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Mom’s outpatient treatments were completed in the ambulatory center.

She went every day for five days for treatment.

My brother went for the 1st three, then shift change, and I went for the last 2.

My Mom was a school teacher for 32 years and is SUPER sweet. So in the car, when she told me:

“Mel, if I get the nurse from yesterday, I will ask for another one she was not very good at getting my IV in.”

I said, “Ok, Mom, let’s see who it is.”

We were brought back, and Mom sat in the chair. They are not actual “rooms.” They have just curtained “rooms,” so of course, you can hear everyone’s conversation.

The lady next to us said to the MA who took everyone’s vitals – “I want Mary Lynn to start my IV – that nurse yesterday didn’t know what she was doing, and she stabbed me four times before she called Mary Lynn – so let’s just start with Mary Lynn.”

Mom looked at me and nodded her head as if to say, “See, I told you – I want Mary Lynn too.”

 

The curtains opened, and a nurse who looked to be in her late 40s with an air of confidence said to my Mom and me,“Hi, I am Mary Lynn. I will be doing your treatment today.”

I could see my Mom nod her head and smile behind her mask – “Oh good, I was hoping I would get you!”

Mary Lynn said“well, good cuz here I am!”

According to my Mom, Mary Lynn moved around my Mom with the assurance and skill to pop in the IV on the first try without pain.

After the treatment, my Mom said to Mary Lynn“You are a really good nurse. I hope I get you again.”

Mary Lynn said to my Mom, “Oh, thanks – I love my job, and I have been practicing a long time, so my IV skills are pretty good.”

My Mom said, ‘It shows.”

 

What can we learn from Mary Lynn?

 

CONFIDENCE makes people FEEL WELL CARED FOR AND SECURE!

 

How do you get “Confidence.”

By gaining KNOWLEDGE!

 

How do you gain knowledge in the post-acute space?

 

  • Read: Do you know…
    • Medicare Home Health Chapter 7 of the Benefits Policy Manual
    • The LCDs for your area?
    • Do you subscribe to the industry news?

 

  • TRAIN: Be like a champion!
    • Do you invest in your skills?
    • How do you measure your successes?

 

You do not MAGICALLY become an expert – you train to become one!

And then DO – Like Mary Lynn – you have to practice!

You can be the Post Acute Care Expert!

And just like Mary Lynn – people will “request” you when you can help them navigate the sea of providers!

Ready to train?

We got your path to become a Post Acute Care Expert – Join US!

 

Want to discover how YOU can become an expert? Click here to reserve time on Mike’s Calendar and he’ll show you the proven techniques that are helping agencies grow.

 

Together We Grow!

Melanie

There are two types of Marketers.

In the world of Home Health, Hospice, and In-Home Care, we see two types of Marketers.

There are Amateurs:

    • They fear cold calling.
    • They have call reluctance.
    • They wonder what to say and what frequency to visit an account.
    • They do not know who to call on.
    • When they go out in the field, they make 100s of “visits” but don’t get referrals.
    • They are unsure how to follow up.
    • They are unaware of how to not be a pest.
    • They rely on “hope” and rely on the idea that enough activity will get them “some” referrals.
    • Their referrals are not consistent. They can’t count on their pipeline to give them monthly results.
    • They always struggle.

Then there are Professionals:

    • These are the marketers who are the top producers.
    • They consistently get rewarded for their performance.
    • They have the confidence that others lack.
    • They love their jobs.
    • They are good at them.
    • They make investments into their marketing skillsets.
    • They understand they are a student of the “game.”  Like any sports athlete, they know they must study and scrimmage.
    • They don’t let their ego get in the way of their learning and personal growth.  Because they prioritize referral results over everything else, these people win over and over.

Amateur or Professional: Which one would you classify yourself or your sales team members?

An honest evaluation will help you understand where your sales efforts are currently and where they are going.

