Agenda
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Registration Open: 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Exhibit Hall Hours: 2:00 - 5:30 PM
8:15 – 8:45 AM
Annual Meeting of the Corporation
9 – 10 AM
Presidents Address
Al Cardillo, President and CEO, Home Care Association of NYS
10 – 11AM
Workforce by Design: Productivity Is a Leadership Decision: A Top Down Framework for Certified Agencies
Kristen Duell CEO, Momentum
Kristen Duell will lead a strategic leadership conversation on workforce productivity in certified and licensed home health environments.
In today’s margin-constrained and regulation-heavy landscape, workforce performance is shaped by more than effort or expectations. Sustainable productivity emerges when financial clarity, clinical workflow design, technology discipline, and leadership behavior are intentionally aligned.
This session introduces a Workforce Architecture framework designed specifically for Medicare-certified agencies. Attendees will gain a structured lens for evaluating implementation, strengthening adoption, and creating stability across clinical teams.
Leaders will leave with a renewed sense of control and clarity around the one variable fully within their influence: how intentionally they design their workforce systems.
11:15 AM– 12:15 PM
What Does AI Mean for Home Health and Care? Short and Mid-term Implications
Jason Helgerson, Founder and CEO, HSG
Artificial Intelligence has the potential to be the most disruptive technological advance since the Industrial Revolution. The speed of innovation is mind-blowing, and entire industries are being challenged in ways not seen before in modern history. The implications for both skilled and unskilled home care are potentially profound and not as far away as many think. Will robots replace direct care workers? Perhaps not tomorrow, but the answer is mostly yes, and don't be surprised to see those changes begin to be experienced in New York State before the end of the decade. What should agencies do to prepare? What is the future for current home care providers in New York State? All these topics will be addressed during this thought-provoking discussion.
12:30 – 2 PM
Awards Luncheon
2 – 3 PM
Dessert with exhibitors
3 – 4 PM
Work and Lead to a Different Beat: Own your mindset, meaning and performance at work and home.
Justin Jones-Fosu, Work Meaningful
An inside-out approach powered by practical research that empowers your people to bring their best selves to work every day. Using the African drum as a metaphor of bringing meaning, Justin creates a customized and unforgettable experience that will inspire your audience to take immediate action in how they show up.
4:00 – 5:30 PM
Welcome Reception with Exhibitors
5:30 – 8:00 PM
Dinner on Your Own
8:00 – 10:00 PM
"Gathering the Best of the Bunch” Offsite After-Hours Party (The Bunker, 307 Broadway – a short walk from the hotel).
Friday, May 8, 2026
Registration Open: 7:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Exhibit Hall Hours: 8:00 AM - 1:30 PM
8 – 9:30 AM
Breakfast with Exhibitors
8:30 – 9:30AM
Town Hall
HCANYS Policy Team
No script, no agenda, no topic off the table…this freewheeling session is your opportunity to say what’s on your mind, present ideas and pose questions to HCANYS’ Policy team about any home care, hospice, and MLTC issues confronting your organization.
9:40 – 10:40 AM
Morning Concurrent Sessions
Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) 2026 Clinical Strategy and Action Plan
Shelley Eggelton, Linda Santiago, and Nancy Lainhart, Bartlett Strategy Group
This educational session provides an overview of the 2026 Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) program and how clinician performance directly impacts patient outcomes and agency reimbursement. It reviews key HHVBP measure categories (OASIS-based outcomes, hospital/ED utilization, and HHCAHPS patient experience), highlights 2026 updates, and emphasizes the importance of accurate Start of Care (SOC) OASIS scoring, strong care planning, documentation consistency, and interdisciplinary coordination. The session also outlines practical clinician behaviors to reduce avoidable hospitalizations, improve functional outcomes, strengthen patient communication, and support agency-wide performance goals through leadership coaching and transparency tools.
Engineering Adoption: Turning Workforce Design into Daily Practice
Kristen Duell CEO, Momentum
Building on the General Session framework, Kristen Duell will guide attendees through the leadership behaviors and reinforcement systems that transform workforce design into sustained adoption.
Certified agencies benefit from thoughtful implementation sequencing, intentional manager reinforcement, and clarity around operational expectations. This session provides a structured leadership self-assessment and facilitated discussion to help executives evaluate where reinforcement systems may need strengthening.
Participants will leave with one focused leadership shift to support workforce stability and long-term productivity, as well as a self-assessment guide to continue workforce evaluation beyond the conference.
Creating a Culture of Respectful Disagreement
Justin Jones-Fosu, Work. Meaningful.
In this interactive session, Justin shows how disagreement can unite rather than divide, strengthening teams and decision-making. By equipping leaders and employees with tools to navigate tough conversations with curiosity, empathy, and respect, he transforms conflict into connection. When organizations embrace productive disagreement, innovation flourishes, collaboration deepens, and workplace culture thrives.
10:50 -11:50AM
Leading Through Change: Finance, Workforce, and Technology in Home Care
Finance
Jeff Aaronson, VP & GM, Data Solutions, Netsmart
Rob Simione, CPA, Senior Vice President, SimiTree
Workforce
Allan Levine, Chief Commercial Officer, Nevvon (Workforce)
Matt McGinty, Chief Executive Officer, CareConnect (Workforce)
Technology and AI
Jon Levinson, Cofounder/CEO, Sage Care (AI & Technology)
Speaker Amy Kemmerer, CEO, Vivalynx
Moderator: Dr. Peter Chernack, Executive Vice President for Clinical and Program Affairs, HCANYS
Home care is at an inflection point — and the organizations that will thrive are those led by people who are informed, adaptable, and ready to act.
