Inside Home Health Operations: The "Hope Desk"

In this episode of Home Health Revealed, we sit down with Hope Mulliken, Help Desk Coordinator at the Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice (OCHCH), to talk about what’s really happening behind the scenes in home health operations today. From Medicaid and Medicare changes to rising denials, authorization delays, and audit pressure, Hope breaks down the challenges agencies are facing right now and why things continue to get more complex. We also explore the OCHCH Help Desk, where Hope supports both member agencies and the community with questions ranging from EVV and OASIS issues to appeals, compliance, and operational challenges. During the conversation, we affectionately refer to it as the “Hope Desk,” a nickname that stuck thanks to Hope’s name and the fact that she’s often the go-to for agency questions. Finally, we discuss defensible documentation, why every visit note needs to tell a complete clinical story, and how agencies can better protect themselves in today’s regulatory environment. Chapters (00:00:03) - Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice Help Desk(00:02:19) - Medicare and Medicaid: How to manage both of your patients'(00:06:39) - What is the top question you get at the help desk?(00:07:26) - Face to Face for Care(00:09:04) - Visit Notes(00:11:03) - Home and Community Based Nursing Program