Transcend Hospice Marketing Blog

The Right to Say "No."

smassey@hospice-marketing.com (Stan Massey) — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Wouldn’t we in the hospice & palliative care fields be delighted if physicians at least presented these specialties as options, then let patients and families decide rather than not offering hospice & palliative care at all?

A movement is afoot in the medical arena that may pave the way for such consideration. Recently, nine major medical specialist groups focused a critical spotlight on modern medicine by publishing a list of 45 tests and procedures that offer no clear benefits to patients and may actually cause harm. I read several articles and essays on this outcry of “over-testing.” It was encouraging to see medical professionals policing themselves and being so specific about tests that patients may want to question or refuse.

I was surprised to see certain exams such as P.S.A. blood tests for prostate cancer and even regular mammograms being called into doubt by statistical effectiveness of “early detection.” For years, we’ve been told that regular preventive screening was essential, especially after reaching a certain age (that I admittedly already have in the rearview mirror). The logic went that the earlier the detection, the earlier the treatment, and the greater the chance for a cure or remission. Statistically, that scenario has not played out so cleanly for a significant number of conditions, including many cancers.

But how many of us would question a physician suggesting a test or a screening that theoretically may save our lives? I agree with some of the essays I read written by doctors that the key is to have physicians (or their nurse practitioners) explain all the relevant options, including potential risks as well as rewards, and make it clear that patients have the right to say, “No.” After all, an informed decision is the best kind of decision we can ask for.

From my perspective, clearly understanding the right to say “No” without guilt or pressure opens the door to saying “Yes” more often. Especially when we educate our communities on the many reasons why saying “Yes” to hospice & palliative care make them such wise decisions.

Relationships are Key to Effective Hospice Marketing

kbrooks@hospice-marketing.com (Kelly Brooks) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Hospice relationships are built on a level of trust not experienced in many other aspects of life. Where is the need for good listening skills, empathy and respect for individual goals and choices more important than in the bond between a hospice patient and his or her care provider?

Reverend George Handzo, vice president for chaplaincy care leadership and practice at HealthCare Chaplaincy in New York said it well: “…a big part of the equation is learning to use words that adequately communicate the message we are trying to convey while using language that the patient and family fully understand.” It’s a balancing act that requires both experience and the innate gift of compassion from the provider.

If you truly want to live your hospice brand, is there any reason for your hospice marketers not to draw upon some of these same principles? Strategic, coordinated and savvy marketing does not need to be aggressive and uncompromising. It can be compassionate, honest, attentive AND highly successful.

Marketing to physicians, in particular, can be wrought with challenges. Biases might cause you to think of physicians as callous, unwilling or uninterested in considering hospice as an option for patients. But if you can put aside these biases, start to ask the critical questions, and listen with as much interest and attention as you would listen to patients, you just may uncover opportunity to connect, to form a bond of trust and mutuality with physicians and other referral sources.

Reverend Handzo noted, “Listening requires that we put aside any thoughts of what we want to say next and just attend to the person talking. It requires that we be curious enough and interested enough in the other person to make sure we are clear about what they are saying … It is about taking seriously that the conversation is not about us but about the other.” He was referring to the provider/patient relationship. But it works equally well in building marketer/referrer rapport.

Put these strategies to work for successful hospice marketing!

FINANCIAL ADVANTAGES SET TO DRIVE HOSPICE USAGE?

smassey@hospice-marketing.com (Stan Massey) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

For more than three decades, hospices in the U.S. have been trying to convince healthcare referrers (and families) to choose hospice for the exceptional care it provides during end of life. The focus of non-profit hospices has been on the mission with attention to financial margin as the means to continue that mission.

From 2002 to 2009, hospice usage doubled across the nation. From 2009 to present, the increase in hospice usage has become very flat. Now, we might be getting to the point where recognized financial advantages may be an important additional fuel to increase usage again.

This reality was driven home at NHPCO’s recent Management Leadership Conference. Two presentations I attended there addressed the issue from different but related angles.

In his excellent plenary session, Dr. Atul Gawande said, “If hospice and palliative care were a drug, the FDA would approve it.” His reasons? 1. Hospice care, on average, helps patients increase lifespan after a terminal diagnosis by about 25 percent; 2. Patients and families indicate that the patient’s quality of life improved significantly with hospice care; and 3. Hospice and palliative care cost the healthcare system LESS than care at hospitals and ICUs. Quite a winning combination!

A much deeper exploration was given by Rich Chesney, president and founder of Healthcare Market Resources, in his session “The New Buyers of Hospice Under Healthcare Reform.” Mr. Chesney pointed out that as Medicare readmission penalties increase over the next three years, new attention will be focused on ways to decrease hospital inpatient stays and readmissions, as well as post-discharge services. Under new rules of healthcare reform, the “new buyers” of hospice will increasingly include hospital administration, Accountable Care Organization (ACO) management, and Medicare Managed Care (MCO) management.

