Expert Resources for Care at Home

Last Visit First: Building a Serious Illness Ecosystem with Kristen Yntema

Written by Maxwell TEC | Mar 03, 2026

Maxwell TEC is a proud sponsor of Last Visit First with Tom Maxwell, a podcast bringing leaders, innovators, and caregivers together to talk honestly about the choices shaping the future of home health and hospice. 

How do you turn two legacy hospice providers into a singular, "serious illness powerhouse"?

Kristen Yntema didn’t start her career in a boardroom; she started as a 15-year-old unit secretary, cross-training as a nursing assistant and falling in love with the patient connection. Today, as the President and CEO of AuthoraCare Collective, she is redefining the architecture of end-of-life care.

This conversation pulls back the curtain on the 2019 merger that created AuthoraCare and the radical "Culture First" strategy that made it successful.

Kristen and Tom dive into why traditional hospice is no longer enough and how building a "Serious Illness Ecosystem" allows patients to be the true authors of their own stories long before their final six months.

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