00:00 Timothy A. Zercher: What makes ABA Revolution different from anything you've ever built before?

00:04 Daniel Blank: Well, this goes back about 15 years... [describes origin story, early ABA center experience, private equity interest, retirement, and inspiration to focus on quality care].

02:20 Timothy A. Zercher: Yeah, well, and I think that also it also causes disruptions in the actual care and decreases in the actual quality that the child gets...

02:35 Daniel Blank: And the therapist doesn't know the child... [discusses unqualified therapists and turnover issues].

02:51 Daniel Blank: But there's a simple solution to all of this. That's the name of ABA Revolution... [advocates paying staff more to drive quality and stability].

03:08 Timothy A. Zercher: Yeah, makes complete sense...

03:18 Daniel Blank: Well, it depends on what your motives are.

03:20 Timothy A. Zercher: True. If it's just about the bottom line...

03:26 Daniel Blank: Yeah, and in the short term, maybe the investors do well...

03:27 Timothy A. Zercher: So tell me more about what inspired your people-first approach and how do you expect that to play out in this new venture in kind of the day-to-day operations of the office?

03:54 Daniel Blank: So I don't want to sound like a union organizer... [details hiring philosophy, staff-centric operations, MIT living wage calculator, real pay discrepancies].

05:51 Timothy A. Zercher: and not have to look for another position...

05:54 Daniel Blank: Right, and also to not be punished when a child is absent... [explains unfair work conditions].

06:22 Timothy A. Zercher: Yeah, no kidding...

06:27 Daniel Blank: Well, it's high, but then you also have so much recruitment going on...

06:36 Timothy A. Zercher: Absolutely, both.

07:01 Daniel Blank: Well... parents are beginning to notice... [discusses family concerns, lack of supervision, and systemic gaps].

07:30 Timothy A. Zercher: Yeah, absolutely, families are tolerating it...

07:38 Daniel Blank: Bigger issue is the payers... [talks about payer accountability and quality demands].

07:50 Timothy A. Zercher: Yep. Exactly.

07:58 Daniel Blank: Right now... large box operators lack standards...

08:20 Timothy A. Zercher: Yeah, absolutely, I know that raising the standards and improving quality of care is really, really important to you. What are some of the tech stacks or technology incorporations that you're planning to build into your services?

08:38 Daniel Blank: A couple of examples... [discusses QT Robot, robot learning environments, AI integration, experiential spaces in new center].

10:21 Timothy A. Zercher: What's another norm in the ABA industry that you think we should do away with?

10:28 Daniel Blank: Norm. Well, I think there are some bad practices... [condemns hour-based incentives, in-house autism assessments, unethical structures].

11:19 Timothy A. Zercher: and... there's a struggle too...

11:32 Daniel Blank: Need to be an arm's length agreement...

11:40 Timothy A. Zercher: Yeah.

11:41 Daniel Blank: There can be referral sources...

11:46 Timothy A. Zercher: Absolutely, they should be.

11:49 Daniel Blank: I pay attention to all the conferences...

12:06 Timothy A. Zercher: Absolutely, makes complete sense.

12:17 Daniel Blank: And in the end... it won't change until compensation changes...

12:46 Timothy A. Zercher: Absolutely.

12:46 Daniel Blank: And there's a huge expansion...

12:54 Timothy A. Zercher: Yeah.

12:55 Daniel Blank: Except...

12:55 Timothy A. Zercher: Yeah, which is good...

13:05 Daniel Blank: Well, it might take some time... [believes quality will rise to the top].

13:28 Timothy A. Zercher: Agreed. Agreed completely.

13:30 Daniel Blank: And the...

13:31 Timothy A. Zercher: Well, yeah, I mean...

13:35 Daniel Blank: Yeah, I mean, do you pay someone a wage where they can't really pay their bills? I don't get it.

13:44 Timothy A. Zercher: While at the same time pocketing fairly large compensations...

13:48 Daniel Blank: Yeah, yeah.