Barb Jacobsmeyer, who is planning to depart as CEO and president of Enhabit Home Health & Hospice by next July, is confident the company is in a strong position, she told McKnight’s Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast. Reflecting on the challenges and successes of the last four years, including an activist shareholder that put pressure on the company to be sold, she said she has learned about her and her team’s resiliency. She is proudest of the clinical care the company has been able to deliver but also wishes change in certain areas, such as the company’s success stemming from its payer innovation strategy with Medicare Advantage plans, would have happened faster.
The biggest challenge facing home health providers today is the disconnect between the value that home health providers and the reimbursement environment, said Barb Jacobsmeyer, president and CEO of Enhabit Home Health & Hospice. Another difficult situation is negotiating with Medicare Advantage plans, which tend to pay lower rates, but that problem has improved as MA plans have realized the value of home health. Still, managing MA relationships is constant because it entails making a case about home health’s value and then making sure the payment is accurate. In the area of MA, data is paramount, she said. The last four years as CEO have been bumpy at times, particularly when a shareholder pushed for a strategic review based on the company’s declining share price, she noted. She was able to weather the storm because shareholders believed the company had the right strategy. In terms of advocacy, stopping home health cuts is a top priority. It’s also important that MA updates trickle down to home health. The next CEO of Enhabit needs to think innovatively and figure out how to care for more patients with less staff, she said. Even if the company is sold or goes private, the mission of helping patients and families does not change, she insisted.
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Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Barb Jacobsmeyer, President and CEO, Enhabit Home Health & Hospice