Consider these simple seven questions:

    1. Are you currently hitting your sales goals or at least making your minimums?
    2. How many new accounts did you visit in the last 30 days?
    3. What are the top three types of accounts you are most likely to get referrals from?
    4. Consider the last 3-5 referrals you received. Did those come from the same referral source? If not, how long has it been since you received a referral from that same referral source?
    5. Still considering the last 3-5 referrals, Do you have a follow-up protocol? Is it similar for each one?
    6. Would you say that your referral sources see you as an “extension” of their office? Do they look at you like a partner or a vendor?
    7. Besides this article, when was the last time you researched, studied, or trained to become a better salesperson?

After answering these questions, you should have some idea of where you may fit on the scale of Amateur to Professional. The key here is more than maintaining a few good relationships. Everything hinges on your ability to consistently evolve with a market that is going to change.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that the industry absolutely will change. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but before you know it, you will need new methods and techniques to continue to stay on top. We have to evolve to make sure our success story doesn’t end during times of change but continues to thrive.

You may have noticed a subject that we never covered. Your tenure (how long you’ve been with your company). You see, being an amateur or a professional has NOTHING to do with the number of years you have been in the field.

It’s all about your ability to deliver a result.

 

Become a professional!

Click here to discover how with Mike.

 

Together We Grow!

Melanie

We made an appt for Mom at her PCP within seven days of her d/c from the hospital. That is just good practice.

He didn’t even know she was in the hospital until we called and talked with his nurse when Mom got home. So when I flew home the following Monday, we went into the PCP office.

He really is an excellent doctor. My Mom has been going to him for YEARS! My Mom has great confidence in him.

He completed a physical exam and reviewed her hospital discharge report. He kept asking Mom when did she get out of the hospital. She couldn’t remember. I couldn’t either. We managed to narrow it down to 2 days.

My brother had been with her during that time, so I texted him. The doctor found it on the paperwork, started counting on his fingers, and said, ” Okay, great, six days ago!”

…And then said:

“Alright, great, I can click this and say it was less than seven days ago.” And a light bulb went off – Transitional Care Management – TCM!

So I asked.

“Are you asking that for TCM?” He said. “I don’t know what that is, but if you click this button if the patient is in the office before seven days d/c, the billers are happy.”

What is Medicare Transitional Care Management (TCM)?

 

According to AAFP: Transitional Care Management (TCM) services address the hand-off period between the inpatient and community setting. After a hospitalization or other inpatient facility stay (e.g., in a skilled nursing facility), the patient may be dealing with a medical crisis, new diagnosis, or change in medication therapy. Family physicians often manage their patients’ transitional care.

TCM coding: 

 

The two CPT codes used to report TCM services are:

  • CPT code 99495 – moderate medical complexity requiring a face-to-face visit within 14 days of discharge
  • CPT code 99496 – high medical complexity requiring a face-to-face visit within seven days of discharge

 

If you have a patient or client discharged from the hospital, you can be a HUGE asset to that PCP to prompt them that their patient has been D/C’d from a hospital and may be eligible for TCM billing.

How many times do PCPs not even know a patient was in the hospital?

My Moms PCP didn’t know.

We called him!

Imagine all the bonus points you would get if you alerted your PCPs to patients or clients who have recently D/C’d so they could make that appointment in the office within 7 or 14 days from D/C?

You would be the HERO!

 

Isn’t that so cool!

We have a whole module on TCM and how to help position you as the agency of choice when you help your PCPs PRODUCE MORE REVENUE!

This is your time to be a true care partner!

Ready to go deeper in TCM?

Reach out to Mike and discover the module!

 

Together We Grow!

Melanie

As you know, I have been caring for my Mom and have been traveling quite a bit. I recently received an “unsolicited” voicemail on my phone.

Every time I get a voice message or email, I always look at it through the lens of being a marketer. As a business owner I think, “is this compelling to get me to call them back?”

As you know, Cheryl and I have been upgrading many of our proven Home Health, Home, and Hospice marketing educational messages to include “remote” voicemails and emails.

We work really hard to make the educational messages compelling, business relevant, and with integrity.

