Joel Mills says his experience heading a nursing and HME company gives him a unique perspective on his new position as the American Association for Homecare’s board chairman.

For Joel Mills, home health care has always been about focusing on the human stories behind the mechanics of providing oxygen or fitting patients for wheelchairs. As president and CEO of Advanced Home Care, in Greensboro, NC, Mills has long instructed his staff to “Make Every Interaction Count” on a day-to-day basis.

“People don’t care if your computer is down or if you have to pick up your kids at 3 pm, they only care about the quality of your interaction with them,” Mills says. “And we want our interactions with someone to be the most important thing in that person’s day. When you get into that mindset, it makes a difference in how you provide services.”

Now this newly elected board chairman of the American Association for Homecare is applying that philosophy to his work on a national scale, and in particular with the legislators in Washington, DC.

“You only have certain opportunities to influence our legislators, so every chance we have to get in front of them, we have to make it worthwhile,” Mills says. “The way it translates for me is that I have an opportunity at a hearing or at a personal visit in a legislative office or at a fund-raising event, and so I need our message to be well planned. I have to be clear and concise and action-oriented in regard to getting their commitment for our support.”

By putting a patient face on home care and emphasizing the day-to-day, one-on-one interactions that change people’s lives, Mills hopes to bring the legislators around to an understanding that those in the business have long had about home health.

“The perception that we are trying to get across is that we are service-oriented,” Mills says. “Our business is not just about equipment. We’ve known that for years, but it can be difficult to get across to legislators. ‘Making Every Interaction Count’ will be an important theme during my tenure, from serving patients, to benchmarking with colleagues, to speaking with elected representatives or local media about the importance of home care.”

Industry Veteran
Mills certainly has the experience to talk to legislators about home health care in this country. He joined the ranks of Advanced Home Care in 1988, 5 years after it was founded. By the time he became president in 1993, Advanced Home Care had become one of the biggest HME and home health services companies in the country. Today, it exists as a joint venture of eight health systems in North Carolina, and it has a wide reach: Advanced Home Care provides DME, respiratory, home infusion, and home health aids at 12 locations throughout the state, and employs about 450 people.

“Our business model is a one-stop shop for home health, with the idea that you can get any of your needs taken care of here,” Mills says. “We wanted to be able to provide services across the spectrum of care too, so Advanced Home Care became affiliated with one of the three largest home health agencies in 1993. We now exist as a strictly outside business that our associated health systems’ patients are referred to for their home health care needs, including private-duty home nursing.”

The company continues to add services in 70 of the 100 counties it serves in North Carolina, and Mills says there are plans to expand that figure, including those areas contiguous to the state.

“We really do have to compete for business just like our competition does, and that means we have to provide a quality service and product,” Mills says. “The popular belief is that we have a ready-made stream of customers, but the people who make referrals don’t care that we are affiliated with their hospital. We have some other companies in the area that are doing well at competing with us.”

A Fresh Perspective
As Mills has worked to keep Advanced Home Care on top of the fields of home health and HME, he has also gained an advantage for his role as AAHomecare board chairman.

“I personally connect with the issues of both the nursing members and the equipment members of the association,” Mills says. “I understand all sides of the business, the things that drive the decisions. Home health is more about service and providing the medical personnel to take care of patients, while the equipment side is about providing the tools for that care, and when necessary the clinical approach as well.”

As Mills puts it, this gives him a unique perspective on how Medicare works. “We bill the Part A side on home health, and we bill Part B on the HME side,” he says. “We use both a prospective payment system and fee for item, which are completely different business models.”

Mills also has prepared for that role by serving as the chair of HIDA Home Care in 1998 and by being involved in its merger with the Home Health Services and Staffing Association (HHSSA) and the National Association for Medical Equipment Services (NAMES). Since the formation of AAHomecare, he also has served as secretary of the organization, on the executive committee, and as vice chairman.

“It was a natural progression through the leadership ranks, although it is an elected position,” Mills says. “And although it’s a 1-year term, next year I will serve as past chair, so I will really be involved at that executive level for 3 years.”

Respectability is Key
In his role as AAHomecare chairman, Mills plans to focus on government relations and building a better perception of the role of home health in all its forms. In fact, Mills was one of more than 200 representatives of the home health care profession to travel to the nation’s capital this past June and share personal stories about working in the field with members of Congress. Among the topics discussed were opposition to national competitive bidding and to a Medicare home health co-pay, and support for a rural home health benefit add-on and for a market basket update for home health agencies.

“The emphasis was on the value of home care and the contribution that the profession makes,” Mills says. “That contribution certainly is to the lives of our patients, but it also is a contribution to the health care continuum within our communities and to the local and national economy.”

Mills is certainly not alone in his quest to educate the members of Congress, and he makes particular mention of Kay Cox in her new role as the association president.

“Since Kay Cox started in June, she has done a super job of elevating the visibility of AAHomecare on Capitol Hill,” Mills says. “She also has done a tremendous job of communicating with our membership during this critical time. That process has been very beneficial.”

In fact, Mills says, AAHomecare membership is at an all-time high.

“I think more members are recognizing the value that AAHomecare is providing to them in terms of government regulation and networking opportunities,” Mills says. “There are lots of companies sitting on the sidelines and we need more to participate. Their dollars and their input will only help to enhance our visibility on Capitol Hill.”

Most of all, Mills says, when he listens to people in the industry talk about AAHomecare doing things more for home health or for HME, he realizes that the organization is representing everyone in the field.

“Home health is a tenacious and resourceful industry, one in which change and challenge are part of our daily lives, and overall, we benefit from helping each other,” Mills says. “While these may be specifically HME issues at this particular moment, we are better off advocating for change together.”

Elizabeth Finch is a contributing writer for Dealer/Provider.