This was my first time attending Home Care 100, and let me tell you, the timing couldn't have been more dramatic. I managed to fly out of Dallas on Friday afternoon, just before the city started shutting down due to freezing weather. By Saturday, Dallas was iced over. But there I was in Phoenix, greeted by sunshine and wide-open skies.
Escaping the Freeze: Touchdown in Phoenix
As I walked through the airport and saw that iconic PHX sign, I knew this trip was going to be something special. "Your Adventure Starts Now," it said. And it was about to.
.png)
Saturday Night Buzz: The Energy Was Electric
Saturday night was when the conference really started to come alive. The bar area at The Phoenician was buzzing with energy as healthcare leaders from across the country reconnected with old colleagues and made new connections.
What struck me immediately was how different this event felt from traditional trade shows. There's no exhibit floor here. Instead, it's pure interaction: providers sharing with other providers, vendors engaging in genuine conversations, and everyone focused on vision and the real challenges facing the home-based care industry.
I met several new people that evening, all of them leaders in their organizations. The conversations weren't transactional. They were relational. And that set the tone for the entire conference.
Desert Wild Ride: Arizona's Landscape for the First Time
Sunday kicked off with registration and a welcome lunch on the go, followed by outdoor bonding activities. Out of all the options available, I chose the Desert Wild Ride, and it was the perfect choice.
About five large vans, each holding around eight people, headed out into the Arizona desert. Sharing the ride gave us an incredible opportunity to mingle with fellow attendees in a more relaxed setting. I happened to be matched with both providers and vendor partners, and the conversations ranged from professional challenges to personal stories. That's where real bonds form.
For me, it was also my first time seeing Arizona's stunning desert landscape. The mountains, the cacti, the endless sky. It was breathtaking.
.png)
The Keynote: A Visionary Look at the Future
Monday morning was when the real conference began. The keynote presentation set the stage for everything that followed, and there were several slides that really resonated with me.
The keynote laid out where the home care industry is now and where it needs to be. The big themes? Selectively forget the past, manage the present, and focus on the future. It was a well-put-together presentation that didn't shy away from the hard truths facing our industry.
🎯 Keynote Highlights: The Vision for Home-Based Care
- • The healthcare shift to value demands stronger outcomes and greater efficiency
- • Consolidation is inevitable
- • Innovation is a cultural imperative
- • Technology is enabling great leaps forward
- • Workforce is our #1 stakeholder
One slide that really hit home was about the mismatch of demand and supply in healthcare workforce. The numbers are staggering.
My Session: Gaps in Care and the Communication Challenge
I had the opportunity to lead an interactive session on gaps in care, alongside a provider co-moderator. The format was intentional: we spoke for about nine minutes sharing our views on how technology can solve gaps in care, then opened it up to the audience.
As the founder of QliqSOFT, a secure messaging platform for healthcare, my focus was on how communication and collaboration can close those gaps, not just between clinical teams, but with patients and their families too.
There's no one-size-fits-all solution to gaps in care. What works for one demographic may not work for another. Gen Z wants text messaging. Boomers want the warmth of phone calls and personal interaction. Organizations need to tailor their approach.
Key insight from the Gaps in Care interactive session
8 Minutes to Connect: The Speed Meeting Experience
One of the most unique aspects of Home Care 100 is the speed meeting format. Monday afternoon from 3:00 to 4:30 PM, vendors like us were matched with provider organizations based on their interests and our offerings.
⏱️ How Speed Meetings Work
120 Tables. 8 Minutes Each. 10 Matched Meetings.
About 120 providers sit at numbered tables across a large outdoor space. Vendors rotate from table to table based on a preset schedule. You have exactly 8 minutes to connect with each provider, make an impression, and pitch your solution. Then a bell rings, and you move to the next table.
It's intense, but incredibly productive. At our contributor level, we were matched with 10 providers who had expressed interest in solutions like ours.
Wicked Green: Themed Dinners Done Right
Monday evening brought the first themed dinner: Wicked Green. Attendees were encouraged to wear pink or green. I went with a green shirt, and Michelle Pickering went all out with a fantastic wicked witch hat that stole the show.
These themed events are more than just fun. They're opportunities to connect with people in a more relaxed environment. The best business relationships aren't built in conference rooms. They're built over shared laughs, good food, and memorable experiences.
Meeting Industry Leaders: Connecting with Axxess
One of the highlights of the conference was meeting Adrian Killebrew from Axxess. The conversations with technology partners like Axxess were particularly valuable, as we explored how our platforms can work together to create more seamless workflows for home-based care providers.
These connections are what make Home Care 100 special. It's not just about showcasing products; it's about understanding how we can collectively solve the industry's biggest challenges. The integration possibilities between platforms like QliqSOFT and Axxess can create real value for providers struggling with communication gaps and workflow inefficiencies.
Deep Dives: Hospice, Home Health, and the Power of Data
Tuesday was the last full day of sessions, and it was packed. I attended multiple presentations covering the unique challenges of hospice, home health, and home care organizations. Executives shared how they're using data and AI to solve problems, tackle patient engagement challenges, and drive operational efficiency.
The Real Value: Genuine Connections
Throughout the conference, I was struck by how open-minded and relaxed people were. At other trade shows, there's often pressure to demo products and dive deep into technical details. But at Home Care 100, the energy was different. People wanted to connect first, to hear each other's stories and challenges, to learn from one another.
Would I attend Home Care 100 again?
Absolutely. Next year, without question. This is a different kind of event, and it delivered real value.
A First-Timer's Take: What Makes This Conference Different
As a first-time attendee, I came away from Home Care 100 with a clear sense of what makes it unique:
✨ What Sets Home Care 100 Apart
- No exhibit floor: The focus is entirely on interaction and relationship-building
- Executive-level conversations: Attendees are decision-makers, so discussions are strategic, not tactical
- Relational, not transactional: People want to connect and learn, not just pitch and demo
- Thoughtful structure: Bonding activities, themed dinners, and speed meetings create multiple touchpoints
- Industry-wide challenges: Sessions tackle the big issues: workforce, payer relations, AI, data, M&A
The ROI? We walked away with approximately 50 leads and several promising conversations. Time will tell how those convert, but I'm optimistic. The connections made here feel different. They feel real.
If I had one suggestion for the organizers, it would be to create more structured roundtable discussions between vendors and providers around specific themes: patient engagement, AI, data mining, contracting. Small groups, maybe three vendors and five providers, having focused conversations. That would add even more value to an already exceptional event.
But even without that, Home Care 100 exceeded my expectations. It's a conference I'll be attending again next year. The home-based care industry is at a pivotal moment, and the leaders in that room are the ones who will shape its future.
I'm honored to be part of that conversation.