Back to the voicemail.

He left the following message:

“Hey, this is JW from HW office. I just had a quick question for you. So please give me a call back at xxx.xxx.xxxx.”

 

Now when I listened, I was not sure who this was.

Was he a client? Was he someone I met at a recent conference? I didn’t know.

But if he was a client or potential client, I wanted to get him the info he needed to move his business forward. I was at a doctor’s appointment with my Mom, and I went to the car to return the call.

He said:

“This is JW.”  I said, “Hello JW, this is Melanie Stover returning your phone call.”

 

JW: “Oh great, Melanie, a while back, you ordered our cards on how to overcome objections, and that’s just the start of what we have to offer. Tell me, how did you like the cards?”

 

(Challenge #1 – While he didn’t lie on the Voice Mail – he used vagueness and omission to get me to call him back)

Me: “Yes, I got your cards to thank you. They were interesting.”

JW: “Interesting. Hmmm. What industry are you in, Melanie?”

 

(Challenge #2 – JW didn’t bother to even google my name – smart prospecting is at the VERY least know SOMETHING about your prospect)

Me: “Healthcare- Home Health, Hospice, and In-Home Care.”

JW: “Huh. So you don’t sell anything, and you bought objection cards? Do you bill insurance?”

 

(Challenge #3 – Open-ended questions would have got him the correct answers or at least learned how he might position his services as a solution to any of my problems, but he asked a closed-ended, yes-or-no question)

Me: No, I do not bill insurance, but the agencies I work with do.

JW: “Ok yeah, well, I don’t know much about how healthcare works with sales. But we appreciate you ordering the cards. Hope you have a good day.”

 

(Challenge #4 – don’t throw in the towel. Ask me some good open-ended questions. I spent $30 with them previously – why not ask – how I was using them? If I didn’t like my purchase – What would have made them better?)

He missed so much opportunity to LEARN SOMETHING – EVEN IF I was NOT going to buy anything else. How many times do you think you have “left something on the table? And just walked away from an account.

That is why we have a specific script for Step 4, the Reveal Call – before you exit – you can ALWAYS learn something that might save this account OR help you at the following account!

Me: “You too.”

JW: “Bye”

Me: “Bye”

JW did a few things that turned me off right away. He was not getting my business because of it.

I was busy with my Mom I really didn’t want to take the time to return his call but didn’t want to chance that it was one of our clients.

So when I quickly realized it was a sales call, that didn’t feel good.

What could he have done instead?

We teach in our programs to gain interest and create a compelling valid business reason for calling back.

He used vagueness as his “reason to call back,” and that is not enough.

Here is the framework we teach:

  • WHO – Who are you, where are you from
  • WHAT – Reason for your call – Educational message
  • WHY – What’s in it for them
  • CTA – call to action for a callback

And do it all with INTEGRITY!

Is INTEGRITY a differentiator?

 

I would submit to you YES!

A Home Health Marketer, Hospice Liaison, or In-Home Care rep with integrity SAVES your referral sources TIME! And TIME IS MONEY!

JW is not saving me time. In fact, he COST me time when I should have been moving on to another appointment with my Mom.

How are your reps being perceived by your referral sources?

Do you know what voicemails your reps are leaving?

Do they have all the components of our framework?

Do you get callbacks from your VMs?

We have got the library of scripts and templates for you in our Roadmap to Referrals Program if you don’t. Click here to grab a time on Mikes’s calendar that will work for you to explore more!

Together We Grow!

Melanie

 

P.S. I might have been home for too long. The original subject line (for those in western PA) was “don’t be a jag like this guy.” But then I thought the rest of the country would have no idea what I was talking about! Go Stillers!

This week I am back at Mom’s, taking her to all her follow-up appts – it’s about one a day plus her Home Health visits.

The Home Health Nurse, OT, and PT are weaving around my Mom’s Dr’s schedule and doing a great job!