This partner panel brings together six industry leaders for a candid, forward-looking conversation on three of the most consequential topics facing home care today: the financial pressures reshaping how agencies sustain and grow, the workforce strategies that are actually working, and the emerging technologies delivering real value in home care operations. Panelists will share honest perspectives, practical insights, and lessons learned from the field — giving attendees a clear-eyed view of what is working, what is changing, and what to do next.
Whether you are navigating reimbursement complexity, building a more stable workforce, or evaluating your first technology investment, this session is designed to send you home with something you can act on.
11:50 – 1:15 PM
Lunch with Exhibitors
Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
1:15 – 2:15 PM
The Hidden Wage & Hour Traps in Home Care: How Agencies Are Accidentally Creating Million-Dollar Liability
Emina Poricanin, Attorney, Poricanin Law
Home care agencies operate in one of the most complex wage and hour environments in the country, yet many employers unknowingly expose themselves to significant legal liability through routine payroll practices. From 24-hour shifts and sleep time rules to travel time, overtime calculations, and live-in caregiver pay, small compliance mistakes can quickly grow into large wage claims and class action lawsuits. This session will examine the most common payroll and timekeeping errors seen in the home care industry and explain how these mistakes often occur despite good intentions. Participants will gain insight into how federal and New York labor regulators evaluate compliance during investigations and audits. Real-world examples from enforcement actions and litigation will illustrate how seemingly minor payroll issues can escalate into costly disputes. The presentation will also provide practical strategies for identifying compliance gaps and strengthening internal payroll practices. Agencies will leave with a clearer understanding of where the greatest wage and hour risks lie and how to avoid them.
OMIG Payment Audits and Compliance Program Requirements: Recent Developments and Strategies to Minimize Risk
Jennie Shufelt, Managing Member, Meliora Law, PLLC
The New York State Office of Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) is responsible for conducting Medicaid payment audits and reviewing provider adherence to compliance program requirements in New York. This session will provide an overview of the OMIG payment audit process and compliance program requirements. Recent developments and emerging issues in payment audits and compliance program reviews will be discussed, as well as practical strategies for preparing for future audits and minimizing risk.
Exploring the Powerful Partnership of Home Care & EMS: Models & Best Practices for Home Care – EMS Joint Forces
Melinda R. Mason, RN, Catskill CHHA supervisor Greene and Columbia Counties
Robert Hawley, Mobile Integrated Health Specialist, Valatie Rescue Squad
Adrianne Mann, RN, BSN, MSHA, Chief Nursing Officer and Administrator, HCR Home Care
Mark Spiezio, Chief of Operations, The Cambridge Valley Rescue Squad, Inc.& Mobile Health Care System
Moderator - Al Cardillo, President and CEO, The Home Care Association of NYS
The benefits and outcomes of Home Care-EMS partnership are undeniable. Results from HCA's grant-funded Community Medicine Pilots: 76% Reduction in Hospital Admissions; 69% Reduction in Emergency Room Visits; Improvements in Patient Access, Care Transitions, and SDH Risks.
Attend this concurrent session with faculty from two sets of home care and EMS partners who are making these results happen!
Participants in HCA’s Collaborative Models of Community Medicine & Paramedicine (CMPM) program — the Eddy Visiting Nurse & Rehab Association partnered with Valatie Rescue Squad, and HCR Home Care partnered with Cambridge Rescue Squad — will lead this discussion of best home care and EMS practices for critical patient results through partnership in service delivery and management. The session will also include new developments and directions, including outreach to health plans for potential coverage of the services. This pilot program is funded to HCA Education & Research (HCA E&R) through the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, in which we co-partner with the Iroquois Healthcare Association (the upstate NY regional hospital association) and IPRO (the federal-state quality improvement contractor).
2:25 – 3:15 PM
National, State & Industry Landscape: What’s Happening, What’s Coming, What’s Essential for You to Know & Plan! (Saratoga Ballrooms 2 & 3)
The following expert faculty, especially positioned to present you this session, includes:
Brett Heimov, Managing Partner, Envision Strategy
Sean Doolan, President, Hinman-Straub
Sherl Brand, Chief Operating Officer, National Alliance for Care at Home
Vincent Polsinelli, Counsel for Labor and Employment, Nixon-Peabody
MODERATOR: Al Cardillo, President & CEO, HCANYS
This is a must-attend, apex session of the HCANYS Annual Meeting! A culminating crescendo of the national, state, industry, and labor scene in health and in home and community-based services.
Engage this unique opportunity for essential, in-the-know intel for home health agencies, licensed agencies, health plans, hospices, and allied programs and organizations in home care. Hear from experts in government relations, industry, and labor providing the key trends, developments, and directions that you need to know and be positioned for in the evolving health system.
Take in and take away 360o of intel to support your strategies, action planning, and organizational course.
Be in the know and positioned to go!
3:15 PM
Conference Adjourns