1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:01,599 Hello, everyone, and thank you for tuning in 2 00:00:01,599 --> 00:00:03,600 to the Becker's Health Care podcast. We are 3 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:05,919 thrilled to be joined today on-site at Becker's 4 00:00:05,919 --> 00:00:09,039 Health IT Digital Health RCM Conference by Todd 5 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:12,240 Houghton, president, HomeWatch Caregivers. Todd, thank you so 6 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:13,460 much for joining us today. 7 00:00:13,775 --> 00:00:15,375 Thanks, Brian, for having me today. I'm looking 8 00:00:15,375 --> 00:00:17,454 forward to it. Excellent. So so let's let's 9 00:00:17,454 --> 00:00:19,774 dig in here. Could you introduce yourself and 10 00:00:19,774 --> 00:00:21,774 and and just give us a brief overview 11 00:00:21,774 --> 00:00:24,274 of the work you're doing? Absolutely. Yeah. So, 12 00:00:24,494 --> 00:00:26,654 as you mentioned, Todd Oton. I am the 13 00:00:26,654 --> 00:00:28,434 president and CEO of HomeWatch Caregivers, 14 00:00:29,269 --> 00:00:31,529 home care based, franchise organization 15 00:00:32,149 --> 00:00:35,189 with over 250 locations across the US and 16 00:00:35,189 --> 00:00:36,329 throughout South America. 17 00:00:36,710 --> 00:00:38,869 I took over the company about 2 years 18 00:00:38,869 --> 00:00:41,395 ago as, the CEO of that. Been in 19 00:00:41,395 --> 00:00:44,234 the home care space for about 14 years 20 00:00:44,234 --> 00:00:44,975 and really, 21 00:00:45,594 --> 00:00:48,335 mission driven on getting better access of care 22 00:00:48,635 --> 00:00:50,554 to those that want to age at home. 23 00:00:50,554 --> 00:00:52,715 77% of the population wanna do that over 24 00:00:52,715 --> 00:00:54,554 the age of 50. So we're focused on 25 00:00:54,554 --> 00:00:56,370 how we provide that better access in a 26 00:00:56,370 --> 00:00:57,590 more affordable fashion, 27 00:00:57,969 --> 00:00:59,750 bringing technology into the fold. 28 00:01:00,370 --> 00:01:02,450 So I appreciate that introduction, that overview of 29 00:01:02,450 --> 00:01:04,530 what you're doing. I you know, numbers from 30 00:01:04,530 --> 00:01:07,170 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 31 00:01:07,170 --> 00:01:09,890 show social isolation has increased the risk of 32 00:01:09,890 --> 00:01:12,284 premature death from all causes and even a 33 00:01:12,284 --> 00:01:14,864 50% increase in the risk of developing dementia 34 00:01:15,165 --> 00:01:16,224 among older adults. 35 00:01:16,924 --> 00:01:19,805 How can technology be leveraged to really enhance 36 00:01:19,805 --> 00:01:23,165 social engagement among home health and home care 37 00:01:23,165 --> 00:01:23,665 patients, 38 00:01:24,100 --> 00:01:25,859 especially just that we hear more and more 39 00:01:25,859 --> 00:01:27,700 today about the isolation some of these folks 40 00:01:27,700 --> 00:01:30,020 face? It's one of my big focuses. Right? 41 00:01:30,020 --> 00:01:31,620 In my role, I call it the loneliness 42 00:01:31,620 --> 00:01:35,159 epidemic. And so people living alone, do face 43 00:01:35,299 --> 00:01:36,600 a higher risk of 44 00:01:37,045 --> 00:01:38,344 cognitive and psychological, 45 00:01:39,125 --> 00:01:41,765 diseases such as dementia. Also, it's the leading 46 00:01:41,765 --> 00:01:43,524 cause of suicide amongst men over the age 47 00:01:43,524 --> 00:01:46,564 of 65. So bringing technology into the fold 48 00:01:46,564 --> 00:01:48,664 provides better connection, better engagement 49 00:01:48,989 --> 00:01:50,209 for that aging population 50 00:01:50,750 --> 00:01:52,590 who want to fulfill their dreams of of 51 00:01:52,590 --> 00:01:54,829 living at home. Right? So in the home 52 00:01:54,829 --> 00:01:57,869 care space, it's typically private pay. So people 53 00:01:57,869 --> 00:01:58,930 having that affordability, 54 00:01:59,869 --> 00:02:02,030 is critical. They may have direct care visits 55 00:02:02,030 --> 00:02:04,045 3 or 4 times a week, but with 56 00:02:04,045 --> 00:02:06,224 technology, they can be connected in 247 57 