My Mom lives in a cape-cod style house where the whole upper floor is her bedroom, and she upgraded her bathroom a few years ago to her dream bathroom.

As you can imagine, her “patient-centered goal” is to get upstairs to sleep in her bedroom and use that bathroom.

 

However, since her daughter is an OT (that would be me, and she now refers to me as the taskmaster to all the healthcare professionals we have appts with :-0 ), she is in my childhood bedroom on the main floor using a transfer tub bench and a handheld shower that I had my brother install before she got home from the hospital.

This adaptation is “fine” with her now, but she wants to go upstairs in her own bed and her awesome shower.

But, she is limited right now. Standing in that awesome shower comes with risk. I don’t know who thought that tile would be a good idea, but just yesterday, I nearly bit it walking out – it’s SUPER slippy when wet!

She is limited, but she has a CLEAR OT and PT goal – upstairs, her own room, her own bathroom. She is learning new compensation techniques that will serve her in achieving her goal.

She will be there in no time. I see her getting stronger every day. My other brother Justin just got here today from AZ to take the ‘next shift” of “Mom helping” when I return home this weekend.

What does this have to do with you and marketing?

 

  1. COVID has made us “adapt” – pre COVID we marketed one way – “post-event” we have to market another way. Those who “adapted” the fastest reduced their time to get to their “goals” of more referrals.
  2. Compensation tactics and new skills. No one I know who is a home health marketer or hospice liaison wants to “remote” market only, but the skills they developed last year through using our sales email library in the Roadmap to Referrals gave them an edge. And this year, it’s just part of our fabric of marketing. We can go farther faster!
  3. CLEAR GOALS! What is your goal? The number. The timeframe. Speak it into existence. Give your goals LIFE! Mom is VERY clear about her goal. Upstairs in her room and using her fantastic bathroom. Because she is so clear – she will get there! And you will achieve your goals too when you are crystal clear on what success looks like for you!

 

Marketing for Home Health, Home Care, and Hospice is a journey. We are here at HCS to help you with a roadmap. Much like Mom’s OT and PT have a clinical pathway for her treatment plan, so can you. So if you are looking for a clear path to success, we have got your back – Roadmap to Referrals is your answer!

 

Jump on Mikes’s calendar, and he can show you the “on-ramp” to success!

Continuing adaptation is the key this year!

We would be honored to serve you – connect with Mike now!

 

Together we grow!

Remember, persistence pays off!

Melanie

Good news 21 days later, Mom is home, AND she has a Home Health Nurse, PT, and OT!

 

Yeah! Persistence pays off!

 

When I last left you, Mom was back in the hospital; her platelet count was rising, and we were in a little bit of a panic.

 

Her platelets were over 2 million, and we were a little nervous.

 

More pheresis, more medication, and one super scary A fib incident where her heart rate was over 165 laying in bed.

Mom was on the “ortho” floor. Why?

 

Because that is where a free bed was in the pandemic and you take what you can get! Her nurse Sara was super! She was not cardiac or from hematology, but she was knowledgeable, had an excellent bedside manner, and knew that she needed to get back up when the monitors went a little wacky with my Mom’s A-Fib.

 

So she called the critical care team.

 

According to my Mom, the critical care team came flying in to get her condition under control while Sara waved at my Mom and gave her the thumbs-up sign through the window. My Mom reported she thought she would meet God and come back to tell us about it, and Sara was an angel encouraging her to “stay with her.”

 

The care team got my Mom’s cardiac condition under control in about an hour. And then my Mom texted me and said, “Well, I guess it was not my time. I am still here!”

 

 

That was a heck of a text message. I am grateful she was in the hospital, and she was able to be cared for by the nurses and doctors so quickly.

 

This time Sara, my Mom’s nurse, identified early that my Mom needed PT and OT. She requested PT and OT bedside. After 4 Pheresis later and medication adjustments, Mom was ready to D/C!

 

And without prompting – the hospital Ordered Home Health!

