1. Supreme Court turns away 10-state challenge to vaccine mandate.A legal challenge to the COVID-19 health care worker vaccination mandate by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will not be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. On...

    Read more about Supreme Court turns away 10-state challenge to vaccine mandate
    Read more about Supreme Court turns away 10-state challenge to vaccine mandate
  2. HQRP Measures Continue Through FY2023 SimiTree

    HQRP measures continue through FY2023.By Maureen Kelleher, RN, MBA SimiTree Senior Manager The FY2022 Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) contains four quality measures that capture care across the hospice stay.

    Read more about HQRP measures continue through FY2023
    Read more about HQRP measures continue through FY2023
  3. Planning for Home Health Post-Merger Integration SimiTree

    What’s in your post-merger playbook?.Effective planning and integration services make for seamless transition Suspense keeps all eyes on the diligence phase when one company acquires or merges with another, with...

    Read more about What’s in your post-merger playbook?
    Read more about What’s in your post-merger playbook?

  4. 4 strategies for scaling RCM as your agency grows.By Lynn Labarta SimiTree VP, Revenue Cycle Management To be successful, home health and hospice agencies must generate revenue. However, that is only part of the puzzle in building...

    Read more about 4 strategies for scaling RCM as your agency grows
    Read more about 4 strategies for scaling RCM as your agency grows
  5. Home Health OIG Compliance Intensifies Focus SImiTree

    OIG intensifies compliance focus.Medicare fraud and abuse investigations are on the rise, with SimiTree compliance and regulatory team reporting increased numbers of payment related audits and investigations, and...

    Read more about OIG intensifies compliance focus
    Read more about OIG intensifies compliance focus

  6. What will change in VBP baseline year mean?.When the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the proposed home health payment rule for 2023, it included the expected implementation of a nationwide...

    Read more about What will change in VBP baseline year mean?
    Read more about What will change in VBP baseline year mean?
  7. Are You Making Any of These 10 Hospice Budgeting Mistakes?

    Are you making any of these 10 budgeting mistakes?.For most of the nation, autumn ushers in seasonal fun like football, bonfires, and pumpkin spice. But for those whose job requires developing the organizational budget for the...

    Read more about Are you making any of these 10 budgeting mistakes?
    Read more about Are you making any of these 10 budgeting mistakes?
  8. Medicares Value Based Performance VBP Program for Home Health

    Ready, set, succeed: 3 ways to address leaner margins expected in 2023.Home health and hospice providers are bracing for leaner margins in 2023, looking for ways to tighten productivity and set in place efficiencies to make a bottom-line...

    Read more about Ready, set, succeed: 3 ways to address leaner margins expected in 2023
    Read more about Ready, set, succeed: 3 ways to address leaner margins expected in 2023
Let's Connect!
 

Eric Scharber

Executive Vice President

Eric Scharber entered the world of talent acquisition and retention totally by accident, right out of college. But it didn’t take long before he realized he had a knack for connecting people with opportunities.

Eric is an Executive Vice President of SimiTree, leading all talent acquisition and employee retention efforts for the Post-Acute and Behavioral Healthcare industries. He oversees executive search, management recruiting and interim leadership services, as well as advisory services related to workforce management. After founding the firm in 2005, Eric led it to become the top recruiting and executive search entity for the Post-Acute and Behavioral Health industry, serving clients across the U.S. and completing more than 3500 recruiting and interim leadership projects since inception.

Eric is passionate in his goal of surpassing his client’s expectations and assisting them with talent acquisition and employee retention strategies. He is a sought-after speaker nationally on the topics of Employee Retention and Recruitment, Building Culture, Leadership Development and Strategic Planning. Eric earned a B.S. in Business Administration with specialization in Marketing and Public Relations from the University of Florida.

Polly Cooper

Behavioral Health Talent Solutions

With over 20 years of recruitment experience and 5 years specializing in behavioral health, Polly Cooper leads recruitment of all behavioral health roles for SimiTree Talent Solutions. Prior to joining the team, Polly led clinical recruiting at innovaTel Telepsychiatry, where she was hired as the initial clinical recruiter and designed a recruitment model that grew a national provider network from 40 clinicians to over 200+ providers during her 4-year tenure.

Before her focus on behavioral health, Polly spent 18 years in recruitment within higher education. At innovaTel Telepsychiatry, she served on the Senior Leadership Team and Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Through her leadership, she helped create, implement, and execute a recruitment strategy for psychiatrists, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, and licensed clinical social workers, which was instrumental in establishing innovaTel as one of the top growing telehealth mental health organizations in the country.

A native of Ohio, Polly is a graduate of Heidelberg University, a liberal arts college in Northwest Ohio, where she earned a B.A. in Public Relations & English Writing and an MBA. Her passion lies in matching providers to their ideal clinical roles, considering multiple factors such as company culture, geography, clinical setting, culturally competent care, and work-life balance. She fi rmly believes that when clinicians are in an optimal work environment, everyone benefi ts—ultimately improving patient care and strengthening provider retention.

On a personal note, Polly is a proud mother of two—Josie (18) and Finn (14)—and has been married to her husband Chad for twenty-two years. They reside in Northwest Ohio. When not working, she is an enthusiast of food, wine, outdoor adventures, and travel.