Mr. Chesney noted that this shift will mandate a decidedly different approach than marketing directly to physicians and other referrers. Instead, hospices also will need to present their partnership advantages to C-level executives and the conversation with them must be framed heavily in terms of financial benefit.

I agree whole heartedly with Mr. Chesney’s observation that many hospices are not currently prepared or staffed to market effectively to this new model. Do you have a good understanding of the financial drivers that matter to the hospital C-suite, ACOs and MCOs? Do you have the data and the trained marketers to confidently make the case that your organization would be their best partner both clinically and financially? If not, now is the time to start thinking about how to balance the mission of care with the margin of financial advantages.

Turning knowledge into power

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:48:00 +0000

In Jason Heller’s February 28 post titled “Achieving Simplicity from Complexity” he talks about the importance and necessity of transforming “today’s digital complexity into digestible simplicity” to ultimately create useful insights. I couldn’t agree more with his thoughts. But not only is this important in navigating the digital world, it’s vital to everything we do as marketers.

In today’s world the challenge isn’t finding the data; we’ve never had so much information at our fingertips. Rather, it’s determining what data you should be looking at in the first place, making sense of it all and then communicating the insights succinctly and effectively to stakeholders. The two key questions I always ask myself when analyzing data are (1) is this information relevant and (2) is this the best, most concise way I can tell the story.

In my experience the times when you see light bulbs go off in a room full of people are the times when a complex web of information has just been presented in a way that is not necessarily simplistic, rather understandable and very relevant to their unique challenges. At Transcend we use Opportunity Maps™ as a tool to show the meaningful connections between the seemingly independent sets of data. When this is done, and done well, the knowledge and understanding gained is powerful, empowering and - dare I say - liberating. Clarity is gained, assumptions are checked and the possibilities become exciting. The newfound insights are an invaluable guide to strategy development, tactical execution and ongoing measurement.

As the old saying goes, “Knowledge is power.” The saying still stands true today, but times have changed since Sir Francis Bacon said it in 1597. Because of the myriad of information available to us, there are so many nuances that go into understanding human behavior and motivators. It’s wading through the sea of information and making the meaningful connections that all of a sudden makes the knowledge really powerful. How do you make sense of the complex web of data in your world? How can we help?

Love letters to hospices

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Ah, February. The month where greeting card companies, florists and confectioners remind us repeatedly to express our love on Valentine’s Day. That’s all well and good to show our affection for our sweethearts and others important in our lives. But I have to tell you I’ve never seen more sincere expressions of love and gratitude than those shared in letters to hospices.

Often, there’s more than a touch of irony in these letters from the heart. The writers frequently admit that they were at first unwilling or afraid to bring hospice into their lives. The sentiment reminds me of love stories where one of the two parties originally felt no attraction to the other, or even thought they would outright dislike their love before getting to know them.

But after experiencing what hospice offered and what it meant in their lives, the letter writers are glowing in their expressions of appreciation. Stories often share that hospice workers “became like members of the family” and how their loved ones would relate to their nurse or home health aide or favorite volunteer in ways that surpassed even familial bonds.

Does your hospice receive “love letters” like these? If so, are you (with permission) sharing those stories as testimonials to help your community become more receptive to a hospice relationship? Are you using the letters to show physicians and other referrers the high level of patient and family satisfaction?

You should be. After all, it’s not bragging if it’s an expression of true love.

Lets Bring Dying Out of the Closet in 2012

smassey@hospice-marketing.com (Stan Massey) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

Time off during the holiday season combined with winter weather resulted in me watching even more TV and YouTube than normal. And I confirmed a disappointing conclusion.

It’s tough to find a taboo subject in America anymore. Nothing’s sacred. People willingly go in front of a video camera and talk about anything. Bad habits. Intimate details of their sex lives. Criminal activities. You name it…except for one glaring exception.

Perhaps the last remaining taboo in America is openly discussing death and dying. Many of us just don’t do it. Or we put it off until we’re proverbially at “death’s door.”

As hospice professionals, you see undesirable results of this avoidance every day. People who go on hospice care much, much later than they should have. Or, even worse, people who die in agony without turning to hospice care at all.

I understand the reluctance to talk about dying. It’s a downer. An admission of our own mortality. A real buzz kill. But it’s one of the most important passages of our entire lives. There are so many ways to do it wrong. And so much help available from professionals like you to do it right.

As we continue to educate our communities about hospice care in 2012, let’s rededicate ourselves to boldly breaking this lingering taboo. Let’s lovingly and compassionately encourage the discussion about planning well ahead of life’s final months, and actively pursuing the ways to “die well.” And let’s do it in highly visible communications. That’s a great way to bring the conversation out of the closet.

