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A Message from Nick, John and Andy:

We’re in a very exciting time as COHSC and AME become part of the PHS family. When we was first approached by PHS and learned about their focus on the patient in combination with the comprehensive services they were offering for families in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas, Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, we knew we had to dig in.

Thank you for all the amazing work you do for COHSC/AME, and for your continued effort as we work together to care for the nation’s most precious patients.

You, the employees, are what makes this organization successful. That doesn’t change with this partnership.  You are the lifeblood of the organization, you are the reason patients are safe, happy, and healthy.

I’m excited to see where we can go together and I know once you learn more about what will come for our team, for our patients, and for our referral sources, you will be too.

Everyone will be working hard to ensure clear communication as we integrate our two organizations into one. Please use this page as a resource for you to get answers to common questions, and submit questions that you don’t see listed here.

-Nick, John, and Andy

A Message from Cameo:

I want to start off by saying welcome to the PHS team! We are so glad to be working with your team and are looking forward to getting to know you.

Our first priority in working with your team is discovering and understanding more fully who COHSC/AME is.  We will be doing a lot of listening and learning in the beginning.  PHS was attracted to your organization for the similarities in values and patient-first mentality. We look forward to great conversations as we discover more about each of your, your organization’s processes, and your patient base.

One of the most energizing pieces of this new partnership is the opportunities we have to learn from one another. AME has so much to teach us about the adult population and while PHS and COHSC serve the same population, we are eager to learn from you, and share what we’ve learned over the years to make this partnership as strong as possible.

– Cameo, CEO of Pediatric Home Service

Getting to Know PHS

External Communication

Patient Family Communication

While we’re sharing this exciting news with staff immediately, we will be holding off on external communication until the agreement between COHSC/AME and PHS is finalized. This should take about a month. We will keep staff informed as we get closer to the time where we will communicate with patient families.

  • Communication to patient families will take place in person for families with a following clinician.
    • A leave behind postcard will be used that includes key information about the partnership. Leadership will provide each clinician with printed versions of the postcard.
    • If clinicians will be unable to connect with families within 2 weeks of announcement to staff, we will mail letters to these homes as well.
  • Supply only patients will receive a mailed letter.

We will continue to communicate about the partnership between PHS and COHSC through social media, shipping inserts, letters, emails and phone conversations over the 6-month cobrand period. Our goal is to ensure all families know who PHS is to ensure the transition is problem-free.

Referral Source Communication

While we’re sharing this exciting news with staff immediately, we will be holding off on external communication until the agreement between RSVP/Pulmonary Partners and PHS is finalaized. This should take about a month. We will keep staff informed as we get closer to the time where we will communicate with referral sources.

  • Communication to key/targeted referral sources will take place via in-person meetings with Nick, John, Andy and Cameo, Judy or the most applicable leadership representative from PHS.
  • Referral sources not included on the visit list will receive a mailed letter.

Media Communication

The press release will be sent to media contacts after we have fully communicated with referrals and patient families. We will share a link to the press release here once completed.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Employee

How will my job change? -

This is a big transition, but everyone at PHS is excited and honored to be walking this path with the team at COHSC and AME. Having just gone through an acquisition ourselves, we are sensitive to how change feels.

While there will undoubtedly be change (processes, technology, additional services) for the most part you can anticipate business as usual in your day-to-day with PHS. We love the work you do and look forward to collaborating on our future together.

You are what makes COHSC and AME so successful. PHS leadership recognizes that and values your patient-centric mentality.

What new opportunities might I have? -

We fully expect new opportunities as both organizations plan for growth and a new future. Right now, the exact details are still being developed, but your leaders will be a good resource to talk about your ideas of what that could mean for you and your department.

How will my workload and stress level change? -

We know that for some, change brings excitement and energy, for others, it may bring some stress. As integration flows both ways, certain functions and roles may be more affected than others. We want to be open and honest about each other’s capacity. Be sure to stay in communication with your manager about your workload and your interest in being involved in new initiatives.

Will I get the same pay and benefits? -

In the short term pay and benefits will continue as they exist today.

The long-term goal is to simplify and improve pay and benefits where it is possible for PHS and all partner companies. One payroll system will be a good place to start and something we plan to accomplish in our first year together. Compensation and benefits often have state or local unique qualities we will need to consider and retain. Our goal is to offer pay that is competitive in the marketplace and that matches the passion of the employee for their role. We will work to ensure parity for employees and will be sure to communicate before, during and after any changes.

How will this change our company culture? -

One of the main reasons PHS pursued COHSC/AME was how closely our heritage mirrored each other and even more important that our patient-centric heart was the same.

While COHSC/AME will be transitioning from a small company to be part of a bigger organization, PHS understands that every location has its own unique culture. You can certainly expect changes such as new trainings, technology systems, and even some process changes to ensure our locations can work together in a seamless fashion, but you can also rest assured that changes won’t all be introduced at once. We will do our best to ensure the pace of change is appropriate.

Additionally, our future plans will continue to include growth as a primary objective. So you can expect to hear about additional new locations across the US as we continue on our mission to provide clinically excellent comprehensive care for kids at home.

Will we still have the same company wide events as we have had in the past? -

Having fun is an important part of who we are and is actually one of our Guiding Principles. We do formal and informal events throughout the year and hope to incorporate all of our sites in some of our events as well as encourage and enhance the traditional events at each location. We are committed to fostering a healthy culture and understand the value of making time for employees to connect. COVID has impacted our events schedule but we work to find innovative ways to connect even in our virtual world.

Will I have to move to a new location? -

There is no plan on the horizon to move your location unless your facility can no longer accommodate the business needs. Your current location was selected for proximity to key referrals and for that reason, we would look for a new space in your neighborhood with the same considerations in mind. The future of PHS and COHSC/AME includes growth as a primary objective, so it is probable at some point in the future facility and space planning will need to be considered.