00:02:06,525 --> 00:02:07,025 fashion, 58 00:02:07,484 --> 00:02:10,125 focused on that loneliness and that isolation aspect 59 00:02:10,125 --> 00:02:12,844 of things, allowing them to be not only 60 00:02:12,844 --> 00:02:15,084 connected with their caregiver, but with their family, 61 00:02:15,084 --> 00:02:17,485 their friends, other loved ones, that really make 62 00:02:17,485 --> 00:02:19,500 them feel more part of the world. Yeah. 63 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:20,639 And there 64 00:02:20,939 --> 00:02:22,780 ask a follow-up here for you. There's sort 65 00:02:22,780 --> 00:02:25,020 of a the stigma among older patients that 66 00:02:25,020 --> 00:02:27,340 maybe they're less likely to engage with technology. 67 00:02:27,340 --> 00:02:29,340 Do you think that's changing especially in light 68 00:02:29,340 --> 00:02:31,040 of after the pandemic? I think, 69 00:02:31,764 --> 00:02:32,905 I mean, anecdotally, 70 00:02:33,205 --> 00:02:35,305 like, my mom is much better at FaceTiming 71 00:02:35,444 --> 00:02:37,444 now than she was before the pandemic. Like, 72 00:02:37,444 --> 00:02:38,885 I can see her whole face now when 73 00:02:38,885 --> 00:02:39,844 we get on. Yeah. 74 00:02:40,165 --> 00:02:42,245 So I'm just curious to if that's something 75 00:02:42,245 --> 00:02:44,564 you think is changing too. Older adults are 76 00:02:44,564 --> 00:02:47,459 getting more comfortable, more tech savvy. It it 77 00:02:47,459 --> 00:02:49,939 absolutely is changing. I recently saw a number, 78 00:02:51,379 --> 00:02:54,659 it is, based on, Canada, but 92% of 79 00:02:54,659 --> 00:02:57,219 Canadians over the age of 65 have a 80 00:02:57,219 --> 00:02:59,459 smart device. Couldn't find the US statistic, but 81 00:02:59,459 --> 00:03:01,245 I imagine it has to be similar, which 82 00:03:01,245 --> 00:03:03,325 means that those numbers are absolutely going up, 83 00:03:03,325 --> 00:03:05,405 which is great to see. Our technology that 84 00:03:05,405 --> 00:03:07,004 we bring into the fold is really driven 85 00:03:07,004 --> 00:03:09,405 through the TV. And we're in an era 86 00:03:09,405 --> 00:03:11,724 of aging population that have all had TVs, 87 00:03:11,724 --> 00:03:13,724 and they've all had remote controls at this 88 00:03:13,724 --> 00:03:15,550 point in their life. So they're getting much 89 00:03:15,550 --> 00:03:17,310 more used to to using that type of 90 00:03:17,310 --> 00:03:17,810 technology. 91 00:03:18,110 --> 00:03:21,150 Yep. And healthier patients, obviously, like, you you 92 00:03:21,150 --> 00:03:23,389 spin this out that that yields benefits for 93 00:03:23,389 --> 00:03:25,949 payers and hospitals. Can you discuss the benefits 94 00:03:25,949 --> 00:03:28,270 of virtual visits in complementing sort of in 95 00:03:28,270 --> 00:03:30,564 person care and how they contribute to more 96 00:03:30,564 --> 00:03:31,544 consistent support, 97 00:03:31,925 --> 00:03:34,538 reduced admit readmission rates seem to be a 98 00:03:34,538 --> 00:03:36,485 a a good target goal for folks here. 99 00:03:36,485 --> 00:03:37,685 Can you just talk a little bit about 100 00:03:37,685 --> 00:03:39,465 the benefits that these can yield? 101 00:03:39,764 --> 00:03:41,685 So through all of our research and through 102 00:03:41,685 --> 00:03:43,925 our our testing before we actually fully launch 103 00:03:43,925 --> 00:03:46,269 the technology aspect, we found the top three 104 00:03:46,269 --> 00:03:48,289 reasons that somebody was going to the hospital 105 00:03:48,349 --> 00:03:49,489 was being lonely, 106 00:03:49,870 --> 00:03:53,310 dehydrated, or UTI. So technology actually keeps them 107 00:03:53,310 --> 00:03:53,810 connected 108 00:03:54,189 --> 00:03:55,629 in a better way so that they can 109 00:03:55,629 --> 00:03:58,530 be reminded to be hydrating, drinking their water, 110 00:03:58,814 --> 00:04:00,895 they can be, you know, engaged so they're 111 00:04:00,895 --> 00:04:01,555 not lonely. 