Executive Fireside Chat: Hot Air

Strange Tony,

Kindred at Home CEO David Causby and Hospice President Larry Graham spoke to employees via audio.  I asked my hospice co-workers about the company update.  They said:

• It had no meat, no substance.  It sounded like a political speech
• They talked about how great things are going and how management is doing great
• There was nothing for me in their talk
• The talk of excellence and making a great company is nonsense, given what they've done to our hospice, harming our service levels and quality of care

CEO David Causby said he achieved very strong financial results for the company by growing ADC (average daily census) and instituting very strong cost controls.

I believe my coworkers busted their backsides to serve our hospice patients while severely handicapped by a garbage-in/garbage-out Homecare Homebase (HCHB) and Curo's unreliable technology.  We waived goodbye to five co-workers who'd worked hard to serve our patients.  Local management promised merit raises during Q1 but they never arrived.

Causby talked about spreading the Homecare Homebase virus throughout the company.  It is infecting 15 home health sites with plans to make it epidemic at all 360 home health locations.  Causby said it would help with administrative and clinical operations.  Somehow he believes it will help with employee retention and recruitment.

Hospice President Larry Graham is of the same delusion.  He stated HCHB would "enhance the work-life balance of clinical staff and lead the industry in compliance and clinical excellence.

A nurse case manager in Florida wrote this on Indeed three days ago.  "The charting will take over your life. You spend all day in the field seeing patients then have to go home and spend hours charting. There was no real training on the documentation either, you just learn as you go. Every form requires an additional form which ultimately requires an addendum.. it’s never ending. On your days off you are expected to catch up on charting and are getting phone calls, texts and emails. It’s non stop." 

Two days ago a North Carolina nurse wrote about her Kindred at Home employment.  "NO ONE tells you that you will work from home the moment you get home until you fall asleep charting, wake up and chart more. There is no work life balance."

CEO Causby touched on benefits, that have only deteriorated under his watch, and our long promised merit raises.  The company administered a benefit survey that asked about benefit trade offs and possible new benefits, most of which were nonsense, like maid or handyman.  

Hospice President Larry Graham mentioned "enhanced benefits" in his talk but those words made no sense to my hospice coworkers.  In the real world Causby and Graham took away our Employee Appreciation Day and Floating holiday for 2019.  

David Causby said he wanted to "improve the benefit structure for all of our employees."  If Causby, Graham, Humana CEO Bruce Broussard and our 60% financial rapscallion owners meant that then employees would have equity stakes in Kindred at Home and something other than a pittance for a retirement match.  These executives are well aware of Kindred's miserly benefits package vs. Humana's.    

Long promised merit raises remain a distant vision.  Causby said executives are "looking at salary structure and plan to address merits in upcoming months for our company."  Apparently raises remain under the vise grip  of strong cost controls.

Graham dangled a golden future with Humana as our employer where executives would go above and beyond for patients and staff.  Through redesigning for excellence opportunities will be created for employees.

Causby tempered Graham's lofty future by informing us executives did the heavy lifting in standing up our company up over the last ten months.  He noted this transitional year had the company fully implementing HCHB in hospice which caused "a lot of stressful times."  Causby said "hopefully there will be more opportunities within the organization for individuals to grow, but it wouldn't be right of me to say this is not going to be a bumpy year.  I hope all of you can stay with us as go through this transition."  Causby and Graham bumped five co-workers out the door via the Curo model.

Causby said Kindred at Home is a good company that wants to be great.  "It starts with employees, feedback to us and how we can get better."  Here's one answer.  It starts with real relationship. 
Quit bullshitting us.

Anonymous

Humana Execs Toy with Kindred

Strange Tony.

Humana hosted its Q1 earnings call last week.  Humana President Bruce Broussard did not mention Kindred at Home directly in his opening remarks but CFO Brian Kane did.