Organizationally, growth will likely mean additional new locations across the US. This growth will mean great opportunity for those who are interested. However, PHS will work hard to ensure staff won’t have to move from their current location. The Roseville, MN office location will serve as headquarters for all future locations.

Organizational

Will this change the organization's mission? -

One of our first priorities is discovering and understanding more fully who COHSC/AME is. We will be doing a lot of listening and learning in the beginning. PHS was attracted to COHSC and AME for the similarities in values and patient centricity. We are excited to dig into what the means for your team and how we can integrate that into the existing PHS mission and guiding principles.

Over time, we will transition completely to the PHS mission, key messages and guiding principles as a unified organization.

Will this improve our service to patient families? -

You will still be offering the same great service that you have always focused on providing. We are hoping our partnership will only compliment the great work you already do. Down the road, as we learn together and when it’s the right time, we also hope to add new lines of services, bring enhanced technologies and provide our patients with custom education materials.

Following integration, our goal is to continue to expand services so instead of going to multiple providers, families will be able to get all their services from one location.

What benefits will our referral sources experience? -

PHS fully appreciates the strong relationships COHSC/AME has established with its referral sources. It is obvious your referral sources have grown to value your expertise, accessibility, and responsiveness. We have no intention of disrupting those relationships.
Working with you, we can explore together some of the synergies that may further improve the patient experience. Some of the additional services we can bring alongside the ones you already provide will broaden your platform of care. Some of the additional support we may be able to provide should help many concentrate their focus on care for their patients and what they are really good at. And, some of the new systems and technology should make jobs easier, create efficiencies and increase quality and accuracy.

How will leadership change? -

Nick, John, and Andy will stay on as local leaders of the branch. They will report to Judy Giel, Chief Clinical Officer at PHS.
You can expect to see PHS leadership and staff at the office frequently in the coming months as we have the privilege to learn more about you all and figure out the opportunities for integrating our teams and work. We will also look forward to hosting staff from Covington at our Headquarters in Roseville, MN as well.

Will our company name change? -

COHSC and AME have built a strong brand in the community over the years and we don’t want to confuse our patient families or referral sources. Since both organizations serve a different population, we will use the new cobrand only with COHSC to familiarize patients and referrals with the PHS name. We will maintain use of the cobrand exclusively for a timeframe of around 6 months before we transition over to the PHS brand. The AME brand will be left untouched.

Will decisions be made differently now? -

Most of the day-to-day functions will not see significant changes. In many cases, it will be business as usual. Of course, with any transaction like this, there will be some changes. Some of the changes will evolve over time, some haven’t even been identified yet and won’t be until we encounter situations that may require a new approach. Initially, it may feel a little different with the PHS senior leadership and board of directors coming alongside Nick, John, and Andy and being involved in the higher-level decisions. You will also likely see some differences in a very disciplined strategic planning process.

Will the organizational structure change in any way? -

COHSC/AME has already proven to be successful with its current structure. We don’t anticipate significant changes other than those mentioned above. Titles of leadership will change to align with the PHS structure. Those changes will be announced over time.

As both organizations grow there may be some natural and common-sense changes that we will work together to accomplish.

What are some examples of the new resources that will be available to COHSC/AME? -

One of the advantages of partnership is learning best practices from each other and sharing resources. We anticipate a lot of cross-pollination between each organization. While nothing is set in stone, we are greatly looking forward to a future that has all locations using the same systems. While these integrations will come at a later date, we are looking forward to starting off by learning about your experiences with different health care related technologies so we can find the best fit for all teams.

Also, we all know that growth will require talent. Resources will be dedicated to hiring the right staff at the right time to assist in accelerating growth.

Will our company goals and budget be affected? -

PHS will be looking at current goals and aligning them against the growth goals we have in place across the country. PHS will be working alongside management and the Board of Directors to make any modifications to existing goals.

What processes will change? -

While we don’t know about all the change coming our way, as always, we will be working to become more efficient and more effective. A unified EHR system is one example where we will focus time right away.

Transaction Q&A

Who is PHS (company and people)?  

PHS is an independent children’s home health care company. We are here for one reason: helping kids with medical complexities live their best life – at home, with their families, where they belong. We provide respiratory therapy, equipment and supplies, infusion therapy and pharmacy, enteral nutrition, home care nursing, skilled nursing visits, mental health, and clinical education.
Our mission statement, guiding principles and cultural attributes are genuinely a great description of who we are, what guides us and what drives PHS.

Mission Statement
We make a difference in the life of every family we serve by taking care of the child, so that children with medical complexities can achieve their best lives at home and in their communities

Guiding Principles
– Help kids live their best life (We achieve the best outcomes for our patients)
– Have fun and get stuff done (We celebrate the success of our co-workers & company)
– Answer the call (We make ourselves available to our families & patients first)
– Start and end with the family (We care compassionately for our patients & their families)
– Together, we can (We coordinate our efforts with each other)
– Better tomorrow than today (We are always learning & improving)
– More than just PHS (We advocate for quality homecare in the broader healthcare community)
– Power in simplicity (We balance simplicity & effectiveness)
– Dialogue without fear (We ask for feedback and offer it thoughtfully)
– Positively resourceful (We resourcefully find a solution)

Watch the video linked in the question text to learn more about PHS.

What is the goal of COHSC/AME for PHS? -

PHS is eager to learn more about the staff and becoming one big family. This will involve transition and transformation for both organizations. While it promises an exciting future, there is no denying there will be some challenges along the way. Our goal is to navigate the changes with as little disruption as possible and make it a positive experience for everyone. We are also excited to continue to grow in each location where the company expands; both geographically and in the services we provide.