When a family calls for information, AdmitRight(TM) pros know that they’re really asking for help, advice and direction. The last thing they need is to make one more decision. While many hospices think that their job is to offer information, we know that our mission is to help the family with the next step. “We could schedule a visit if you’d like” is polite, but it’s passive and not very helpful to the family in need of guidance. Instead, tell them what you know can help them most: “Let’s set up a visit with one of our staff this afternoon. We can do 2 or 3pm, whichever works for you.”

Notice the difference: The first example calls for a decision, a yes/no answer on the part of the caller. The second helps the caller by taking the decision off their shoulders and moving to the next step. It’s always important to offer a choice of visit time, but not whether they should have a visit or not.

Another tip: Make the second option the one you would prefer they choose. People usually pick the last option you give. 

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Purchase clear pill bottles or pour bottles and fill with red and green M&M candies.  You can order them from pharmacy supply companies or from your local pharmacy.  Print a label that would look like a prescription label with your agency name and logo where the pharmacy would normally appear.  In the prescription line write a humorous script for taking two whenever in need of Holiday Cheer.  At the bottom of the label list your marketing contact and phone number for refills.  The idea is to make it look as much like a prescription label as possible and have some fun at the same time.

Sample:

“Take two whenever in need of Holiday Cheer.  Repeat as necessary.  Feel free to spread the cheer with your friends.”

“Call Mary Marketer at Happy Home Care at 555.555.5555 for refills.”

After the Holidays you can go back to offices with other colors and messages on the pill bottles or you can provide them with a candy jar that you will refill with nice seasonal candies.

Have fun with your “prescription for Holiday Cheer” and remember everyone loves M&Ms.  But for those that do not like chocolate, you can obtain other red and green colored candies to fill their bottles.

This promotion is one that can be set up very quickly and can serve as a last minute fill-in if you run out of items to use in promoting the holidays with your customers.

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

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We hear it all the time: “Now here’s what will happen. Medicare has 90-day certification and recertification periods and so we’ll be reviewing your dad in our team meeting and the physician will sign the certification as long as he meets criteria.” Huh?

Why do we feel we have to go through this with patients and families at admission? Stop describing our internal process and instead focus on any impact on them. If you think about it, it would be like you going for a surgical consult and the surgeon describes the way his assistant submits your case to your insurer. Who cares??

What you should say. If they ask, tell them that they can be on hospice care for as long as their physician and Medicare say it’s okay. Otherwise, there’s no need to go into this garbled explanation when families are already exhausted and on information overload!

Remember that the only truly “iffy” cases are those involving diagnoses where longer-term stabilization may occur. So for those cases, tell the family that, “Sometimes patients stabilize to the point that they don’t need hospice for a period of time.

“In a lot of ways, that’s the good news. But we can always come back to help if the doctor feels your dad can once again benefit from hospice care.” Enough said! 

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Celebrate and promote home healthcare all month long.

November is also the month to focus on three goals:

1) Close business from existing referral sources.  Review all accounts and plan at least one contact during the month that will ask for a referral.
2) Build relationships at the holidays.  This is the best time of year to build warm, fuzzy relationships—so make the most of the opportunity.
3) Plan for the coming year.  In two months it will be time to start the New Year and you must start planning now.

Monthly Reminders:

Make sure that all of your promotional plans for November and December holidays are in place and ready to go.  If you will be distributing calendars to your accounts—start now and beat the competition.

Holidays and Important Dates:

Veteran’s Day
Thanksgiving

Other Important (and some not so important) Observations:

National Diabetes Month
Diabetic Eye Disease Month
National AIDS Awareness Month
Child Safety and Protection Month
Family Violence Prevention Month
Home Care Month
National Hospice Month
Homeless Awareness Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
National Alzheimer’s disease Month
American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month
National Adoption Awareness Month
National Family Care Givers Month
Stamp Collecting Month
Aviation History Month
Peanut Butter Lovers Month
Epilepsy Awareness Month
Family Stories Month
I am so Thankful Month
International Orphan Disease Month
National Georgia Pecan Month
National Healthy Skin Month
National Life writing Month
National Marrow Awareness Month
Vegan Month
Diwali
Ramadan

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

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