Healthcare Services is performing in line with expectations, and our adjusted EBITDA guidance remains unchanged for the full year at $1 billion to $1.05 billion. Our home business, including both Kindred at Home and Humana At Home, is outperforming our initial expectations primarily reflecting higher-than-anticipated volume and increased deal synergies relative to expectations.

My hospice coworkers helped deliver those higher than expected volumes and we directly bore the brunt of increased deal synergies with the loss of experienced staff.

As it relates to Healthcare Services, we are seeing really nice performance in our Kindred business, in our Humana At Home businesses. Homecare Homebase is being implemented. That's going well. We're committed to getting on Homecare Homebase. That's one of the investments, as you point out, that we made this year. We think that will create a better clinical model ultimately for us as we continue to integrate with Humana. 

Homecare Homebase has made delivering higher volumes problematic with its overly complex, home health oriented clinical side.  It's business operations side made it difficult for employees to be paid for the full amount of time they work and miles they drive.  

Kindred at Home Hospice President Larry Graham told employees they rolled out Homecare Homebase "to enhance the work-life balance of clinical staff and lead the industry in compliance and clinical excellence."

Enhanced work-life balance means staff are free to document from home and not be paid for it.  The only place for nurses to document continued hospice eligibility is in the narrative.  Some nurses added a qualifier to address Homecare Homebase's garbage in-garbage out clinical rabbit trails.

Humana made $39 million in Q1 from its complex holdings in Kindred at Home.  My hospice coworkers received nothing from executives for their efforts.  President David Causby has long advocated not giving employees raises and turning a tin ear to their voices.

Hospice President Larry Graham knows his customer is Humana and its financial rapscallion partners.  Since its founding Curo has been owned by financial rapscallions.

Here's how Causby and Graham have impacted a key work-life measure, whether an employee would recommend their employer to a friend.  Less than half of Kindred/Curo employees would recommend a friend work for the company.  That's a stinging management rebuke.

Humana President Bruce Broussard did address Kindred with one Wall Street analyst.  

We have invested in Kindred based on a reimbursement change that would have some impact on lowering the impact from a therapy. But in addition, we see a great opportunity in being able to assist us in what our core business, and that is really driving down the cost of care through preventing hospital admissions.

Kindred at Home is a toy for Humana executives and Kindred at Home's abysmal duo, David Causby and Larry Graham.  As a result my hospice co-workers have much to bear.

Anonymous

We Can Give the Heart of Hospice Away

StrangeTony,

My heart grieves for the way my hospice coworkers have turned on their brethren after the Humana buyout.  Not long ago we stood united against sick, unethical management.  When management attacked we would surround a coworker with support and encouragement.  That has changed.

Fear set in after five coworkers received pink slips.  Longtime employees must believe the favor they curry with ignorant, arrogant managers will give them the upper hand in the next round of reductions.  It won't. 

Our management doesn't know the heart of hospice and cannot discern its beat.  But staff who've lived it, some for decades, know. 

Former hospice disciples turned Judas against dedicated coworkers.  Those who once surrounded peers in support have jointed management jackals in taunting "the weak." 

Management's insider club offers cruel words and dismissive jokes to the scorned. Mean Girls Management can't take the heart of hospice from us.  But we can give it away and I'm afraid that is happening. 

This is my prayer at this time:

Lord, protect us from evil imposed by those pretending to lead us to greener pastures.  Soften all of our hearts so that we may appreciate one another.  Provide us a mirror so we can see what is in our eyes, in our hearts when we speak ill of the other.  Even the scales so all people can be seen for the good they do, not just the favored few.

Lord, show our leaders that the pasture is for all, not an exclusive reward for being in authority.  Catch the victims of management cruelty should they plummet.  Hold them closely in your palm so they may rest and be renewed in mind, body and spirit.  Guide them to the next opportunity to do your will in this difficult world. In Christ's name we pray.  Amen

Wishing the peace that passeth all understanding to you and yours,

Anonymous