Home Care Tech Report

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Technology News

Since 1993, Tim Rowan has watched home care technology and its vendor companies evolve. The years of experience he brings to Home Care Technology Report is unequaled. Today, this free, advertiser-supported newsletter is read by thousands of home care and hospice personnel 48 times a year.

HCTR covers billing applications, point-of-care software, telephony, home telehealth technologies and breaking vendor news, adding Tim's insight to the week's news.

Since 2005, HCTR has stored every article it has published. Search through our library by keyword to gain a perspective on where our industry has been or to re-read an article you remember enjoying that has moved off our current news pages.

Click on the links at the end of each article to offer your feedback. It may be printed as a Letter to the Editor.

Click on "Contact the Editor" below to learn how to submit your own articles and story suggestions.
Other Home Care News & Information

Sometimes, important stories are not specifically technology related. We cover them too, when the news is important to our readers. Simply go to the main Home Care Technology Report site and click on:


  • Clinician's Corner
  • CMS & Regulatory Update
  • Hospital Readmissions
  • Opinion & Commentary

(Active on 10/1/2011)

We recently added a list of useful links to over 100 government web sites, home care associations, hospice associations and additional news sources. (Active on 10/1/2011)

How to Subscribe

While anyone can visit HCTR online, subscribers receive an email notification each week when new stories have been posted.

Weekly issues include a timely message from the Editor and summaries of the week's news stories. When a summary sounds interesting, simply click on its headline and read the entire story on the HCTR web site.

Rather than forward one subscription around the office, why not get a free subscription for everyone? Click here to request your free subscription right now.
How to Advertise

HCTR readers include home care and hospice owners, executives, administrators, IT personnel and clinicians. Subscribership hovers around 5,000 week to week, with many subscribers forwarding their copy to multiple colleagues, effectively doubling readership.

In one year, your message will reach more executives with purchasing power than any other electronic home care publication and most print publications.

Contact an advertising advisor today by writing to adsales@homecaretechreport.com
Contact the Editor
HCTR gladly accepts article submissions from readers as well as comments on stories we have published. Send your 500 to 1000-word submissions, or your Letters to the Editor, to editor@homecaretechreport.com.

Tech Buyer’s Guide

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The Visible Guide to Home Care Technology Vendor Selection

Click Here to create your free profile and receive The Guide's expert advice.
What is "The Guide?"

The "Visible Guide to Home Care Technology Vendor Selection" helps people who are in the market for a home care or hospice software application or other technology tool. It simplifies your research by presenting detailed descriptions of the features and functions of more than 100 technology products.

In addition to helping you identify products that match your requirements, The Guide offers a wealth of resources, including advice for the selection process and archived articles and PowerPoint presentations from leading home care technology experts.

Click Here to try The Guide at no charge before deciding to become a member.
How to Use: Shoppers

1. After entering The Guide, click the blue "Create Account" button

2. Read the basic instructions and click the blue "Begin" button

3. Complete a company profile so the vendors you eventually contact know the basics about your agency, then click "Submit"

4. Now you are ready to create your first search project. Select one of the seven broad categories.

5. In the feature/function list that appears for your chosen category, click on all of the features you require from your new vendor and product or service. Watch what happens to the vendor list on the right. Experiment with turning features on and off until you arrive at a candidate list of a reasonable size. These are the vendors you should contact.

6. Some vendors have arranged to have detailed descriptions of their company background and products available to you. Click on a blue, underlined company name to read that detail in a new browser tab. Make use of the "Switch to…" button at the top right of the page to see both pages.

7. Return to the original browser tab and read your options below. You may contact candidate vendors directly or have The Guide do it for you. We send your company profile and your feature choices. One emailed RFP can be sent to your entire list for $49. Members ($99) can send unlimited RFPs.

8. Members can also click on the "Resources" tab at the top of the search tool page to do additional research and make use of our list of hundreds of web links.
How to Use: Vendors

If you are a technology vendor with products or services for home health care agencies or hospices, you should be listed in The Guide. Contact us using the information in the box at the bottom of this column and we will immediately send you all the information you need to add your name to the other 100 or so vendors in The Guide. We do not charge a fee for a basic listing.

If you are already in The Guide, please be sure to enter the site from time to time and check to see that your company and product descriptions are always up to date.

Home care technology vendors listed in The Guide receive qualified leads in their email every time a Guide user identifies them as having the products they need.

Getting into The Guide is easy:
 Step 1. We send you instructions for describing your company, products and services.
Step 2. If your company is a fit for The Guide, we send you descriptions of the benefits of each of our five participation levels.
Step 3. Once you have indicated your preferred participation level, we send you a detailed checklist on which you identify your product's specific features and functions.
Step 4. We write your company and product description, you approve it, and we post it for all the world to see.
Step 5. Inquiries from qualified buyers begin to appear in your email box.
Contact “The Guide”

We have made every effort to make The Visible Guide to Home Care Technology Vendor Selection easy to use and self-explanatory but if you need help, have a question about your membership, or if you are a vendor wanting to be added to our list, contact us at: guide@rowanresources.com

About Rowan Consulting

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Serving Home Care and Hospice Providers Since 1993

This web site is your portal to all of the services we offer to the home care community. Click on the titles below to learn about engaging Tim Rowan as a consultant or conference speaker. Click to the left to discover home care's most-respected technology journal and our free online guide to technology vendor selection. Click on the right to read about our popular video news program, our guide to upcoming conferences and our jobs board.
Consulting Services

Since 1999, Tim Rowan has helped dozens of home care agencies and hospices evaluate their technology requirements and wade through a vendor list that is approaching 100. After surveying the entire list for good matches, you will end up sending 3-5 RFPs instead of 30-50.

