chief Operating Officer, Bristol Hospice
Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

June 07, 2021

One key concept emerged from navigating the pandemic over the past year — self care. How can leaders of community providers across post-acute and human services navigate self care for themselves and their team members?

Paige Rockers, Client Alignment Executive, Netsmart
Sue Walker, Chief Program Officer, Hammer Residences

May 20, 2021

Missed Developmental Disabilities Month in March? Don't worry – let’s continue the conversation together. Sue Walker, Chief Program Officer, Hammer Residences, discusses how we can all work to create a more inclusive world together.

Tom Herzog, Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart
Kevin Scalia, Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, Netmart

May 10, 2021

Congress passed and President Biden signed the $2 trillion American Rescue Plan Act. How will it affect your organization?

Danielle Ross, Vice President and Virtual Chief Information Officer, Netsmart

April 29, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be challenging for all healthcare organizations, especially for those who didn’t have some kind of crisis plan in place. In order to adapt and prevail through an unexpected event that could disrupt service lines, organizations need to strategize ahead of time and define their roadmap to success.

Dr. Ron Manderscheid, M.D., CEO & President, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors and the National Association for Rural Mental Health
Tom Herzog,Chief Operating Officer, Netsmart

April 15, 2021

On this episode of Netsmart CareThreads, we talked about the future of behavioral healthcare post-COVID with Dr. Ron Manderscheid, CEO & Director of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors and the National Association for Rural Mental Health, and an adjunct professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Kristy Pyles, Principal, In Your Corner Consulting

April 14, 2021

Every dollar lost to fraud, waste, or abuse is a life impacted negatively. Kristy Pyles, Principal at In Your Corner Consulting, LLC, joined Hannah Patterson on this episode of Netsmart CareThreads to talk about implementing electronic visit verification (EVV).

Keith Boushee, Community Strategist Director, Netsmart
Ashleigh Hall, Grants Marketing Manager, Centerstone

April 13, 2021

Keith Boushee, Community Strategist at Netsmart recently sat down with Ashleigh Hall, Grants Marketing Manager at Centerstone, a leader in behavioral health care services to discuss the series of comic books her team developed with a goal of delivering mental health messages for teens. Designed to be colorful, action-packed and entertaining, the books are meant to educate teens in an approach that’s intriguing and enjoyable to them. Since launching the series in 2014, six installments have been released, and over 60,000 books have been distributed.

Carol Reynolds, Senior Vice President, Netsmart
Cheri Whalen, Regulatory Strategist, Netsmart

March 26, 2021

The ONC published a Final Rule in May 2020 that set requirements related to Information Blocking. These new regulations will significantly impact how providers manage consumer health information. Learn what you need to know now!

Erica Gregory, VP/GM, Revenue Operations, Netsmart
Carol Reynolds, Executive Strategist, Public Sector, Netsmart
Danielle Ross, CIO, Information Technology, Netsmart

March 02, 2021

COVID-19 has and continues to impact healthcare across the country, especially for public sector organizations. Many leaders are taking a closer look at operations to stretch their hard-hit budgets and do more with less.

Hannah Patterson, vice president and general manager, Netsmart
Joe Marte, client alignment executive, Netsmart.

January 26, 2021

A federal mandate called the 21st Century Cures Act required providers to comply with electronic visit verification (EVV) by January 1, 2021. That date has come and gone, and some providers are still concerned about what EVV holds for them.

Megan Gresham-Ulrich, vice president of marketing and business development, Maple Knoll Communities
Mark Plunkett, corporate director of information technology, Maple Knoll Communities

January 21, 2021

More than 70% of healthcare consumers prefer to receive virtual services for their conditions. And 72% prefer to track their health status virtually. Despite this consumer demand, however, just 2% of healthcare providers offered 80% or more of their services virtually as of 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed care delivery, resulting in mass-adoption of telehealth. How can organizations navigate this new virtual world?

Ernesto Lopez, CEO, Hospice of Washington County

January 06, 2021

As hospice care services evolve because of COVID-19, how do providers adapt and pivot? Equally important, how do organizations retain and engage care team members?

Erica Gregory, VP/GM, Revenue Operations, Netsmart

December 15, 2020

We were working on payment reform when life threw a giant curve ball into post-acute care settings—and everywhere else—last March. Organizations that hadn't yet bulked up on technology struggled at first, but industry-wide, we should all be giving ourselves a big pat on the back for how well we handled the changes.

Edo Banach, president & CEO, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

November 12, 2020

Along with a pandemic and a contentious election, hospice leaders have to navigate new payment models, diversify and expand services, protect the health and safety of patients and staff, meet new regulatory challenges and leverage technology to deliver care virtually. How do we navigate the path forward?

Doug Leidig, president and CEO, Asbury Communities
Jeremy Mercer, Netsmart

October 27, 2020

With more than 10,000 Americans turning 65 each day, the Baby Boomers are about to make their mark on the post acute industry. How will they shape what the future of our industry looks like?

Lisa Desai, Psy.D., director of behavioral consulting, MindWise Innovations
Lea Karnath, senior program manager, MindWise Innovations
Keith Boushee, Netsmart

October 01, 2020

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among today’s youth; therefore, we must continue to expand awareness and encourage individuals to take action. Awareness is the first step to prevention, and we all can play a role in supporting one another, preventing suicide and removing the stigma surrounding mental health.

Kim Kranz, president, Catholic Home Care & Good Shepherd Hospice
Jennifer Sherman, Netsmart

September 22, 2020

In COVID hotspots, hospitals and other health care providers quickly rose to the occasion this spring when faced with a rapid influx of new patients. Catholic Home Care & Good Shepherd Hospice on Long Island cared for more than 1,100 COVID-positive patients and 400 hospice patients who are COVID positive. They've also kept a rehospitalization rate to less than 1%. How did they do it?

Mark Parkinson, president & CEO, American Health Care Association
Jason Banks, Netsmart

September 15, 2020

2020 looked like a banner year for long-term care until COVID struck. Very soon, it became clear that our facilities not only would fail to escape the virus, but we would become ground zero for it. 

Balu Natarajan, M.D., chief medical officer, Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care
Jason Banks, Netsmart

September 04, 2020

In this episode of Netsmart, Jason Banks, vice president of post acute care for Netsmart talks with Balu Natarajan, M.D., chief medical officer with Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care.

Joe Parks, medical director, National Council for Behavioral Health
AJ Peterson, Netsmart

August 27, 2020

In this episode of Netsmart, AJ Peterson, vice president and general manager of Netsmart Technologies, talks with Dr. Joe Parks, medical director for The National Council for Behavioral Health and distinguished research professor of science at Missouri Institute of Mental Health with the University of Missouri, St. Louis.

Tom Herzog, Netsmart
Scott Green, Netsmart
Dawn Iddings, Netsmart

August 07, 2020

In this intro episode, host Tom Herzog talks with Scott Green, senior vice president and general manager of human services at Netsmart, and Dawn Iddings, senior vice president and general manager post-acute at Netsmart, about why we're doing what we're doing on this show.