The Recovery Executive Podcast
by Nick Jaworski
The business of recovery is changing fast. Many executives are getting left behind. The Recovery Executive Podcast talks to experts in the field on marketing, operations, M&As, billing, and growth to help you build your organization, serve more of those who need help, and stay on top.
Episodes
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EP 113: Separating Fact from Fiction with Chris Larson
It can be difficult to determine what information providers and executives share that is factual versus what is merely hype. Naturally, we all want to share success stories and what's working, but this is not helpful for other providers who are attempting to identify best practices or effective...
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EP 112: Metrics, Culture, and Operations with Jen Carvalho
It's easy to get lost in spreadsheets and metrics when running the day to day of our programs. We can lose site of the bigger picture or spend too much time focusing on incremental gains rather than truly scalable growth. In this episode, I speak with Jen Carvalho, COO of Harlow Gardens and…
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EP 109: Leading One of the Most Successful Non-profits in the Country with Jay Crosson
Cumberland Heights is one of the most consistently profitable non-profit treatment programs in the country. If you look at the 990s of many well-known non-profit treatment programs, they have consistent annual fiscal deficits when donor contributions are removed from the P&L. They have also...
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EP 108: Thinking Through Innovation in SUD with Brad Sorte
How do treatment programs innovate and what innovations are on the horizon, especially as we move into more consistent use of AI across departments? In this episode, I speak with Brad Sorte, previous CEO of Caron and current Co-founder of Sober Companion AI to address these topics.
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EP 107: Opportunities in Teen Treatment Models with Chris Perkins
Teen treatment has been a hot topic for expansion and investment recently in behavioral health. "Lots of demand with not enough providers" is the current mantra. But is this accurate? What makes a good teen health provider? Should adult programs add on teen options? If the prevailing mantra is...
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EP 106: Maximizing OON Reimbursement on Self-funded Plans with Ali Beheshti
Many OON providers don't realize that a number of employer-funded insurance contracts include clauses that provide for higher reimbursements in exchange for guarantees not to balance bill patients, often resulting in millions of dollars of unreimbursed care. This episode is a deep dive into the...
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EP 105: How to Cultivate Private Pay Referrals with Mark OConnor.mp3
High-end private pay programs charge as much as $100,000 a month for patients entering these exclusive facilities. Cultivating referral relationships for patients in the income bracket that can afford such programs require a specialized approach. Mark O'Connor has worked in outreach for both…
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EP 104: Common Sense Business Development with Shelley Plemons
Stagnant community outreach and business development strategies are still the norm in much of the field of behavioral health, which is why so many providers struggle to build consistently high-performing teams. Often, lack of results are ascribed to the outreach reps themselves, but the reality…
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EP 102: MAT, Data, and Value-based Care with Cooper Zelnick
Groups Recover Together has developed a very specific care model that doesn't fit into standard fee-for-service arrangements. This required them to think outside the box when negotiating with payers, resulting in the majority of their contracts being value-based care arrangements. Groups is...
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EP 101: Intentionality In Developing Programs And Scaling With Jaime Vinck
Intentionality is different from desire. Many programs want to grow, they strive to grow, but there is not always intentionality as to how they go about that, especially when it comes to community need and program design. In this episode, I speak with Jaime Vinck, CEO of Recovery Ways and former...
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EP 100: Expert Call Center Admissions with Michele Santagata
Successful call center operations are integral to the success of any provider. Your marketing and outreach teams can be phenomenal, but if your admissions staff on the phones don't do their job well, patients will go elsewhere. Call centers are so much more than merely staff training. The staff...
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EP 99: Bootstrapping to Success with Tyler Tisdale
How does a first-time entrepreneur bootstrap a treatment program starting with outpatient and then gradually building a full continuum of care? In Arizona, many treatment programs were started, and almost as many failed within short order, Tyler Tisdale, CEO of Pinnacle Peak Recovery, shares his...
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EP 98: Call Center Tech Stack & AI Routing With Karl Fischer
AI, call flows, tech stack, and intelligent routing, all to improve call center conversions, decrease staff burnout, and reduce patient frustration on admissions calls. We'll talk about all that and more with Karl Fischer, Managing Director of DecisivEdge.
