Moving Health Home

BrightStar Care Franchisees Expand Their Home Care Footprints into New Untapped Territories.

GURNEE, Ill. — BrightStar Care, the home care franchise with more than 380 company-owned and franchised locations nationwide, just announced that 17 franchise owners within its network have expanded their home care footprints into 28 new territories across the U.S. Notably within the cohort of franchisees who are experiencing rapid growth is one owner who expanded into multiple states and four owners who are first time multi-unit franchise owners. Each franchisee truly embodies the BrightStar Care brand and mission and are committed to providing a higher standard of quality care to the new communities they will serve.

“BrightStar Care is undergoing an accelerated growth period as several of our outstanding franchisees are currently expanding their territories with new location openings,” said Pete First, Chief Development Officer at BrightStar Care. “We pride ourselves for offering our franchise network multiple potential revenue streams to maximize their business operations and grow their valuations and reach. The rapid expansion we’re experiencing is due to the tremendous work of our franchise owners and their drive to expand their home care capabilities into new markets.”

Franchise owner, Dan Price has been the proud Owner and President of BrightStar Care of Leesburg, Virginia, since 2016 and just opened 16 new BrightStar Care locations across Maryland, D.C., and West Virginia. With this massive 16-unit expansion, Price is now a multi-unit franchise owner across multiple states within the BrightStar Care franchise system. Price and his care team are quickly establishing these new agencies as the provider of choice serving communities across the mountains of West Virginia, through Virginia and Washington D.C., and Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Richard Lovelace opened BrightStar Care of Pembroke Pines & Weston in Florida in 2020 and he currently owns and operates the location as both Owner and Branch Manager. Lovelace also expanded his operations and opened two new locations in Hollywood and Miami Gardens, Florida. With this territory growth, Lovelace is quickly establishing his footprint as one of the leading home care providers in Southern Florida.

Dan and Susie Sweiger have been the proud Owners of BrightStar Care of Carlsbad in Southern California since 2019. The Sweigers have also expanded their operations and are now serving families in Oceanside, California. With this expansion, their BrightStar Care locations provide in-home care services across the greater North County San Diego communities.

Mak and Sanaz Vaziri are the proud Owners of BrightStar Care of Carmel Valley & Rancho Santa Fe, and they just increased their operations into La Jolla, California. Through this territory growth the Vaziris are now serving communities across Northern and Southern San Diego County.

Andy and Kelley Bailen are Co-Owners of BrightStar Care of Northern Middlesex County in New Jersey and recently expanded their home care operations into Wall and Hazlet, New Jersey. Through this territory expansion the Bailens are now multi-unit home care franchise serving families across New Jersey.

Over the last year, BrightStar Care has released groundbreaking data demonstrating the brand’s unmatched clinical outcomes and payer benefits as well as impactful industry studies that benefit and strengthen its entire franchise network. With these achievements, BrightStar Care is well-positioned to continue its accelerated growth trajectory and affirm its spot as a leader in the franchise and home care industries.

For more information on franchising opportunities with BrightStar Care visit http://www.brightstarfranchising.com.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Unveils New Program for Aspiring Entrepreneurs.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Haslam College of Business via the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, welcomes the 2023 inaugural class for a brand new offering: The Franchise Certificate Program. The university continues to strive toward the strategic initiative of building a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem across Tennessee and the region, with franchising being a foundational part of that ecosystem.

“More and more people are turning to franchising as a means to entrepreneurship where they are in business for themselves, not by themselves.  That could mean working for a franchisor to support franchisees or becoming a franchisee themselves,” said program donor, and founder and CEO of BrightStar Care, Shelly Sun (HCB, ’92). “When I founded BrightStar Care in 2002, and then began franchising in 2005, it gave me a deeper understanding of franchising and a path to the success that I wish for every entrepreneur. Through this new program we will teach students the fundamentals of franchising and provide them with knowledge that will support whatever career path they ultimately choose.”

