Are you Ready for National Doctors’ Day?

This month and especially on Doctors’ Day, be ready to acknowledge your referring physicians who champion home health and hospice care. After all, physicians are the supporting limb of the home care referral tree. Home health and hospice agencies depend on the endorsement of these medical professionals who entrust them with the care of their patients.

Doctors’ Day was first observed in 1933 by Eudora Brown Almond who decided to set aside a day to honor her husband and other physicians for their dedication to healing. She selected March 30th to coincide with the anniversary of the first use of surgical anesthesia. In 1991, President Bush signed the observance of Doctors’ Day into Law:

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation by President George Bush

 More than the application of science and technology, medicine is a special calling, and those who have chosen this vocation in order to serve their fellowman understand the tremendous responsibility it entails. Referring to the work of physicians, Dr. Elmer Hess, a former president of the American Medical Association, once wrote: “There is no greater reward in our profession than the knowledge that God has entrusted us with the physical care of His people. The Almighty has reserved for Himself the power to create life, but He has assigned to a few of us the responsibility of keeping in good repair the bodies in which this life is sustained.” Accordingly, reverence for human life and individual dignity is both the hallmark of a good physician and the key to truly beneficial advances in medicine…. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 30, 1991, as National Doctors Day. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities.

 

Here are a few ideas you can use to show your appreciation to the physicians in your community*:

  • Send personalized cards to all the referring physicians in your network.

  • Promote Doctors throughout the month of March on your social media sites by highlighting physicians and their role in promoting wellness in the community.

  • Reach out to all the physicians in your community with Doctors’ Day remembrance products. It’s an incredible way to show appreciation, introduce your agency, and build new business.

  • Contact medical office directors in your area and walk them through Transitional Care Management and Care Plan Oversight. Two ways that physicians can bill for services that may be overlooked.  Take along print media they can share with their staff to illustrate the process.

  • Host an appreciation lunch for the physicians new to your community. Partner up with local agencies such as the Realtor association, YMCA, education association, Rotary club, garden club, or Chamber of Commerce to make it a complete welcome wagon affair.  

Visit tagwebstore.com to order your personalized Doctors’ Day products

*Be mindful of regulations regarding compensation for referrals. It’s important to remember that the gifts given can't reflect the volume of referrals provided by the physician. The best solution is to provide the same gift for everyone.

Doctors Day: Your chance to make a big impression

National Doctors Day is March 30. This unique observance gives us a perfect opportunity to not only show the community how much we appreciate physicians, but also to get our agency’s message and mission out to the physicians in our markets. 

  • Start by calling on every doctor in your community, including hospitalists, specialists and general practitioners. Spread the word about how your agency appreciates their dedication and hard work.

  • Go public. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about the good work physicians do and how they help the community. Remember to say that your agency couldn’t do all it does without them.

  • Say thanks to all the doctors in your community with products made especially for Doctors Day. Be sure to go beyond just those physicians with whom you already have a strong referral relationship. This is a great opportunity to build new physician partnerships. Visit this website to discover physicians in your area who might not be on your marketing radar.

  • Make it a priority to educate physicians about the importance of advance care planning. Many may not be aware of reimbursements available for this service, or they may be uncomfortable initiating the conversation with their patients. This informative guide can help.

  • Place an item on your municipal government’s regular meeting agenda seeking to proclaim March 30 as Doctors Day. If your agency furnishes a plaque of appreciation, you will be a podium guest. View the original presidential proclamation here. For an example of proclamations you can modify for your town, check out these proclamations drafted in Missouri and Alabama.

  • Place an ad in your local newspaper to honor your local doctors. Ask all your current referral sources for permission to put their names in your thank-you ad. You’ll not only show your thanks, but you’ll grab their attention.

  • Build relationships with local doctors by setting up appointments to talk about care plan oversight. Teach them about how much money they potentially are leaving on the table by not filing for CPO and they’ll surely remember you when it’s time to make a referral. And it’s not as complicated as it initially seems. Get a great CPO Kit for home health or hospice that includes CPO brochures, payment calculators, billing guides and quick reference guide.