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EP 97: Maximizing Reimbursement Rates with Stu Segal
Everyone wants to know, "How do we get the best reimbursement rates possible?" Stu Segal, Principal at FlormanTannen, and I discuss this question in depth. Obtaining better reimbursement rates requires far more than asking for them or "hard-nosed negotiation." Instead, it requires planning,...
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EP 96: Concrete Actions to Help Therapists Improve Their Skills with Zac Imel
Through focused training and ongoing feedback, therapists can significantly improve their intervention skills in order to achieve stronger patient outcomes. With the payers focused on outcomes more than ever, the time is now to hone in on ways to strengthen clinical delivery. Zac Imel, Chief...
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EP 95: RCM Benchmarking & Best Practices with Erin Burke
Payer expectations continue to change every year and so provider RCM benchmarks and best practices need to change as well. We're seeing more payers deny contracts or opt to not renew contracts based on a variety of trends in SUD. In this episode, I speak with Erin Burke, CEO of Hansei Solutions....
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EP 94: Building a Sophisticated Data Infrastructure with Dr. Nick Hayes
Building the backend data infrastructure to track both business metrics and clinical outcomes is costly and time-intensive. Even for a medium-sized organization, this can cost upwards of $500,000 per year, so the last thing anyone wants to do is build it wrong or get off on the wrong foot. Dr.…
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EP 93: Differentiating Care Thru Outcomes Measurement with Eric Gremminger
As more programs implement patient outcomes tracking, it's become clear that care delivery becomes more effective when tailored. Some programs may be excellent with veterans while another may do better with something as specific as women using heroin over 40. Efficacy in delivery changes by...
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EP 92: Better Group Therapy Better Outcomes with Andrew Bordt
The delivery of group therapy hasn't received an update or serious attention since Irvin Yalom's work back in the 50's. Because most therapy delivered in addiction treatment is group therapy and, as a field, we're finally talking about trackable outcomes, it has become clear that improved...
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EP 91: Collaboration Between Providers & Payers with Optum's Deb Nussbaum
There are many opportunities for payers and providers to work together in order to improve care and reduce barriers to treatment. In this episode, Debra Nussbaum, Senior Director of Behavioral Health at Optum, provides insights into what she looks for when partnering with a provider. She also...
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EP 90: Post-discharge Patient Success Thru Digital And Peer Recovery
Through the integration of digital and peer recovery supports, JourneyPure was able to double improvement of recovery outcomes compared to treatment as usual. In this interview, Dr. Brian Wind, Chief Clinical Officer of Regard Recovery and JourneyPure, shares how the integration of these supports...
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EP 89: Building Quality Faith-based Programs with Devora Shabtai
Specialty tracks are springing up all over these days, the most common being veterans, first responders, and LGBTQ. Some providers have also embarked on specific faith-based tracks, but these programs are not easy to do well. In this episode, I speak with Devora Shabtai, VP of Clinical…
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EP 88: Lessons Learned After Large Acquisitions with Kathy Frossard
Bringing a company out of bankruptcy is hard. Taking over marketing for an acquisition that's bringing in far less revenue than you thought it was is also very hard. Former CMO of both Foundations and Promises, Kathy Frossard, walks us through lessons learned through two large acquisitions. In...
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EP 87: A Different Take on Opioids and Overdoses with Dr. Jeffrey Singer
We've seen a tragic record of over 100,000 overdoses in the US last year. The common narrative is that overzealous marketing by pharmaceutical companies and overprescribing of opioids by medical professionals created a new wave of individuals addicted to pills that then turned to heroin when the...
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EP 86: Integrating Contingency Management into Treatment with Eric Gastfriend
50 years of research has confirmed contingency management as one of the most effective treatment modalities out there both as a standalone and in conjunction with 12-step, community reinforcement approaches, and others. Yet, it's hard to find funding or reimbursement for it and most providers...