BrightStar Care, a home health care franchise dedicated to providing both medical and non-medical assistance for families and individuals in need has grown to more than 365 locations represented by 200 small businesses and reached $639M in revenue in 2021. BrightStar Care is consistently named in Forbes’ Top Ten Franchises under a $150,000 initial investment.

The Franchise Certificate Program provides entrepreneurs with support and training on the many facets of franchising. Students considering a career with a franchisor or simply those that desire deeper franchise knowledge can benefit from the comprehensive curriculum which will include:

• Education on the franchising industry
• Best practices for operating a franchise business
• Insight from franchise industry professionals
• Networking with other students interested in franchising

“The first priority of The Franchise Business Program is to provide entrepreneurial options for potential future business owners,” said Lynn Youngs, executive director of the Anderson Center. “We are not only aiming to educate, but also to make a difference in the community by creating jobs, supporting the next generation of small business owners with a sound basis for entering the entrepreneurial marketplace, and providing innovative strategies for successful business practices.”

To help build the Franchise Certificate Program, Cordell Riley, a franchising expert with nearly 30 years of experience, aims to build the program out in the coming years to include minor and major offerings specifically in franchising.

“Over the next decade we will help to create entrepreneurs that will make a difference in our communities and leverage the ever-so-important entrepreneurial spirit we have as Americans,” said Riley, program faculty member.

An advisory board consisting of franchisors, franchisees, franchise vendors, and other entrepreneurial representatives including Shelly Sun, Lynn Youngs, Tamra Kennedy, Tom Wood, Sherri Fishman and Cordell Riley will advise on the development of program content to ensure the franchise industry and the program work collaboratively to deliver the most knowledgeable future entrepreneurs in the country.

For more information about the Franchise Certificate Program, please visit https://haslam.utk.edu/executive-course/leadership-strategy/franchise-certificate-program/.

World’s Premier Home Care Franchise Receives Prestigious Recognition from The Joint Commission.

GURNEE, Ill. — BrightStar Care, a national private duty home care and medical staffing franchise with over 340 locally owned and operated locations nationwide, was awarded The Joint Commission’s 2021 Enterprise Champion for Quality Award, reinforcing the brand’s devotion to the highest standards of quality and safety in in-home care.

BrightStar Care is the only organization to achieve the title nine years in a row, with more than 95 percent of its franchisees accredited by The Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Additionally, BrightStar Care is one of only two franchisors to receive this title since the award’s inception in 2013.

Receiving the Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission means that health care organizations have completed a comprehensive on-site review and follow the policies and procedures established by their organization. To achieve accreditation, organizations must incorporate Joint Commission standards and requirements into their policies, procedures and training materials, as well as conduct consistent mock evaluations. Joint Commission accreditation helps organizations improve safety procedures, which became even more important amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Since its inception, it has been BrightStar Care’s utmost objective to deliver the gold standard of high-quality in-home care for our patients to stay comfortable and safe in their homes and we are thrilled that The Joint Commission recognizes our efforts by awarding us with its Enterprise Champion for Quality Award for the ninth time in a row,” said Shelly Sun, founder and CEO of BrightStar Care. “This past year illustrated the growing importance of having access to a quality home care for home-bound patients and we will continue collaborating with our franchisees to ensure that our patients receive the high-quality care they deserve.”

“It’s a privilege to be awarded The Joint Commission’s Enterprise Champion for Quality Award for the ninth year in a row as we’re dedicated to continuously improving the quality of care BrightStar Care provides,” said Josie Rhoades, vice president of Clinical Operations at BrightStar Care. “We take great pride in providing a higher standard of care and making sure franchisees are equipped with the right training and resources to remain a recipient of the prestigious honor.”

“We are pleased to recognize BrightStar Care for the ninth consecutive year with the Enterprise Champion for Quality Award,” said Gary Bachrach, executive director, Home Care Accreditation Program, The Joint Commission. “We applaud the BrightStar Care organization for its commitment and effort to work closely with its franchisees to help improve quality and safety for the many individuals and families it serves within the home care setting across the country.”