Sharing your truth about Bloombergs blast

ebarry@hospice-marketing.com (Emily Barry) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Today, Bloomberg published an unflattering and misleading article, “Aunt Midge Not Dying in Hospice Reveals $14 Billion U.S. Market.” While the article sheds more light on the issue of apparent inappropriate relationships between nursing home facilities and for-profit hospice companies, the article does not distinguish the companies included in its article as for-profit companies or the existence of non-profit hospice providers.

In addition, some of the claims in the article inevitably will further wide spread misperceptions about hospice care. For example, with regard to the eligibility of hospice care, the article states, “… patients weren’t facing imminent death when they were admitted.” Although the writer goes on to qualify that patients must have a prognosis of six months or less to live in order to be eligible for hospice care, six months and “imminent death” aren’t synonymous.

Unfortunately, the article does not explain the philosophy of hospice care or its comprehensive range of services and support available for both the patient and the family. However, as an expert in end-of-life care, you have the ability to position your hospice program as the go-to authority in your community for information and resources about care and support at the end of life.

There are two ways to act on this article, either proactively or reactively. To demonstrate your leadership on end-of-life care in your community while proactively correcting the misperceptions in the article about hospice, you could submit a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and/or the editor of Bloomberg. The letter could be written from the perspective of your program’s executive director, medical director or board of directors.

If a local reporter calls to ask you for your hospice program’s perspective on the story that appeared in Bloomberg, here are a few tips for reacting to media inquiries. If the focus of the story happens to be less than favorable or does not even focus on your hospice program at all, remember:

Your responses should focus on what you know your hospice program
Talk about the philosophy of hospice care and what differentiates your hospice program from other providers in the area
Don’t speculate or make assumptions about other providers
When applicable, provide statistics to reinforce a message

For more details on handling inquiries from the media, read the current issue of Transcendent, our e-newsletter offering insights into strategic marketing and communication that can take your hospice to the next level.

Bless you all during National Hospice Month

smassey@hospice-marketing.com (Stan Massey) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

What’s the best part of my job? I have the honor of meeting and working with people across the nation who have devoted their careers and their lives to the hospice mission. What’s more, I frequently have the privilege of interviewing family members whose lives have been forever touched and enriched by the profound knowledge, care and compassion of hospice workers.

If you’re among this special group of hospice professionals and volunteers, you’ve probably heard the accolades from grateful people. They call you “angels” and acknowledge that your actions aren’t merely a vocation but a “calling.”

As many hospices continue to face challenges with shrinking numbers of patients, lengths of stay that are far too short and diminishing reimbursements, may the gratitude of those you serve help invigorate and sustain you. Bless you all for what you do and the incomparable difference you make every day.

The entire team at Transcend Hospice Marketing Group salutes you. And we pledge to continue educating communities on what you do, encouraging families and referrers alike to turn to you sooner.

Many Hands Solving a "Rubik's Cube

smassey@hospice-marketing.com (Stan Massey) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Recently, op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd of The New York Times wrote an intriguing article about physician/patient collaboration. Titled “Decoding the God Complex,” the article provided several interesting perspectives about the complexities of modern medicine and the power of patients playing a more prominent role in how they’re treated.

Dowd also cited a Michigan gynecologist who told a Wall Street Journal reporter that “Every patient is like a Rubik’s Cube” and must get an individualized solution.

Most hospice teams, including their medical staffs, have embraced this philosophy for decades. But the Rubik’s Cube analogy was a refreshing new twist (pun intended) for me. I pictured many hands, including the patient’s, on the cube working together to successfully solve the puzzle each end-of-life experience can present.

As Dowd’s article suggests, more physicians outside of hospice should be practicing teamwork in addressing the Rubik’s Cube. Dowd refers to a new book by Doctor Jerome Groopman (who in my opinion wrote the best definition of “hope” in a previous book, The Anatomy of Hope) and Doctor Pamela Hartzband. The new book, Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What Is Right for You, furthers these physicians’ efforts to “help doctors understand that patients are often neglected allies with good intuition.”

Imagine the power of patients, their physicians and hospice professionals working in true concert to provide what best suits the patient’s needs AND wishes. A “hands-on” collaboration could conquer whatever Rubik’s Cube any patient’s circumstances presented.

Living Like You're Dying - Remembering Steve Jobs

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

“Almost everythingall external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failurethese things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was an incredibly private person. I actually have no idea if he died in the care of hospice. I’d like to think he did.

Although unconventional and priding himself on being a round peg in a square hole, Steve also was a man of great wisdom and vision. His vision benefitted millions of people, not only in technology but in the challenges of living and dying. Years before he died, he spoke movingly about the importance of living…living even in the face of dying, of breaking down barriers, doing things differently, finding the joy in life, sharing your dreams.

And at its core, isn’t that what hospice does for patients and families? Hospice makes it possible to truly live through the process of dying.

I don’t know if Steve died on hospice. I hope so. I do know he was a wonderful advocate for life in the face of death.