Our Purpose - The LTC Podcast

The $250,000 Reality of Keeping Your Parents at Home with Dawn Bransky

How much does it really cost to keep your aging parents at home? For families requiring around-the-clock professional caregiving, that number can reach an astonishing $250,000 per year.

In this episode of Our Purpose – The LTC Podcast, hosts Kip Krueger, James Dieter, and Chris Light welcome Dawn Bransky, CEO of Benevolent Hearts Home Care, for an eye-opening conversation about the financial, emotional, and practical realities of aging in place.

As a physical therapist with more than 30 years of experience and a certified dementia educator, Dawn has dedicated her career to helping seniors maintain their independence while receiving compassionate, personalized care.

Together, they explore the rising costs of home care, the importance of planning for long-term care expenses, and the difficult decisions families face when caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's, dementia, and other age-related conditions.

Dawn also shares practical insights into recognizing caregiver burnout, understanding the differences between home care and home health, and knowing when a transition to assisted living or memory care may be necessary.

One of the episode's most powerful takeaways is that providing care shouldn't mean taking away someone's independence. The best caregivers recognize what individuals can still do for themselves and provide support where it's needed most.

The conversation also highlights why specialized dementia training matters, how long-term care insurance can help families prepare for future expenses, and why protecting the health of family caregivers is just as important as caring for their loved ones.

Whether you're a healthcare leader, senior care professional, or family member navigating the challenges of aging parents, this episode provides meaningful guidance for making informed decisions about long-term care.

About Our Purpose – The LTC Podcast

Hosted by Kip Kruger, James Dieter, and Chris Light, Our Purpose shares the stories and experiences of professionals transforming skilled nursing, senior living, and long-term care.

New episodes every Wednesday.

MDS mistakes don't just create paperwork problems—they can impact reimbursement, quality measures, audits, care planning, and the story your facility tells about each resident.

In this episode of Our Purpose – The LTC Podcast, Kip Kruger, James Dieter, and Chris Light sit down with Loraine Leija, Vice President of Clinical Reimbursement and Ancillary Services at Creative Solutions in Healthcare, to break down MDS, PDPM, documentation, and clinical reimbursement.

Loraine discusses common PDPM misconceptions, why facilities need to continually monitor changes in resident condition, and how documentation gaps can create missed reimbursement opportunities. She also explains how MDS data connects to quality outcomes and resident care.

The conversation explores the growing role of AI in clinical documentation, MDS audits and validation, interdisciplinary communication, and why successful MDS coordinators need the entire IDT working together.

For MDS coordinators, DONs, administrators, reimbursement professionals, and long-term care leaders, this episode is a practical look at how better documentation, stronger communication, and accurate assessments can lead to better outcomes.

AI is rapidly changing healthcare—but what happens when that technology is being used to deny claims at scale?

In this episode of Our Purpose – The LTC Podcast, the team sits down with nationally recognized healthcare compliance expert Sean Weiss, “The Compliance Guy,” for a wide-ranging conversation about healthcare compliance, insurance denials, artificial intelligence, fraud and abuse enforcement, and what providers can do to protect their organizations.

Sean brings more than 30 years of healthcare compliance experience and has worked on hundreds of federal civil and criminal cases involving healthcare providers. He explains why having a compliance plan sitting on a shelf isn't enough—and why a true culture of compliance can actually help healthcare organizations become stronger and more profitable.

The conversation also tackles one of the fastest-growing challenges facing providers: AI-driven claims review and denials.

As insurance companies increasingly use technology and data analytics to review claims at scale, how can providers possibly keep up? Sean explains why AI can be a powerful tool, where he believes its limitations become dangerous, and why human clinical judgment still matters.

In this episode, we discuss:

- How AI is changing healthcare claims and denials
- Why providers shouldn't simply accept insurance denials
- The biggest compliance mistakes healthcare organizations make
- Why a compliance program must be a “living, breathing” system
- How documentation can protect—or expose—your organization
- Why billing before documentation is complete creates serious risk
- False Claims Act exposure and voluntary refunds
- Fraud, waste and abuse enforcement
- The impact of the overturning of Chevron deference
- Why data analytics don't always tell the entire story
- AI hallucinations, bias and the limits of automated decision-making
- AI-generated clinical documentation
- Hospice and skilled nursing compliance
- Prepayment review and Medicare audits
- How providers can fight back against improper claim denials
- Why better compliance can actually improve the bottom line

Sean's message to healthcare providers is simple: don't just throw your hands up and give in.