One truth upon which providers large and small agree, bringing in outside expertise is more than worth the investment and certainly less costly than an unfortunate vendor choice. And no one knows home care’s technology vendors like Tim Rowan does.

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Speaking Services

If you are looking for a conference keynote or breakout speaker on home care technology or certain regulatory issues such as payment denials, healthcare reform or how to select a vendor, consider this. Tim Rowan consistently earns evaluation comments naming him the "best presentation of this conference," "entertaining and engaging" and "a wealth of useful information." Call early, Tim's spring and fall schedules fill quickly.

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Other Professional Services

A number of investors and capital funds managers have sought our assistance in making introductions to owners of home care technology companies that may be interested in discussing an acquisition. On a very quiet, discreet basis, we help such parties find each other.
Contact Tim

To discuss any of the above services, write to us directly or simply pick up the phone. Office hours are 8:00 - 6:00 Mountain Time.

719-573-5090
tim@rowanresources.com

Home Health Survivor

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What Is Home Health Survivor?

"Home Health Survivor" is a quarterly video program modeled after the Sunday morning news/talk shows. Four times a year, HCTR editor Tim Rowan gathers the biggest names in the industry for frank conversations about current events affecting home care and hospice providers.
Video Program Titles and Descriptions

To date, there are seven programs recorded. A new episode is produced approximately every three months.

UPDATE: Episode 7 is now available! Guests: Bill Dombi and Dr. Robert Fazzi!
How to Subscribe

"Home Health Survivor" episodes can be purchased individually for $59. A much better deal is to purchase a one-year subscription for $199. These subscriptions may be shared within one office location. Subscribers with multiple locations are asked to purchase one subscription per office.

Subscribers may view all past programs as well as all new programs that are produced during their subscription year. Click here to create your free account. Instructions to access our secure online payment page are found after you click "Submit." View Episode 1 at no charge before deciding to subscribe.
How to be a Newsmaker

If you know someone, including yourself, who is a mover and shaker in home care and hospice, contact the Home Health Survivor producer to suggest a future program. We prefer to interview people who are poised, well-spoken and comfortable in front of a video camera and who:

  • have accomplished something noteworthy in patient care or hospital readmission reductions
  • have an unusually astute understanding of an aspect of home care or hospice, such as a Medicare regulation, a clinical practice, or a way to reduce fraud, etc.
  • have accomplished a significant state or national legislative victory
  • have published a relevant book
  • hold an important elective office
Contact the Producer

For questions and programming suggestions and for help with your subscription, write to HHSurvivor@RowanResources.com

Conferences & Job Listings

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Upcoming Conferences

These are the upcoming conferences where we will be exhibiting, presenting a keynote address or both. For a complete list of upcoming home care and hospice conferences, click here.


American Telemedicine Association
17th Annual International Meeting and Exposition
ATA2012.com

Home Care Association of Colorado Annual Conference
hcaconline.org
Tim will speak on technologies you need to thrive with ACOs

Kentucky Home Care Association Annual Meeting
khha.org
Tim will speak on technologies you need to thrive with ACOs

2012 Hoosier Home Care & Hospice Conference
iahhc.org
Tim will speak on technologies you need to thrive with ACOs

New England Home Care Conference & Trade Show
(See participating states' web sites to register)
Tim will speak on technologies you need to thrive with ACOs

NAHC 18th Annual Financial Management Conference &
Home Care and Hospice Exposition
nahc.org
Come See us in the Exhibit Hall, Booth #101
How to List Your Conference

This service is free to state and national trade associations.

Send an email to Conferences@RowanResources.com with "New Listing" in the subject line. In the body of the email, include:
Conference title
Sponsoring organization
Starting and ending dates
Hotel or conference center name
City and State
Conference web site
Contact person's email address (for our use, if we need clarifications)
Career Corner Listings

Continue to check here for new job listings and résumés of job seekers, updated every week.
How to Post an Open Position
or a Résumé

Career Corner is a service to home care agencies, hospices and vendors trying to fill open positions and to job seekers looking for a position.

Employers: Send an email to: CareerCorner@RowanResources.com with "Open Position" in the subject line. In the body of the email, include:
Company Name
Position Title
Duties (100 words or less)
Experience and degree requirements (100 words or less)
Contact information
Contact person email (for our use only, should we need clarifications; invoice will be sent to this email address)
Number of issues desired (1 issue: $200; 4 issues: $400)

Employees:Send a brief summary of position desired and experience history to CareerCorner@RowanResources.com with "Seeking a Job" in the subject line. You may attach your resume if you wish. Only summaries will be posted online. Include instructions as to whether you want us to send your resume to all who inquire or if you prefer that we send you their contact information. Blind ads are permitted.
Contact Us
conferences@RowanResources.com

CareerCorner@RowanResources.com