 

(Of Course, it helped that Interim of Western PA knew precisely where my Mom was and was following up. As I had emailed them to tell them not to come out to assess as my Mom had gone back into the hospital before they could even get out there!)

 

Great news! And now I get to tell you how professional and kind the nurses and therapists were for my Mom!

 

With my Mom’s platelets being dramatically reduced to about 550k, she is much more functional. However, she is weak and still a fall risk. She has a new diagnosis of Afib and new medication. My brother and I will take turns taking her to her appointments, but she is looking ‘more like her old self” than I have seen her in a long time.

 

The nurses are helping her understand her disease process and educating her on “what pill to take when.”

 

The therapists are helping her get stronger and increase her endurance. They are also helping her understand the limitations and compensation techniques to be independent in the home. In addition, we have activated a telemonitoring device, Pro-Health, from ECG to be safe, and I can monitor her vital signs from afar.

 

As one of our favorite coaches, Michelle, reminds us, “It takes a team”!

 

I am grateful to everyone on my Mom’s care team for helping us get her back to her home.

 

Her patient-centered goal is to get “back to dancing.” – Hopefully, soon, I will be writing a blog about how Mom is dancing again!

 

Marketing lessons learned from Moms readmission:

 

  • Persistence pays off! Man, did I fight for my Mom to have Home Health. It boggles my mind how much effort I had to put forth to get mom home health. Patient advocacy is what we do every day.

 

This was a HUGE reminder that our referral sources are doing the best they can – in unusual conditions during this pandemic. They are tired. We are not top of mind which is why you have to CONSISTENTLY be out there sharing your message of Home Care, Home Health, and Hospice!

 

  • Get help when you need it! Sara (bless her heart) was an ortho nurse. However, due to the hospital being full, she had my Mom – a cardiac / hematology patient. When she didn’t know what to do, she called in the critical care team!

 

As a home care marketer, home health liaison, or hospice representative, there are PLENTY of times when you don’t know how to approach an account or get past the gatekeeper. Think of us as your Critical Care Team!

 

  • We got your back here at HCS!

 

Remember, persistence pays off!

Melanie

 

P.S. Do you need Home Care Sales as your Critical Care Team? We got you covered. Click Here to -> Set up a time with Mike for a free consultation and discover how you can go from challenged to champion in just 90 days!

The last time I wrote, Mom was out of the hospital after ten days.

 

I left my brother in charge at her house. (What could go wrong?) While I flew to Orlando to be a Keynote Speaker for the Assisting Hands annual conference (Thank you for trusting me with your stage and agency owners!)

 

As my best friend from OT school says, “As the oldest daughter – we are always in the pole position,” and so my quest for Home Health for my Mom continued even on the road.

 

I am happy to say the power of an excellent Home Health agency got me to exactly who I needed to help me.

 

As you know, I had already emailed Interim of (Western PA) Meadville and Erie as their VP is a long-time client and friend. She also is who I email when I need “help” for my family in the area. Interim Erie, their leader Heather shared with me via an email exchange on Saturday: “Oh, your Mom goes to Dr. H? His SW Anne is lovely!” So, as a marketer, I knew exactly what to do now – I had a name!

 

I called Dr. H’s office first thing Monday and left a message for Anne to contact me – which she did. I introduced myself and shared that I was requesting Home Health for my Mom. I shared my Mom’s physical limitations and her medication confusion with her. Anne reported she would request an order from Dr. H, and he would be seeing my Mom that day so that it would be perfect.

 

When my Mom went to see Dr. H during the visit, my brother asked about Home Health, and the Dr reported, “I will review the request.” My brother reported back to me, and I almost flipped a lid again. I had to practice my deep breathing exercises. But this time, I didn’t even have to make a phone call. The next thing I saw come in was an email from Interim reporting Dr. H sent over the order for Home Health! YEAH!

 

I was so happy! Interim was scheduled to come the next day! VICTORY for Home Health services for MOM!

 

I wish I could tell you the rest of the story about how extraordinarily the agency’s clinicians are (and they are!). But, unfortunately, Mom’s platelet count is up, which means she is headed back to the hospital as I write this blog.

