Ever searched for help with compliance only to walk away more confused than before? This is much more common than you may think.
For many small home health and hospice agencies, finding clear, practical compliance support feels almost impossible. Most guidance either regurgitates regulations word-for-word or jumps straight into advanced strategy. That doesn’t help a small agency trying to get the basics right.
We’ve been in the home health and hospice industry for decades, and we’ve seen the same thing happen over and over:
Owners wear five hats, get through surveys, and still feel confused.
The problem? No one’s translating compliance into clear, actionable steps.
That’s why we started The Home Health Consultant. We break complex compliance into plain language—and show you how to act on it. You’ll walk away understanding what the rule means and what to do next.
The Compliance Gap Facing Small Home Health and Hospice Agencies
Most compliance training is designed for large organizations with entire departments. Smaller agencies often get left behind. Webinars and conferences can skip the basics, assuming you already know them. And if you’re new, or your staff is new, that assumption can leave you stuck.
Even seasoned clinicians can feel like fish out of water when they transition into home health. Hospital experience doesn’t equal home care experience. And no one is born understanding Medicare regulations.
But let’s be clear: we’re not blaming CMS or Medicare for this. In fact, given the scale of the system, they’re probably managing it the best way anyone realistically can.
The rules exist for good reasons, and many are well-intentioned. There are committees, comment periods, and representatives from across the industry who help shape regulations.
Still, those representatives often come from massive agencies—not the three-person office with 30 patients. So while the system makes sense at scale, it doesn't always reflect the day-to-day realities of small providers. That’s not criticism. It’s just the truth.
We're not pointing fingers. We're recognizing that the structure, as it stands, leaves gaps—and small agencies often fall through them. Our work is about building bridges over these gaps. Our goal is to provide smaller agencies the support they need to continue delivering stellar patient care.
Why Foundational Compliance Skills Are the Hardest to Teach and Learn
People sometimes call understanding compliance and basic regulations “entry-level” stuff—but that’s not how we see it. Understanding:
- what being considered ‘homebound’ looks like in regulation text,
- eligibility requirements for home health or hospice in the Medicare system,
- what actually goes into a compliance plan
…are actually all concepts that you have to dig deep to get answers for.
These are the areas where even experienced teams stumble, especially during surveys and ADRs. And the solution isn’t more regulatory text. The solution is better translation.
We simplify complex concepts into practical, plain-language action steps. We don’t water it down, but we do clarify it. This allows you to:
- train your staff with confidence
- protect your business
- serve your patients without second-guessing the rules.
How Small Home Health and Hospice Agencies Can Manage Compliance Without Burnout
When you have 2,000 patients and a full-time compliance officer, quarterly board meetings make sense. But when you have 30 patients and your office manager is also your intake coordinator and DON, those same expectations can feel ridiculous.
And yet, the rules are the same.
We understand why that’s the case. Creating tiered regulations by agency size would be a logistical nightmare. So instead, we’ve created tools to help you navigate what exists—without losing your mind.
Because yes, even when the “governing body” is just you in your office, holding a meeting with yourself to re-hire yourself as administrator, the rule still applies. That might feel silly. But it’s still required.
So no, we’re not here to criticize the rules. We’re here to help you implement them in a way that works for your reality.
Why Practical, Step-by-Step Compliance Support Changes Everything
Most small agency owners we know care deeply about their patients and their work. In our experience, smaller agencies can often deliver higher, more personalized levels of care. This leaves patients feeling happier and less like a small fish in a big pond. You can have an agency run almost entirely by one person. And when asked, that person can probably rattle off every detail about every patient. That person has dedicated their life to individualized, genuine, quality care.
Smaller agencies are not looking to cut corners. They just want someone to show them how to stay compliant without feeling buried in paperwork and bureaucratic jargon.
That’s why we created The Home Health Consultant. Our Administrative Compliance Program (ACP) is specifically built to help lift the administrative burden off your plate. We don’t just complete tasks for you, we explain why, how, and what it means to get these tasks done. We’re actively building out a library of tools, checklists, and resources made for you—not for Fortune 500-level home health and hospice companies.
And because we’ve seen how isolating this work can be, we also give you a place to ask questions. Because every agency, especially small ones, deserves access to clear guidance and supportive resources.
Your Next Step Toward Simpler, Smarter Home Health and Hospice Compliance
Compliance isn’t easy—but it’s not your fault. The system wasn’t built with small agencies in mind. We’re not here to blame Medicare or CMS. But the reality is, even with the best intentions, gaps still exist. That’s where we come in.
You deserve support that fits your reality. Clear guidance. Real steps. No fluff.
Start by exploring our Learning Center, taking a self-assessment, or just asking a question. We’re The Home Health Consultant, and we’re here to help you stay compliant, protect your agency, and keep doing the work that matters most.
At the end of the day, this work is personal. You know your patients, and you know your team. Now, let us help you know your compliance, inside and out.
*This article was written in consultation with Mariam Treystman.
*Disclaimer: The content provided in this article is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, legal, financial, or professional advice. No consultant-client relationship is established by engaging with this content. You should seek the advice of a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or other professional regarding any legal or business matters. The consultant assumes no liability for any actions taken based on the information provided.