  • Contact a local medical condition-based support group or ALF and offer to present a class about how to make the most of your doctor’s visit. TAG Partners offers a ready-made class that a non-clinician can present. Call 866-232-6477 for pricing on individual items.

Home care and Doctors Day: A perfect match

National Doctors Day is one of the best marketing opportunities we have as home care and hospice professionals. It’s a great time to recognize the physicians in your market and to highlight the work they do. Be sure to call on every doctor in your service area, including hospitalists, specialists and general practitioners. National Doctors Day is March 30.

  • Build relationships with local doctors by setting up appointments to talk about Transitional Care Management. Teach them about how much money they potentially are leaving on the table by not filing for TCM and they’ll remember you when it’s time to make a referral. And it’s not as complicated as it might initially seem. All doctors have to do is monitor a patient’s transition from the hospital to home for 30 days after discharge. Get a great TCM kit that includes TCM brochures, payment calculators, billing guides and quick reference guides.
  • Reach out to all the doctors in your community with products made especially for Doctors Day. Don’t just include those physicians that send you the most referrals — make contact with every physician. It’s an incredible opportunity to go after new business.
  • Partner with another local agency such as the American Red Cross or the American Lung Association and host an appreciation lunch or other event for physicians new to your community. Visit UCompare to find doctors who may not yet be on your marketing radar.
  • Add an item to your local government’s regular meeting agenda to have March 30 officially recognized as Doctors Day in your community. Don’t forget to sign up to speak about the great work doctors do during the reading of the agenda item or during the public comment portion of the meeting. View sample proclamations here and here.
  • Contact a local senior center and offer to present a class about how to make the most of your doctor’s visit. Check out this done-for-you class that a non-clinician can present.

February 2015: Get ready to recognize referral sources

March is almost here, which means it’s almost time for one of the most important days of the year in home care: National Doctors Day. Use the day as an opportunity to recognize the physicians in your community and strengthen their relationship with your agency. Call on the doctors in your service area and spread the word about how much your agency appreciates the work they do.

  • Pay doctors a visit they won’t soon forget by educating them on Care Plan Oversight, Transitional Care Management, and the money they could be leaving on the table by not filing for CPO and TCM. An easy way to do this is with our popular CPO and TCM kits, which include brochures, payment calculators, billing guides and quick reference guides to help you show physicians what they could be missing. Find the kits at www.tagwebstore.com/homehealthCPOkit.php and www.tagwebstore.com/transitional-care-management.php.
  • Give doctors heartfelt thanks with products made especially for Doctors Day, and be sure to extend the gesture beyond only your top-referring physicians. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/doctorsday/.
  • Make doctors’ lives a little easier by volunteering to host a free community education class about how to make the most of your doctor visit at a local senior center. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/startupkit-products.php.

While recognizing professionals this month, it’s important not to forget about another important group: social workers. March is National Professional Social Worker Month. Take the time to highlight the work done by this dedicated group of professionals.

  • Deliver thank-you cards and stickers to social workers in your agency and at local hospitals, making sure to call on those who work in your local hospital discharge offices. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/socialwork/.
  • Promote the benefits of social work by distributing social worker-themed mouse pads, which contain a 25-sheet to-do list, at-a-glance calendar, reasons to refer to home health, and the benefits of social workers. Give these to discharge planners at your local hospitals. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/tablet-mousepads.php.

Mark March 24 on your calendar: American Diabetes Alert Day. According to the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 25.8 million people in the United States have diabetes – that’s 8.3 percent of the population. Among people age 65 or older, 10.9 million people, or 26.9 percent, have diabetes. Make your agency a champion for diabetes education in your community.

February 2014: It’s time for Doctors Day!

One of the best days for marketing in home care is right around the corner: National Doctors Day. We couldn’t do all we do without the expert work of physicians. In the days leading up to this year’s observance, which is on March 30, show how much you appreciate them.

Healthy diet takes center stage this month with National Nutrition Month. It’s a great opportunity to spread the word about the importance of eating well and living well. This year’s theme for the March observance is “Enjoy the taste of eating right.”

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week is the perfect time to call attention to respiratory diseases and the many ways your agency can help those living with these conditions. This year’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week is March 9-15.