 

Lessons learned for marketing:

    1. Don’t give up-you are a patient ADVOCATE – if the patient needs to help, it’s your moral obligation to help them.
    2. Get a name and use it – in this case, one of my favorite Home Health teams knew the name of the Social Worker that I needed to get in touch with – could I have found Anne on my own most likely, but it saved me time, and I was able to get an ally in my quest for Home Health.
    3. I didn’t include this in my story above – I used the TADA call structure for my discussion with Ann, the Social Worker from the High-Performance Sales Process – we can talk about that another day.
    4. You are making a difference in the lives that you serve!

 

Thank you for all your efforts in getting people the care they deserve!

Education is the key – most medical professionals don’t honestly know what you do – they just refer to the most obvious cases. You are there to provide more depth and subtle shades of who is appropriate for your services.

 

This is YOUR TIME TO SHINE!

 

Be the:

EDUCATOR

PATIENT ADVOCATE

THE HOME CARE EXPERT

That you are!

 

Keep shining bright!

Melanie

 

P.S. Want the TADA sales call structure that I used with Anne? Set up a time with Mike that works for you to review the High-Performance Sales Academy!

Last Thursday, I woke up at 6 am to a text…

“Mel. I have chest pains, and I am headed to the ER.”

 

She wrote to me at 4:45 am

I jumped out of bed and text her back:

“Mom, what’s going on? Where are you? What is your diagnosis?”

I woke up my husband and said, “I think I need to fly to my mom’s. Can you get the kids ready for school?”

Of course, he said yes, and I immediately went packing and looking for the next flight to make it to the airport on time.

I booked a 10 am flight and raced to the airport.

As I was going through security, my phone rang. I could see it was my Mothers phone number. I quickly made my way through the line and answered the phone.

“Mom – how are you? What’s going on?”

 

She sweetly said, “Well, I thought I was having a heart attack, but I am not.” I said, “OK, I am at the airport, and I will be home by 3 pm,” She said. “Oh, Melanie – Don’t come; you have so much going on, plus today was the day that my five college roommates were coming to your house for our 70th birthday party celebration.”

This is true! Her five roommates from college get together every year and have a girls’ week.

In 2020 they were supposed to celebrate their 70th birthday by going to New Orleans and visiting me, but COVID stopped that. So they rescheduled it starting last Thursday. (see the picture – my Mom is in the blue dress)

I told my Mom – I was at the airport, and I was coming home. My husband Chris and my boys were going to have to be in charge of the 70-year-old birthday party for the ladies.

I flew home and drove to the hospital. They said she presented clinically like she had sepsis. Then she had an extremely high heart rate of 160 while lying in bed.

She went into a fib at least twice and had some irregular rhythms. But, the most concerning part? Her palette count was through the roof. The normal count was about 400k.  Moms’ count was 1.3 and on the move. She would hit a high of 2.3 during her stay.

In all, she spent ten days at the hospital. Finally, on the 9th day, she was “stable.” My brother came in to switch out with me and get ready to “take mom home.”

Before I left the University Hospital – where she received excellent care – I told my Mom, “please make sure you request Home Health before you leave.”

Mom is a traditional Medicare patient with VA secondary. She had a new cardiac diagnosis, new medications, she could only walk 25 ft, and it would wipe her out. She was weak and debilitated. She was unsteady in her gait, and even her bed mobility was a challenge.

As I boarded a plane to go home, Mom texted me, “The nurse says I can’t have Home Health because I didn’t come in here with it.”

So as I sit in 19 A headed to ATL – I am thinking, “WTH? This makes zero sense!”

 

So after a few deep breathing exercises, I called the nurses station when I landed in ATL. I asked the nurse if I could please request Home Health for my Mom, and she said, well, you need to speak with the social worker.

So I asked if I could be transferred. The social worker was kind and said she would ask for an order. And then I got to say the words that are always told to us – “and our patient choice is Interim out of Meadville. We have used them in the past, and I request we are referred to them again.”