Joint Commission accreditation is a known quality indicator within the industry as it is the same organization that accredits and certifies more than 22,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation has allowed BrightStar Care to help its clients continue living safely in their homes and help prevent hospital re-admission.”

BrightStar Care provides the full continuum of home care services comprised of companionship, personal care, dementia care, transportation, medication assistance, skilled nursing and more to improve clients’ health and quality of life.

For more information on BrightStar Care, please visit www.brightstarcare.com.
For more information on The Joint Commission, please visit www.jointcommission.org.

Moving Health Home Coalition Unites Leading Healthcare Organizations Around the Bold Vision to Expand Access to In-Home Care.

GURNEE, Ill. — BrightStar Care, a leading national private duty home care and medical staffing franchise with over 340 locally owned and operated locations, is excited to announce that it has joined Moving Health Home, a coalition of pioneering healthcare companies aiming to change how policymakers think about home as a site of clinical service. BrightStar Care joins founder members Amazon Care, Landmark Health, Signify Health, Dispatch Health, Elara Caring, Intermountain Healthcare, Home Instead, Ascension, and Amwell in the coalition’s efforts to define what home care looks like in the future.

Formed in March 2021, Moving Health Home members are working to change federal and state policy to enable the home to be a clinical site of care. The pandemic has put into sharper focus the urgent need for safe and reliable in-home care. But this more modern way of approaching holistic care needs is not accessible to millions of Americans. Moving Health Home will advocate for increased access to high-quality home-based services and will also push for permanent flexibility to transfer or treat patients in their home when it is found clinically appropriate.

“Based on evidence, we know that it is possible for Americans to receive health care in their homes, and we want to ensure that we work with leaders in the health care industry that can support our mission to change the culture around institutional care,” said Krista Drobac, Founder, Moving Health Home. “We are excited to welcome BrightStar Care to the coalition as we believe their reputation and experience with home care will move our mission forward.”

“The future of healthcare is in the home, and BrightStar Care is honored to be a part of a coalition that is set to change how our country approaches access to clinical care,” said Shelly Sun, CEO and Founder of BrightStar Care. “The pandemic showed us how important it is to keep the most vulnerable safe at home, and we are proud to be joining Moving Health Home’s mission to explore opportunities to further advance a national conversation around increasing access to home-based care services.”

BrightStar Care is uniquely positioned within the coalition to share home care best practices and expertise from its 2.8 million care encounters annually to help ensure the needs of senior and long-term care patients are represented in conversations with policymakers. The brand will also draw on almost 2 decades of home care experience and a network of over 340 locations in key discussions regarding site of service flexibility for clinical care.

There are over 4.7 million Americans who rely on home care services, with the number set to grow rapidly as the U.S. population ages. Understanding this, BrightStar Care has long been advocating for home care to be recognized as an important part of the healthcare system.   The importance of these efforts has been highlighted during the pandemic as the home has become the preferred setting for delivering care.   BrightStar Care’s commitment to quality as evidenced by the Joint Commission accreditation of all of its agencies and its approach to managing outcomes and change of condition to ensure that home-bound patients can safely age at home while receiving the highest quality of care possible. BrightStar Care is passionate about being at the forefront of changing the home-care model and will continue to champion the higher standard of care through aligning itself with like-minded organizations. BrightStar Care is already working with health systems, post-acute care networks and other leading healthcare organizations to provide the homecare and staffing capabilities needed for innovative programs such as Hospital at Home and SNF Alternatives.  The company’s existing partnership experience and extensive knowledge of the home care industry will complement the other members of the Moving Health Home coalition and its ongoing efforts to improve quality of care for home-bound patients.

A nine-time recipient of The Joint Commission’s Enterprise Champion for Quality Award, BrightStar Care provides the full continuum of home care services comprised of companionship, personal care, dementia care, medication assistance, skilled nursing and more to improve clients’ health and quality of life.

For more information on BrightStar Care please visit www.brightstarcare.com

For more information about the Moving Health Home Coalition, please visit www.movinghealthhome.org