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EP 85: Marketing MAT with Colin Jeffries
The MAT space has traditionally done very little in the way of marketing due to how underdeveloped the space is as well as the high demand for services from Medicaid patients. But, like addiction treatment and psych hospitals before them, as more and more providers have entered the space in a...
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EP 84: Practical DEI in Behavioral Health with Zina Rodriguez
Conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion in behavioral health are just beginning, so many providers don't know where to start. Or maybe they get started with a DEI statement, but are unsure where to go next. To make matters more complicated, DEI as a field is in its infancy and many...
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EP 83: Complementary Stepdown Treatments for Behavioral Health with JD Kalmenson
We end up exploring two topics in this interview with JD Kalmenson, CEO of Montare Behavioral Health: 1) How can screens help tailor treatment programming? 2) How can therapies such as TMS, Neurofeedback, or Ketamine be used in a continuum of care?
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EP 82: Reinventing the Growth Model with Matt Boyle
This is one of my favorite interviews to date. How did a little-known provider start with one facility and grow to nearly 700 beds with a 99% run-rate for the entire year so far? How do they plan to grow to 40 facilities within the next year and a half? The answer is Matt Boyle, CEO of Landmark...
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EP 81: Free Rent, Favorable Leases, and Other Real Estate Tips with Colin Carr
Should you buy or lease? What's the advantage of hiring an attorney, vs an architect for zoning, vs a broker? Did you know you can get free rent or money for renovations built into lease agreements and renewals? This episode with Colin Carr, CEO of CARR Healthcare Realty, has many practical tips...
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EP 80: More Alumni Engagement, More Attraction to Your Program with Michael Maassel
Alumni programming is critical to patient success post-treatment as well as the financial stability of the program. Michael Maassel built Harmony Foundation's alumni program from scratch to the point where Harmony sees 40 or more admissions a month come through alumni referral. She has created an...
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EP 79: Becoming the Face of the Company with Ted Bender
PR is often delegated to the marketing team or not done at all at many behavioral health organizations. Ted Bender, CEO of BeWell Network, sees it differently. Across roles and organizations, he has consistently become a go-to source for local media outlets, becoming the face of the company in…
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EP 78: Big Bets for Big Results in Marketing with Jason Perillo
Success in business is often about making big bets with limited data. However, consistency in execution and leading indicators can often fill in some of those data gaps over time. This approach to business growth and success works particularly well for marketing. Jason Perillo, CMO of High Watch...
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EP 77: Valuation: Making the Calculations with Dexter Braff
What are the forces that drive valuation? How does an owner know what a reasonable sale price is and how does a buyer calculate how much they should pay? This is not a simple calculation. It depends on many factors both internal and external to the business. Dexter Braff, President of the Braff...
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EP 76: Sale-leasebacks as a Financial Vehicle for Provider Expansion with Patrick Haynes
There are multiple sources of capital to fuel growth for providers or to simply de-risk portions of the business. A sale-leaseback is one such vehicle that operates as an alternative to traditional bank debt or private equity. Patrick Haynes, Managing Principal at Wellness Realty, walks us…
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EP 75: Improving Business Development - Recruitment, Retention, and Efficacy with Jordan Young
Business development is a revolving door at many providers and remains one of the greatest areas of opportunity across behavioral health. How does one recruit, retain, and effectively train reps to bring out the best in them? I speak with Jordan Young of Jordan Young and Associates in this…
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Ep 74: Digital Therapeutics Provide Low-cost, Effective Treatment with Yuri Maricich
Digital therapeutics are a new form of treatment where a doctor or other health professional prescribes digital content. Just like any other medication, the patient needs a written prescription. Pear Therapeutics has several FDA-approved digital therapies on the market already, including for...
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EP 73: Making Rural Addiction Treatment Work with Nikki King
Rural areas hard hit by addiction are, unfortunately, often the least likely places in which to find treatment services, especially ones that accept Medicaid. The challenges to creating such programs are many. Nikki King, Manager of Behavioral and Addiction Services for Margaret Mary, overcame...
