An agency told us that their annual Staff Appreciation Day was a big success.  They rented a party (group) area at a major league baseball game and had the best attendance by staff and families ever!  They had door prizes and certificates of appreciation for staff members.  The owner made a point to thank all of the families for supporting the efforts of the home care professionals.  He told them that it is not easy being the family member of a homecare professional and that often the families do not get enough credit for their support.

Hand out framed certificates of appreciation for your awardees that they can hang in their offices or take home with them.  Take lots of photos and create a collage that is mounted on foam board and can be hung in the office.  That way each year there will be a new group of great photos that can hang in your office.  This will create a longer lasting effect and will generate better attendance at each successive year’s celebration.

Ask your Board of Directors to attend and hand out the awards; this makes it that much more valuable to the employees.  It also will allow your Board Members to get to know some of the staff and their families.

Invite your best referral sources and their families to join the celebration.  Take the time to acknowledge those who do attend.  This effort will help to build stronger relationships between agency staff and referral sources in attendance.  Those who cannot attend will be impressed by the thoughtfulness of your agency, both for inviting them and for recognizing your staff. 

In addition, make sure that you write about Staff Appreciation Day in the agency newsletter and include photos with the copy.

This is a win—win—win way to make your employees happier, your referral sources love you more and make recruiting easier.

Excerpted from 101 Home Care Promotional Strategies that Deliver Legendary Results Without Busting Your Budget! by Michael Ferris

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“Anything else?” Those are usually the last words we say at admission once the papers are done and the assessment is complete. They’re usually followed by: “The nurse will be calling to let you know when she’ll be out to see you. Let us know if you need anything in the meantime.”

Thank them for choosing you. Just once, wouldn’t it be nice if someone in healthcare thanked you for choosing them? How often have you personally been referred to a specialist or other provider and been thanked for choosing them? Never!

So here’s your chance to stand apart from the rest of the hospice (and healthcare) industry. At the end of the visit, thank the patient and family (and referral source!) for choosing your hospice. (Note: Regardless of who made the referral, in the end it’s the patient or family that selects you.)

“It’s our privilege.” After you’ve thanked them, tell them, “It will be a privilege to care for your (dad/mom/loved one).” Hospice nurses think they say it all the time, but we rarely hear it on admission. It’s not that they don’t purposely say it, it’s just that they forget.

Practice makes perfect. If you want to make sure it happens, incorporate those closing phrases in your admissions “cheat sheet” and staff performance reviews!

Excerpted from LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions Vol. 2: The Admissions Process by Michael Ferris and Polly Rehnwall. 

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Make sure you smile while talking on the phone. To help you maintain a smile throughout the phone call, buy a small mirror. Place this mirror near your telephone in your office. Check the mirror often to make sure you’re smiling. When you’re on the phone, you can tell whether the other person is smiling and so can the other person. That being said, if looking at yourself in the mirror makes you uncomfortable, then put something that makes you smile in front of you!

Excerpted from LEGENDARY RESULTS: Managing Referrals & Increasing Admissions Vol 1: Referral Management by Michael Ferris and Polly Rehnwall

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