Carlsbad siblings face challenges of health care business together [Carlsbad Current-Argus, N.M.]

Dec. 30--CARLSBAD -- Even for the most seasoned professionals in the healthcare industry, dealing with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers is, at best, difficult.

But Carlsbad siblings, Ashley Jones Bock, 28, and Chris Jones, 31, are taking it in their stride as they run Home Care Connection and Hospice Inc., a company started by their mother, Brenda Jones, in 1998.

As they move into 2012 and deal with the changes that are coming in healthcare management and the new regulations strongly pushed forward by President Barack Obama, the siblings say although it will be difficult, they will be able to deal with it.

Brenda Jones, a registered nurse, said she had always hoped her son and daughter would one day operate the business. But that day came sooner than later when she semi-retired to take care of her mother, who has health issues.

The proud mom started her home health care with a secretary and a nurse aide. Today, her children have 75 people on the payroll and are managing the business with a strong compassion for their clients and employees, as well maintaining good business practices, she said.

"I always knew Ashley would come into the business," Brenda Jones said. "When she came home from college each summer she worked for me. She has a genuine knack for meeting people and talking with them and putting them at ease. She has helped run the business for four years now.

"I had always hoped Chris would be

interested. When he returned to Carlsbad two years ago with his Master's in Business Administration he became the chief financial officer for Home Care Connection. I let them have it (running the business) for a full year to see if they could do it. It was a relief for me to know the business was in capable hands. I still put in a few hours a week when I can."

Bock, a 2002 graduate from Carlsbad High School and 2007 graduate from New Mexico State university, said when her brother came on board she had already been running the business for a couple of years and gladly turned over the business end of it to him.

"I always knew I would return to Carlsbad after college. I love Carlsbad," Bock said. "Working for my mom just kind of happened. But I don't regret it. I love it. I'm glad I did."

After graduating from Carlsbad High School in 1998, Chris Jones attended NMSU, where he earned his degree in business administration. Then he headed to Texas and did his graduate work at Southern Methodist University, earning his MBA in 2009.

"My plan was to go into small business consulting with emphasis in practice management. It's where you work with physicians to help them run their medical practice," Jones said.

Jones said when a life-changing event occurred for him while living in Texas, he decided to return home and join his sister in operating the family business.

"There was a learning curve for me. I had to learn about the healthcare insurance business and how to deal with Medicare and Medicaid. I read a lot, and still do. My focus was the business operations and human resources for the company."

Bock said working with her brother has been "great" and they have a mutual respect for each other.

"We both have different skill sets," Bock said. "We work well together. Of course, sometimes we may have a disagreement, but we sit down and talk about it and work it out."

Jones said Home Care Connection and Hospice Services offers a wide range of services including home care, hospice, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and a personal care option (PCO).

He said while providing the high quality and compassionate care through the people on staff is a top priority, maintaining that quality of care and commitment does not come easy or cheap.

"The quality of care we provide is not negotiable. That is set in stone," Jones said, with his sister nodding in agreement. "We tell our staff on a regular basis that they have to be effective in how we use their time, but the patient comes first. It's tough.

"We still have bills and salaries to pay. People don't realize that what we receive per patient from Medicare and Medicaid it not a negotiable price. They tell us what they will pay per patient. We receive a lump sum payment and have to work within those parameters."

Jones said that it is not unusual for the staff to go beyond the call of duty and provide more services than the patient can afford or Medicare and Medicaid will pay.

"When the clinical team comes and tells us the patient needs more help, often we approve it, even if Medicare or Medicaid does not pay. Our philosophy is that we have to earn the business of the patient and the patient comes first. My job is to take care of the business. Our philosophy may not always make money for us in the short term, but in the long term, we will be around longer because we put the patient first," he said.

Jones said dealing with government regulations and the ever-changing healthcare system is daunting enough, but President Obama's new healthcare regulations -- many of which will kick in 2012 -- will also present a challenge to the home health care and medical industry. Again, he said, reading everything and understanding it, is not only time consuming, it is also confusing to sort out. But staying on top of it is the key.

Bock said she is glad her brother is by her side to help her understand all the changes already made and those that are coming.

As Jones keeps his eyes and ears open to the changes and protects the family business, Bock said she continues to go about the day-to-day business of supervising staff and making sure clients are receiving the best care possible.

Asked if at age 28 she feels intimated in supervising staff that is much older, Bock said: "At first I was. But I earned their respect and now I'm not intimidated. We want to learn from their education and experience. They listen to us because we listen to them."

Do they go to their mother for advice?

"Yes," Bock and Jones replied in unison.

"Mom has been in this business much longer than we have. It would be foolish of us not to get advice from her and not to listen to her," Jones added. "We think she is proud of us and she knows when she is ready to fully retire that she can leave knowing that we know the business well and its doing well."

As for their mom, when asked how here children are managing the business, said, "Excellent. I wouldn't have let them do it for this long if they weren't doing it well."

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