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EP 72: Innovating Care with Home-based Addiction Treatment with Steve Randazzo
Removing barriers to treatment and improving patient outcomes are two of the core elements of any treatment program's mission. In this episode, I speak with Steve Randazzo, CEO of Aware Recovery. Aware is an innovative, home-based addiction treatment program that works with patients for up to a...
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EP 71: Increasing Patient Responsibility Revenue through Risk Stratification & Patient Education
60% increases in patient responsibility collections? Patients sending thank you notes after paying their bills? Reduction in AMAs? Creating payment plans based on risk stratification data according to patient background? If you thought collecting deductibles and co-insurance would somehow have...
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EP 70: The Do's and Don'ts of Managing a Behavioral Health System with Gary Larcenaire
Looking at 4 key quadrants that are the life's blood of any behavioral health system or treatment program, we explore the do's and don'ts of successful turnarounds around growth strategy. Gary Larcenaire of Project Ity has decades of experience doing both, so I'm excited to share his expertise…
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EP 69: The Evolution of Addiction Treatment with Doug Tieman
After 40 years in the addiction treatment space, Doug Tieman is passing the torch as he retires. The industry has changed a lot in 40 years. Doug gives us insight into how Caron has changed and adapted in the field as well as how the field as a whole has changed, including how it will need to...
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EP 68: Improved Outcomes Through Feedback-informed Clinical Care with Jared Dempsey
Improving clinical outcomes is dependent on feedback-informed care models. There is tremendous opportunity in the treatment space to track, analyze, and improve based on data. In this episode, I speak with Jared Dempsey, Chief Scientist at Trac9, where they have collected data on over 200,000...
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EP 67: Creating Rapid Improvement Processes with Sam Klinger
How do you take a large problem, like an intake process that takes too long, and reduce time from call to admission by 80% or more in 3 months? Now how do you create a system that facilitates that kind of improvement across every department every month? That's what Sam Klinger, Director of...
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EP 66: The Role of the Patient Care Coordinator with Kat Lehnert
Navigating addiction treatment for patients can be very complicated. There are PCPs, therapists, court systems, and pharmacies to manage, just to name a few. Patient Care Coordinators can help patients through the complex array of paperwork and tracking during a time when they need to be focused…
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EP 65: Pain Recovery Programming: Healing the Mental AND Physical with Jessica Vickers
What do you do when people need their pain medication, especially for chronic pain patients? How do you manage both the addiction and the physical health needs? This is an extremely important question more programs should be asking. Ashley Addiction Treatment has created a special Pain Recovery...
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EP 64: How Outcomes Tracking Can Improve Patient Outcomes with Tom Britton
There has been growing focus on how outcomes tracking can support both improved patient care as well as improved relationships with the payers. Tom Britton, CEO of Gateway Foundation, has spent a lot of time an energy building outcomes tracking into their programming. In this episode, we hear how...
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EP 63: Managing Through Crisis with Kathleen Murphy
Every leader has had to manage through crisis at some point or another and, with covid, everyone has a fairly recent experience. Kathleen Murphy, SVP at Farnum Center, had to manage through multiple crises during covid. The decision-making process, data needed, and sheer speed of events make…
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EP 62: Consolidating the Industry around Value & Quality with Matt Morgan
Addiction Campuses has an entirely new leadership team post acquisition and they're completely transforming the company around value and quality. Matt Morgan, the new CEO, is leading that charge, and someone I am personally a big fan of. Coming with extensive experience growing and scaling large...
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EP 61: The Legal Ins and Outs of Addiction Treatment with Harry Nelson
Healthcare laws are complex to say the least. Regular attorneys just don't know enough, which is why I'm having Harry Nelson, Managing Partner of Nelson-Hardiman on this episode. We look at the current legal landscape for addiction treatment, how it's changed, and what are some of the pitfalls…
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About this show
The business of recovery is changing fast. Many executives are getting left behind. The Recovery Executive Podcast talks to experts in the field on marketing, operations, M&As, billing, and growth to help you build your organization, serve more of those who need help, and stay on top.
Hosted by
Nick Jaworski
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