Build strong documentation. Create a real culture of compliance. Educate your team. Audit your organization. Appeal legitimate claims. And understand the rules well enough to defend the care you provide.

Whether you work in skilled nursing, long-term care, hospice, physician practice management, revenue cycle, healthcare compliance or healthcare operations, this is a conversation worth hearing.

🎙️ Our Purpose – The LTC Podcast

Stories, conversations and perspectives from the people shaping skilled nursing and long-term care.

What if the biggest opportunity to prevent hospital readmissions has less to do with medicine—and more to do with people?

On this episode of Our Purpose – The LTC Podcast, Dr. Punatar and Dr. Goodwin of Meridian Health Partners join Kip Kruger, James Dieter, and Chris Light for a powerful conversation about what’s really happening inside skilled nursing and post-acute care.

After years of working as hospitalists, Dr. Punatar and Dr. Goodwin began following patients beyond the hospital walls and into skilled nursing facilities. What they discovered changed the way they thought about patient care.

Their biggest takeaway?

“The number one way to prevent avoidable RTAs isn’t medical. It’s social.”

A worried daughter who doesn't understand why Mom is coughing can quickly become a 911 call. A family that doesn't know what to expect from skilled nursing may assume something is wrong. And when physicians, nurses, facilities, hospitals, patients, and families aren't communicating, preventable hospital readmissions can follow.

In this episode, we dive into:

Why the first 24–72 hours in skilled nursing are so critical

How setting expectations can help prevent avoidable hospital readmissions

Why communication with families is a clinical strategy—not just customer service

The growing acuity of patients entering skilled nursing facilities

Why Friday admissions create unique challenges for SNFs

How weekend rounding and 24/7 provider access can change outcomes

The importance of continuity of care between hospitals and skilled nursing

Why physicians need to become part of the facility team

The challenges of measuring RTAs and outcomes across post-acute care

How value-based care could reshape skilled nursing and physician services

Why better outcomes may require a return to something surprisingly simple: relationships

Dr. Punatar and Dr. Goodwin also explain why they view senior care as a hospitality business, how Meridian Health Partners approaches the physician-facility relationship differently, and why treating the patient is only part of the job.

For administrators, DONs, physicians, operators, nurses, and anyone working in long-term care, this conversation challenges us to think differently about what actually drives great outcomes.

Because sometimes preventing the next hospital readmission doesn't start with another test, medication, or order.

It starts with trust.

Subscribe to Our Purpose – The LTC Podcast for more conversations with the people shaping the future of skilled nursing, senior care, and long-term care.

Matt Bishop, president and owner of RPG Procurement Group, explains how nursing homes can save millions without sacrificing quality, service, or resident care.

After spending 17 years with Medline, Matt took a leap of faith at age 48 and built a procurement business that now supports more than 500 nursing facilities. He shares how long-term care operators can uncover hidden expenses, negotiate stronger contracts, hold vendors accountable, and make smarter purchasing decisions.

Matt also discusses entrepreneurship, reimbursement, staffing, healthcare technology, and why cutting costs should never mean cutting corners. At its best, procurement creates the financial breathing room operators need to reinvest in their teams, facilities, and residents.

It’s a practical and inspiring conversation about betting on yourself, serving others, and improving long-term care from behind the scenes.

When should a family begin planning for assisted living? The answer is simple: before a crisis limits the available choices.

David Karnes, CEO of Nextphase Senior Living Advisors, joins Our Purpose – The LTC Podcast to explain how families can navigate assisted living, personal care homes, memory care, skilled nursing, and aging at home. He discusses senior living costs, levels of care, warning signs families shouldn’t ignore, and the questions to ask when evaluating a community.

David also shares his journey from professional musician to assisted living owner and private pilot, revealing how preparation, attention to detail, and a calm mindset influence his leadership.

