The interview below is part of a McGuireWoods series featuring interviews with C-suite leadership of private equity-backed portfolio companies. To recommend a leader for a future interview, email Holly Buckley at hbuckley@mcguirewoods.com or Tim Fry at tfry@mcguirewoods.com.
Q: What inspired you to enter the home health and behavioral health sector, and how has your perspective evolved over time?
Jerin Johnson: From the moment I graduated college, I knew I wanted to build a career centered around making a meaningful impact. My first role was recruiting nurses to care for pediatric patients with sub-acute medical needs in the home. That experience was truly formative. I was inspired by the strength of the families I met and energized every time we found the right nurse to meet a child’s complex needs. It was clear early on that pediatric healthcare was where my heart was.
As I progressed in my career, I was fortunate to expand into behavioral health, particularly applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for individuals with autism. Seeing the profound effect our clinicians had on the children and their families was a powerful reminder of why this work mattered so much.
Over the years, my perspective evolved from focusing on individual placements to building an integrated, mission-driven organization through Prime Providers. Today, I lead with a broader vision: to create systems of care that are compassionate, personalized and accessible, while fostering a culture in which our teams can flourish and grow.
Q: With increasing healthcare regulations, how do you navigate compliance while maintaining a patient-centered approach?
JJ: Compliance and patient-centered care are not mutually exclusive; they are deeply connected. Regulatory frameworks provide the foundation for delivering safe, ethical and high-quality care.
Navigating the complexities of healthcare regulations requires a proactive, team-based approach. We’ve built a strong foundation by developing a comprehensive compliance program and established a compliance committee consisting of experienced professionals in clinical care, compliance and operations who collaborate closely to ensure we’re meeting compliance requirements in a way that aligns with our mission to create access to quality care for individuals with special needs.
Our goal is to create systems by which compliance enhances the client experience. That means listening closely to our clients and frontline teams, investing in ongoing training and leveraging technology to streamline documentation and increase transparency.
We stay grounded in our core values every step of the way. Integrity guides our ethical standards. Compassion keeps us focused on the people we serve. Creativity helps us find innovative ways to meet complex regulatory demands. Consistency ensures we deliver reliable, high-quality care. And collaboration brings together diverse perspectives to solve challenges as a unified team.
Q: What role does family and caregiver education play in enhancing the effectiveness of respite and ABA services?
JJ: Family and caregiver education is essential to the long-term success of both respite and ABA services. At Prime Providers, we believe that care does not stop when a session ends or a provider leaves the home. It extends into the daily lives of the individuals we serve. That is why we view families and caregivers as active partners in the care-delivery process.
When families are informed, supported and empowered, the outcomes are significantly more impactful. In ABA services, the principles and strategies taught during therapy sessions reach their full potential when consistently reinforced on a regular basis in their home environment. In respite care, education helps families understand how to manage day-to-day tasks, maintain routines and advocate effectively for their loved ones.
We prioritize ongoing training and education for our clinicians and care teams, ensuring that our care aligns with the latest best practices and meets the unique needs of each client and family. Our providers dedicate time to build trust and ensure that families not only understand the “what” and “how” of care but also the “why” behind it.
When families feel confident and knowledgeable, it elevates the entire care experience by helping individuals achieve greater independence, stability and progress inside and outside of formal services.
Q: What trends do you believe will have the greatest impact on home health and behavioral health services over the next decade?
JJ: I believe there will be significant transformation in home health and behavioral health, driven by trends that have the potential to reshape how care is accessed and delivered.
Technology will continue to play a significant role. From remote patient monitoring to digital tools that support data collection and parent coaching in ABA therapy, tech-enabled solutions will allow for more personalized, efficient and accessible care. As we embrace innovation, we must stay grounded in our values, ensuring that technology enhances, rather than replaces, human connection.
These sectors will continue to see a growing emphasis on whole-person care and care coordination. There is an increasing recognition of the need for interdisciplinary collaboration across medical, behavioral and social services, particularly for individuals with complex needs. As a multi-service provider, Prime Providers is well-positioned to lead in this area by offering integrated, person-centered care that spans home health, ABA therapy, and intellectual and developmental disabilities services. Our teams work collaboratively across disciplines to ensure each client receives cohesive, individualized support that improves outcomes while reducing the burden on families navigating fragmented systems.
Access to care will continue to remain a central focus for all healthcare services. We must continue to address disparities, especially in underserved and rural communities, to ensure that individuals with special needs and their families can access high-quality services. This is deeply aligned with our mission at Prime Providers, and we see it as both a responsibility and an opportunity to expand our impact.
Ultimately, the organizations that lead in this next chapter will combine innovation with compassion, which are both at the core of our care.
About Jerin Johnson
Jerin Johnson is an accomplished healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience leading high-growth organizations across the home health and behavioral health sectors. She joined Prime Providers as chief executive officer in February 2024, where she has already made a meaningful impact by solidifying a strong foundation for sustainable growth and expanding access to care for individuals with special needs.
Johnson began her healthcare career in 2003 in recruitment and staffing with Maxim Healthcare Services. She quickly discovered her passion for working with families and clinicians and thrived in the fast-paced, mission-driven environment. During her tenure, she held multiple leadership roles, including general manager, and worked across several markets throughout California. Her experience set the foundation for a career defined by scaling organizations and building high-performing teams.
In 2010, Johnson joined Premier Healthcare Services as a regional manager. She played a key role in the company’s growth over an eight-year span, helping to expand the organization from two locations to 25 across three states. As vice president of homecare operations, she also oversaw the successful integration of a multi-site acquisition and helped shape Premier’s reputation as a leading provider of compassionate, quality care.
Following the acquisition of Premier by Aveanna Healthcare in 2018, Johnson was appointed president of the West Region, where she oversaw the performance of multiple service lines, including private duty nursing, home-based therapy, family caregiver programs and non-medical home care across six states. She also led several complex acquisitions and integrations across the western U.S. and served on the board of directors for the California Association for Healthcare Services at Home.
Prior to joining Prime Providers, Johnson served as senior vice president of operations with LifeStance Health, a national leader in behavioral health with over 550 locations and diverse business lines across 33 states. Johnson’s work continued to be defined by high growth and achievement as the company underwent rapid expansion through substantial acquisitions.
Johnson is a California native who earned her bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where she embraced the university’s “learn by doing” philosophy, a mindset that continues to shape her leadership approach today.