Angela Grant, RN, BSN

Director, Talent Division

Angela Grant, RN, BSN, is a results-driven leader with extensive experience in home health and hospice leadership recruitment. As Director of the Talent Division at SimiTree, she leads a team of recruiters and manages strategic talent acquisition initiatives for clients nationwide

With a strong track record of building lasting relationships with key decision-makers, clients, and candidates, Angela is known for her ability to connect top talent with the right leadership roles. Her integrity-driven approach, exceptional communication skills, and commitment to results make her a trusted advisor in the industry.

A Kentucky native, Angela pursued nursing before marrying an Air Force offi cer, a journey that took her across the country with 12 relocations over 30 years. Now based in the Greater Tampa, Florida area, she enjoys biking, walking, reading, traveling, and spending quality time with her family, including her 26-year-old daughter.

Esther Hardy

Director of Talent, Interim Management

Esther is an accomplished healthcare executive, bringing nearly 30 years of home health and hospice operational, customer relationship, recruitment and interim management leadership expertise to SimiTree’s clients.

In previous roles for an industry-leading post-acute advisory company and large national home care providers, she has a successful history of assisting home health and hospice leaders reach their talent acquisition goals at C-Suite, director and operational levels. Esther has also successfully managed multi- state, multi-site operations for regional Medicare and nursing private duty providers on the West Coast.

In the last decade, she has served as a national recruiter for a large nationwide home health and hospice organization. Her home health and hospice network extends throughout the U.S. She has a great ability to obtain recommendations from industry leaders, securing a high percentage of placements and exceptional customer satisfaction.

Ryan Mattson

Senior Director, Recruiting

Ryan has been with SimiTree Talent Solutions (formerly Exact Recruiting, A Simione Talent Solution) since 2009. He holds a degree in architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which initially led him into a design and programming career managing accounts for a software company. The organizational, customer service, and communication skills he developed in that role facilitated his seamless transition into healthcare recruiting.

As Senior Director of Recruiting at SimiTree Talent Solutions, Ryan plays a pivotal role in helping clients fi ll key positions. He oversees the entire search process, serves as the primary client contact, and collaborates closely with his recruiting team to match professionals in home health, hospice, and behavioral health with opportunities that align with their career goals. Additionally, he manages internal operations and partners with Director Jo Rodgers and Senior Vice President Eric Scharber to drive the success of the Talent business line, further enhancing service to the industry.

Ryan is known for his dedication to exceptional client service. Candidates appreciate his genuine approach and industry expertise, making him a trusted resource in their career advancement. His strong work ethic and communication style set him apart as a leader in healthcare recruiting.

Wayne A. Regan

Vice President Managing Director Interim Leadership

Wayne A. Regan is the Vice President Managing Director of Interim Leadership Services. Mr.Regan has over 25 years of progressive leadership and consulting experience in home care, hospice, palliative and long-term care, and more than a decade of experience in sales and marketing of health care products and services. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of MetroWest HomeCare & Hospice, Tenet Healthcare, where he led regional operational efforts for post-acute services. He also was a principal with Homecare & Hospice Solutions, an independent consulting firm in post-acute services focusing on strategic planning, business development, feasibility studies, interim management and turnaround operations.

Prior to these engagements Mr. Regan served as Vice President of Business Development with Amedisys Home Care and Hospice - Northeast Region and Senior Vice President of Beacon Hospice, both in the Northeast, during 2009-2013. Regan led business development for Amedisys Northeast region’s 90 locations providing home care, hospice and inpatient hospice residences with an operating budget of $350M.

At Beacon Hospice, he grew the entity from $85M to $125M through targeted market growth in multiple post-acute markets, led the palliative care teams and medical director teams as well as assisting with its acquisition by Amedisys. From 2001-2009 with Masonic Health System of Massachusetts, he served as President of its homecare and hospice entity, Overlook Visiting Nurse Association, leading operations and business development for post-acute services. During 1991-2001, he served as a national director of sales for Vencare Health Services (now Kindred), Louisville, Kentucky, focusing on national sales and marketing eff orts in pharmacy, infusion therapy, medical supply/DME and respiratory services for elder and long-term care, and as regional director with NeighborCare of the Northeast.

An active collaborator in post-acute care services and advocacy, Regan previously served as President of the Board for the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts and previously served as a member of the regulatory committee of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

Regan earned a B.S. in pharmacy from Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio.

Johanna Rodgers

Senior Director, Talent Solutions

Johanna Rodgers has been an integral part of the SimiTree Talent Solutions team since 2006, bringing nearly two decades of expertise in executive search and healthcare recruiting. As Senior Director of Talent Solutions, she plays a pivotal role in connecting top-tier leadership with home health, hospice, and behavioral healthcare organizations nationwide.

With an extensive network of executive-level connections, Jo has a proven ability to identify and recruit top-performing industry leaders. She specializes in retained and executive-level searches, overseeing the entire recruitment process—from sourcing high-impact positions to developing strategic hiring plans. Her deep industry knowledge and executive vetting expertise ensure successful placements that drive long-term organizational success.

Throughout her career, Jo has held multiple roles in recruiting and talent acquisition, excelling as a full-cycle recruiter and key account manager. Clients and candidates alike value her strategic approach, industry insight, and dedication to building lasting partnerships.

A graduate of the University of South Florida and a former educator, Jo is known for her exceptional customer service and keen eye for talent. She is also deeply committed to community service, actively serving on the school board at Immanuel Lutheran School in Brandon, FL.

Johanna and her husband, David, reside in the Greater Tampa Bay area with their two children, Hanna and Hunter.