112 00:04:01,935 --> 00:04:04,414 And it just really helps reduce that that 113 00:04:04,414 --> 00:04:07,455 readmission rate. So our our our drive is 114 00:04:07,455 --> 00:04:09,394 to really get payer sources to understand 115 00:04:09,854 --> 00:04:12,014 the value of having that capability to live 116 00:04:12,014 --> 00:04:13,694 at home, right, and be connected so they 117 00:04:13,694 --> 00:04:15,420 don't go to the hospital. We all know 118 00:04:15,420 --> 00:04:17,020 that the costs that are associated with somebody 119 00:04:17,020 --> 00:04:18,860 walking in that ER door. And if we 120 00:04:18,860 --> 00:04:20,379 can keep it at a much lower cost, 121 00:04:20,379 --> 00:04:21,980 keep them at home much longer, much safer, 122 00:04:21,980 --> 00:04:23,980 that's what we wanna do. Yep. And, of 123 00:04:23,980 --> 00:04:26,220 course, we're we're sitting here in a health 124 00:04:26,220 --> 00:04:28,300 IT conference. So the question I'm about to 125 00:04:28,300 --> 00:04:29,904 ask you next is probably the kind of 126 00:04:29,904 --> 00:04:32,064 question that's gonna show up in conversations across 127 00:04:32,064 --> 00:04:32,725 this conference, 128 00:04:33,105 --> 00:04:34,625 which is how AI sort of fits in 129 00:04:34,625 --> 00:04:36,785 here. Yeah. Can you talk a little bit 130 00:04:36,785 --> 00:04:39,205 more about how the the rise of AI, 131 00:04:39,345 --> 00:04:41,819 more sophisticated virtual tools is really gonna 132 00:04:42,220 --> 00:04:43,740 impact the future of care in the home 133 00:04:43,740 --> 00:04:46,460 settings. It it seems particularly, like, exciting for 134 00:04:46,460 --> 00:04:48,939 this space. Right? It's very exciting. We're just 135 00:04:48,939 --> 00:04:51,199 in pilot phase on some some AI, 136 00:04:51,660 --> 00:04:53,680 capabilities that really focus on, 137 00:04:54,060 --> 00:04:57,095 hyper personalized care plans that will help that 138 00:04:57,095 --> 00:05:00,774 person age much more gracefully at home with 139 00:05:00,774 --> 00:05:02,774 reducing the hospital admissions and things like that. 140 00:05:02,774 --> 00:05:04,935 But AI is going to continue to provide 141 00:05:04,935 --> 00:05:08,210 a critical part in the care space, And 142 00:05:08,210 --> 00:05:09,410 we're excited to see where it goes. I'm 143 00:05:09,410 --> 00:05:11,250 excited to be here at this conference to 144 00:05:11,250 --> 00:05:13,330 talk with other people about how they're looking 145 00:05:13,330 --> 00:05:15,730 at bringing AI in. It's gonna change the 146 00:05:15,730 --> 00:05:17,990 world in the next 18 to 36 months. 147 00:05:18,210 --> 00:05:20,530 Yeah. Exciting stuff and excited to dive into 148 00:05:20,530 --> 00:05:22,370 some of those conversations too as the conference 149 00:05:22,370 --> 00:05:23,055 rolls on. 150 00:05:23,774 --> 00:05:25,055 Is there anything we didn't touch on in 151 00:05:25,055 --> 00:05:26,735 our time together today that you wanna be 152 00:05:26,735 --> 00:05:28,654 sure to leave listeners with time? I think, 153 00:05:28,654 --> 00:05:30,095 you know, we've we've touched on everything. It's 154 00:05:30,095 --> 00:05:32,414 just that that that critical component of technology 155 00:05:32,414 --> 00:05:34,814 and everybody embracing the fact that technology in 156 00:05:34,814 --> 00:05:37,214 the home is the direction that we absolutely 157 00:05:37,214 --> 00:05:39,029 have to go to provide better care. We're 158 00:05:39,189 --> 00:05:40,470 starting to see it in the hospital in 159 00:05:40,470 --> 00:05:42,230 the acute settings. Let's get it into the 160 00:05:42,230 --> 00:05:44,149 home as well. It's a great place to 161 00:05:44,149 --> 00:05:45,750 end on. So, Todd, thank you so much 162 00:05:45,750 --> 00:05:47,430 for taking the time stopping by and talking 163 00:05:47,430 --> 00:05:49,029 with me. Thanks for having me, Brian. Appreciate 164 00:05:49,029 --> 00:05:50,790 it. Of course. And, of course, wanna thank 165 00:05:50,790 --> 00:05:53,290 HomeWatch Caregivers for sponsoring this conversation. 166 00:05:53,875 --> 00:05:55,714 Listeners, thank you for joining us, and please 167 00:05:55,714 --> 00:05:57,574 be sure to check out the other podcasts 168 00:05:57,634 --> 00:05:59,555 on Becker's websites. Thank you so much. Have 169 00:05:59,555 --> 00:06:00,935 a wonderful rest of your day.