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Care Options, Inc. Profile
Author: | Thursday November 30, 2006
Company has grown through attention to detail and service.
Voice Newspaper Q&A With
Jane Kenovich
Care Options, Inc. CEO
Discusses Company
and Workers' Comp Industry
Voice: You have experience in health care, including workers' compensation. What was the turning point that encouraged you to start your own company?
JK: I worked for many years at a large insurance company that handled only workers’ compensation cases. I had been the director of Provider Relations and Education when they had quite a large reorganization. Their focus shifted from strictly workers’ comp to a variety of lines of business. I guess I just felt it was time to move on.
Many years ago I worked for a company handling medical equipment and respiratory care. I also worked for a few years in a hospital so I had the background necessary to start the company. I think I just got to the point where I thought that there wasn’t the security in jobs as there had been in the past. At least if I had my own company I got to make the rules and basically have more control on my future.
Voice: You have owned and operated Care Options, Inc. for about four years. What are some of the keys to your success?
J.K.: I truly feel that the first and most important thing you can do is to be fair and honest with your customers. I see our job as providing the best services and equipment to the claimants while watching for the cost-effectiveness component for our customers. Always remain ethical in everything you do.
Voice: You are a national company, what are some of the challenges in negotiating rates and services from state to state?
J.K. Each state has their own fee schedule for services and you always have to be sure that the pricing falls within the parameters of your contracts with your clients. Even in Florida, charges in the rural areas differ greatly from those of a metropolitan area.
Voice: Tell us about the services you provide and what areas seem have grown the most and why?
J.K.: Care Options provides home medical equipment, home based nursing, physical therapy, occupational and speech therapy and also i.v. therapy. I always tell people that we can provide anything from a cervical pillow to home modifications. That covers a pretty wide base, but it also keeps things interesting!
Voice: You are still out there personally attending meetings and conferences. How have you been able to stay "hands-on" in your business and in the professional community even as your company has grown?
J.K.: I feel that you must attend meetings and conferences to keep up with what is going on in our industry. I enjoy seeing everyone, exchanging ideas and forming working partnerships. I also teach continuing education classes for nurses and adjusters. I think the only reason I can continue to be out of the office as much as I am is because of the quality of the staff at Care Options. I don’t have to worry endlessly about what is happening at the office and can concentrate on other projects as well. Although, I am never more that a phone call away and still check in all the time.
Voice: Your offices are in Lake Mary.... has technology allowed companies to work from virtually anywhere? What are the benefits and what are the challenges of being located in a smaller community?
J.K.: Even though we are located in Lake Mary, we are just a few miles from Orlando. In a smaller community you get to know other providers and businesses fairly well and I have forged a few relationships that have been ongoing since we opened our doors. Our I.T. provider makes it possible for us to have the newest and most effective technology for our company. Even when I travel, as long as I have my laptop, I’m as good as in the office.
Voice: What do you see in the next couple of years in your company and in the workers' compensation industry?
J.K.: The workers’ compensation industry has changed so much over the past 10 years that it’s really hard to say what direction it will go. That’s why I still attend the meetings in Tallahassee and keep up to date with the conferences.
As for Care Options, we are currently planning to launch another business in early 2007. This one will not be workers’ comp, but will involve the private sector. The new company will also be working with a few charities to raise awareness for Ovarian Cancer and Children’s organizations. We are very excited about our new prospects and the chance to help others.
ED. NOTE: Jane Kenovich is President and CEO of Care Options and can be reached by calling 800-303-5486.
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