This episode offers compassionate, practical guidance for anyone helping an aging parent plan the next phase of life—while protecting dignity, family relationships, and peace of mind.

Stephanie Saga Crook joins Our Purpose hosts Kip Kruger and Chris Light to talk about what really drives success in long-term care: relationships, trust, follow-through, and service. From her role as VP of Business Development at MasVita to her reputation as a “super connector,” Stephanie shares how vendors can bring true value to operators, support residents at the bedside, and build partnerships that last.

In this episode, Kip, Chris, and Stephanie discuss the vendor side of long-term care, why doing what you say you’ll do still matters, how to handle hard conversations when things go wrong, and why the future of skilled nursing depends on collaboration, innovation, and people who genuinely care.

What’s it like growing up in one of the most influential families in long-term care?

In this episode of Our Purpose, Kip Kruger and Chris Light sit down with Grayson Blake, Brand Ambassador at Creative Solutions in Healthcare and son of long-term care industry leader Gary Blake.

Grayson shares what it was like growing up around skilled nursing facilities, learning from his parents Gary and Melissa Blake, and navigating the pressure of carrying a well-known family name while working to earn his own place in the industry.

The conversation dives into leadership, mentorship, company culture, family legacy, attracting young talent to healthcare, and why long-term care needs the next generation of leaders now more than ever.

You’ll also hear Grayson discuss:

* Lessons learned from Gary and Melissa Blake
* Building credibility instead of relying on a last name
* Why follow-through and trust matter in leadership
* The future of long-term care and healthcare innovation
* How AI is changing operations and patient care
* Recruiting young professionals into healthcare
* The importance of recognition, culture, and purpose
* Faith, family, and finding your calling

Whether you’re a healthcare leader, administrator, caregiver, entrepreneur, or someone looking to make an impact through service, this episode is packed with insight, perspective, and inspiration.

👇 Subscribe for more conversations with the leaders shaping skilled nursing, senior care, and long-term care.

In this episode of Our Purpose - The LTC Podcast, Kip Kruger and Chris Light sit down with Ron McGaughy, Senior Vice President of Strategy at HMG, to discuss how AI, strategy, leadership, and purpose are changing the future of long-term care.

Ron shares how HMG is using AI to improve admissions, streamline workflows, support clinicians, and create more time for meaningful resident care. The conversation also explores managed care, Medicare Advantage, shrinking margins, calculated risk, company culture, employee appreciation, and why long-term care leaders must do a better job telling the positive stories happening inside skilled nursing facilities.

This episode is a must-listen for LTC operators, administrators, admissions leaders, clinicians, and anyone passionate about the future of skilled nursing.

State survey can make or break a nursing home — and in this episode of Our Purpose - The LTC Podcast, Hosts James Dieter and Kip Kruger sit down with Stacia Boeckstiegel to talk about what it really takes to survive survey, lead through compliance, and support nursing home teams during some of the toughest moments in long-term care.

Stacia shares her journey from second-generation nursing home administrator to Assistant Director of Regulatory Compliance at Avir Healthcare, overseeing more than 60 skilled nursing facilities across Texas. From F-tags and infection control to immediate jeopardy situations, fall prevention, staffing challenges, and family communication — this conversation dives deep into the realities administrators and DONs face every single day.

Topics Covered:

* How to prepare for state survey before surveyors walk in
* The importance of family communication in long-term care
* Reducing Immediate Jeopardies (IJs) and compliance risk
* Why infection control remains the #1 cited deficiency
* Fall prevention strategies in skilled nursing facilities
* Leadership lessons for nursing home administrators
* Building strong teams and promoting from within
* Managing stress during state survey investigations
* Why regulatory compliance ultimately protects residents

If you work in skilled nursing, assisted living, healthcare operations, or long-term care leadership — this episode is packed with practical insight and real-world experience.

👇 COMMENT BELOW:
What’s the biggest challenge your building faces during survey season?

👍 Like, Subscribe & Share to help us continue telling the stories shaping long-term care.

#LongTermCare #SkilledNursing #HealthcareLeadership #StateSurvey #NursingHomeAdministrator #Compliance