She said she would pass the information along to the case manager, and I hung up the phone. I texted my brother and mother that we are in business! She would get Home Health!

I felt good about having a 2nd pair of eyes on my Mom as I sat down on my 2nd flight.

When I landed and turned on my phone, I saw a text from my Mom.

“The doctor came in and said that I am functional and there is no need for Home Health, so he will not write the order. Because I will not qualify.”

 

As my blood pressure began to rise – I asked my Mom:

 

“Did he ask you how many stairs to the entry of the house?”

“Did he ask you if you had a bathroom on the 1st floor?”

“Does he know your bedroom is upstairs?”

“Why, if you de sat into the 80s at nighttime, is that is not a concern?”

 

Of course, the answer is no to all of my questions.

 

Mom has always been the glass-is-half-full type of lady. So consistently, when the staff asked, “How are you feeling” she said, “Great! I feel great!” However, the OT in me (who sat at the bedside for eight days) watched her struggle with bed mobility, ambulation, SOB with activity, and knew better. I assumed that home health would be a given.

Seriously, why would a doctor not order Home Health when a family requested it?

 

How does he know my mother would not qualify?

I am still super mad I was not there. It makes me crazy when a physician who has spent no more than 8 mins a day with a patient believes they know what would qualify for Home Health. I asked my Mom which doctor it was so I could discuss it with him, and she said, “Melanie, just let it go.”

My Mom is not safe at home alone.

She is weak.

She is a fall risk.

She already has needed to be prompted to take her medication by my brother and she doesn’t understand her new beta-blocker or blood thinner.

Why does she need to take them?

*She thinks they are blood pressure medication, and she “doesn’t have blood pressure issues.”

She cannot independently get out of a car.

This personal story is once again a reminder we as marketers MUST ADVOCATE for the patient.

 

The doctors and nurses, while well-meaning, are making some terrible assumptions! I am afraid I made similar assumptions before I became a home health clinician. Functional at the hospital doesn’t mean functional at home.

We MUST continue to educate.

And ADVOCATE for patients just like my Mom who, without my brother, would be back in the hospital today.

This is our MISSION – to get care for everyone who deserves it!

Your care!

 

Keep educating!

Together We Grow

Melanie

 

P.S. – Don’t worry, a call to her PCP is next!

Last week here on the gulf coast, we got hit by Ida.

 

I live about 130 miles from New Orleans on the AL coast. We prepared for Ida, but she only gave us rain.

 

One of our favorite old clients serves New Orleans and the Northshore. My history with them goes back 16yrs when the owner, a nurse, Ms. Lenora, called me three days after Katrina hit and said.

“I have lost so many patients. I have to rebuild. Will you help me?”

 

At that time, I lived in Miami, and I was no stranger to hurricanes, but Katrina was a big one, and I was happy to help.

 

I spent the next 3 years helping Ms. Lenora, her son Richard, and her brother-in-law Norman rebuild their agency. It was one of the most challenging times of my marketing career.

 

We “marketed” to doctors who were in makeshift offices in the Lord and Taylor budling. The nurses treated patients under bridges because their homes were not safe.

 

To say it was challenging is an understatement. Ms. Lenora had grit. She built that agency from the ground up, and she was determined to make it again…And she did.

 

When my contract ended as an “Outsourced Sales Manager” after the 3 yrs, she had her full census back to 300 patients and opened her Hospice.

Image from NBC. All rights reserved.

I have worked on and off for this family for the last 16 yrs helping them grow their agency. Ms. Lenora recently passed, and her son Richard asked me for help again to grow his agency.

 

His team is impressive and embraced the structure of the High-Performance Sales Process and the Roadmap to Referrals. When they were engaged in the sales programs with the help of one of the best operators I have ever worked with, their Director of Nursing, Elizabeth, they achieved record admissions.

