Executive Q&A with Right at Home's COO Margaret Haynes

1851 Franchise: What is the concept behind Right at Home? How did it start?

Margaret Haynes: Right at Home was founded by Allen Hager. Allen worked in health care as a hospital administrator and watched many of his patients, especially seniors, leave the hospital and return to their homes without necessarily returning to health. Many of his former patients weren’t able to care for themselves once home, so they often ended up back in the hospital. He knew that if they had had access to home care—a service few companies were offering—they could have led happier lives in the comfort of their own homes.

In 1995, Allen started Right at Home in Omaha, Nebraska, working in his own office and even caring for clients himself. Through these early experiences, he learned the ins and outs of the home care industry, gradually expanding the brand into new regions of the country. In 2000, Right at Home started franchising its proven concept, partnering with qualified franchisees all over the country who aligned with the brand’s mission to provide quality home care. Today, Right at Home has more than 600 locations worldwide and serves tens of thousands of clients throughout the U.S. and seven other countries. 

1851: What is different about Right at Home that sets it apart from other caregiving franchises?

Haynes: Right at Home starts with our passionate franchise owners. These are individuals who aren’t just looking for a business to make a living; they choose Right at Home to make a positive impact on their communities and the people for whom they provide care. Right at Home’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those we serve, and you can see that dedication in all of our franchisees. 

Another differentiator is our proprietary care delivery system, RightCare—the experience that our franchisees create for clients, caregivers and office staff. We always say RightCare is about “the Right People doing the Right Things the Right Way for the Right Reason.” That motto allows us to live our mission in a way that provides an individualized experience for every client. The services our caregivers provide may be the same as other home care companies, but it is our support, relationships and staff that really stand out and make a difference. 

1851: What makes Right at Home a good franchise opportunity?

Haynes: There is a bright future for the home care industry because of the aging senior population, as well as the broader recognition of how home care can be connected with traditional health care due to the COVID-19 pandemic and advancing technology. 

With the pandemic, more families are looking to move loved ones out of assisted living facilities and bring them back home where they have more control over their safety. That change, in general, is certainly making our role even more important in the health care industry. We are also seeing a rise in telehealth and hospital-at-home models, with more health care moving to the home care environment in general. 

Looking ahead, the health care industry is going to need more companies like Right at Home to work alongside episodic care providers. For example, in many cases, an incident will happen and a doctor will approve a home health care provider to see a patient. The problem is that once the specific episode is over, the patient is expected to return to normal life. With Right at Home, ongoing home care is requested by the family, not by a doctor responding to a specific incident. I was a Right at Home consumer when my mother had Alzheimer's—we had great hospice workers there but we also brought in Right at Home caregivers, so when the hospice workers left, there was still someone there to make sure she was cared for. In this way, Right at Home offers franchisees access to a great symbiotic relationship with other health care providers.

1851: What were some of Right at Home's major accomplishments in 2020?

Haynes: In 2020, Right at Home provided thousands of hours of care and continued to employ office space and caregivers when a lot of smaller companies were forced to close. We are proud to have been able to continue providing this valuable service during the pandemic while also to keep our business owners successful.

For example, over the past year, despite the pandemic, we secured strategic partnerships to broaden our value proposition for our clients. We partnered with TruBlue Total House Care, which focuses on home maintenance, modifications and repairs to ensure the home environment is built for home health care. This collaborative partnership is another step in allowing seniors to age in place. We also partnered with Compass at Home to reduce patients’ overall health care costs, avoid readmissions and increase engagement.

This year, 95% of our clients said they felt safer with Right at Home, and 93% reported overall improvement in their quality of life. These statistics are based on our quality satisfaction surveys conducted with clients and caregivers. 

We also donated $18,500 to the American Red Cross to provide shelter, food and comfort to families in need during the pandemic. We created a T-shirt with tips on staying safe during the pandemic and sold the T-shirts to raise money.

Right at Home also continued to expand despite the challenges of 2020. We opened 17 domestic territories and introduced several new franchise owners through resales. Last year, Right at Home celebrated its 20th anniversary as a franchise system, which means many franchise owners have been with us for 20 years and are at a point in their life where they are ready to sell their established business to a new franchisee. Internationally, we’ve added 19 territories this year, as well as added a corporate Right at Home location to our system. 

1851: What are the goals for the brand in 2021 and beyond?

Haynes: Our plan is to accelerate market development through both franchising and acquisitions, bringing Right at Home to more communities around the world. We remain aligned with the larger changes in the health care industry and will continue evolving our system through the data and KPIs collected by RightFocus, our proprietary tech platform. 

As we broaden our value proposition for our clients through strategic partnerships, we will continue to develop ways to support individuals, whether it be seniors or adults with disabilities, so they can age gracefully in their homes. 

In addition to supporting our clients, we are working with franchise owners to continue providing an exceptional experience for our caregivers. We recognize that as the senior population booms, there will also be a greater need for quality caregivers. Right at Home knows how important it is to create an enriching and enjoyable experience for caregivers so they will want to work with us. 

In 2021, we hope to add a minimum of 15 domestic territories, and we expect about 20 or so resales. We are also looking to add at least three corporate-owned locations and 20 international locations. In terms of systemwide sales, we expect to see double-digit year-over-year growth throughout the year.

For more information on franchising with Right at Home, visit: https://rightathomefranchise.com/