 

In May, Richard sold the agency to a large national company. And while we do not work with their team currently, when I saw Ida heading their way  – and on the anniversary of Katrina – well, my heart sank.

 

All those patients in their homes. The thought sends shivers down my spine. I text Elizabeth and asked her how they were and could I help? Unfortunately, they didn’t have electricity.  The utilities reported it could be upwards of 4 wks before power would be restored.

 

She had a generator, and she was “ok.”

 

I asked about patients. She said all patients were accounted for! Whew – we have come a long way in our emergency preparedness programs since Katrina and Ida put them to the test again!

But still four weeks without electricity. Can you imagine? It’s currently 89 degrees and 90% humidity. It’s hot…and what about food and water?

 

Many organizations are coming to NOLA and bringing food, water, bug spray (yes, there are a TON of bugs), toilet paper, baby wipes, gas, etc. Our local American Legion is a donation center, and my boys and I cleaned out our pantry for all nonperishable items and went shopping for bug spray and water.

 

My heart goes out to the nurses and therapists who see patients every day even though their own homes and lives have been damaged. Caring for seniors is their calling. The determination and caring of this community are overwhelming.

Thank you to everyone who is donating time, supplies, and money to help these patients and clinicians.

 

We love NOLA – it’s a great city!

 

Keep safe, and thank you for continuing to serve seniors!

 

Melanie

P.S. If you would like to “do something,” this organization has been extremely helpful in the area and acts quickly to respond to the food needs of the community.

 

 

This week on a coaching call for sales management, a rep from one of our clients (a Home Health and Hospice agency) reported:

 

“This Case Manager, which I have known a long time, SCREAMED at me that she was SICK AND TIRED of us not accepting her patients and was DONE calling us!

What should I do? We don’t have enough staff. I want to take all the patients, but we don’t have enough staff to take them. We have staff on our hospice side but not on our Home Health side, and our referral sources are MAD!

And when I say MAD- not like your normal – “huffy mad” – more like SCREAMING MAD – the kind when they yell at you – you feel it in your bones.”

This experience is becoming more common. I am hearing from reps and owners; this is their experience.

 

Anger – Compassion fatigue – Apathy.

 

From a logical place, we can recognize our referral sources are tired, angry they are in a situation again with numbers rising, not enough beds, overflow in the halls. They thought they saw the light at the end of the tunnel, but no. The pressure is mounting.

And unfortunately, it is spilling over onto our marketers, intake staff, and clinical staff.

And that, in turn, is impacting our marketer’s psychology.

Sales and Marketing, more than any other profession, is reliant on mindset. Have you ever seen a marketer pull big admission numbers when they are down? No. Me neither.

 

So how to survive when your referral sources are at the end of their rope:

 

    1. Recognize that they and you are in an unusual situation with limited resources.
    2. Identify and accept the things you do not have control over.
    3. Be fully aware that you are performing a crucial role and doing the best you can with the resources available.

How to build resilience for yourself in Home Care, Home Health, and Hospice Marketing:

 

    1. Increase your sense of control by controlling your account activity and follow the formula in the High-Performance Sales Process.
    2. Plan your educational message of the week to increase your sense of control through your schedule and weekly planned sales messages in multiple formats – email – VM- and in-person.
    3. Clarity in your numbers and expectations.

 

How to build a bridge to your referral sources

 

    1. Connect to the human first. Ask them, “How can I support you?” They may laugh, cry or yell, and that’s OK – meet them wherever they are in their process.
    2. Just talking about it and giving them space to share their frustrations is often enough.
    3. The most profound relationships are built in the “trenches” during highly emotional events. And this is a “highly emotional event.”

 

Just know that you will get through this. We have been here before.

 

We know the steps to take care of our referral sources and ourselves.

 

If you would like help in caring for and supporting your team or your referral sources, we can help.

 

Connect with Mike@HomeCareSales.com to discover how.

 

Together we support one another.

Melanie

 

PS: Want to jump ahead and set up a time to talk to Mike? Just go here and choose a time on his calendar. It’s that easy!