Acknowledging your Referral Partners at the Holidays

The holidays provide an excellent opportunity to recognize your referral sources while distinguishing your agency as a dedicated health care partner.

 Some Holiday Appreciation Ideas:

  • Stand out by giving holiday cards to reinforce the value of your professional partnership. Make sure to sign it by hand -- extra points for having your entire leadership team sign it.

  • Make a charitable donation to a group that supports a relevant health care issue (American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, etc.) and let your referral sources know that in lieu of gifts, your company has chosen to support the worthy charitable cause.

  • Organize an evening of caroling at local hospitals and skilled nursing facilities with your staff and some willing referral partners. The greatest gift is always giving of yourself.

  • Deliver holiday treats and small swag gifts to the offices of referring physicians.

Visit our web store for your home health and hospice client appreciation gifts. We are a full-service print shop and an ASI member, so if you don’t see what you are looking for give us a call at 866-232-6477. We specialize in special!

You might want to brush up on few health care reform guidelines and statutes to make sure you are on the straight and narrow: http://www.partnerwithtag.com/home-care-blog?month=11-2018

Since the gifts given can't reflect the volume of referrals provided, the best solution is to give the same gifts to everyone. If you keep the guidelines in mind when you are holiday planning, you can stay compliant and still show your appreciation for the excellent working relationships you've developed.

Home Care and the Lung Cancer Patient

Home care is available for cancer patients in all stages of their disease, be it home health or hospice care. The majority of those patients are battling lung cancer. The American Cancer Society has said that lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women.

The prognosis for lung cancer can vary widely depending on the cancer type and the stage it is in when diagnosed. Lung cancer may be incurable, but it is almost always treatable. Home health care works with cancer patients who are home bound to provide supportive care and help with the activities of daily living.

Home health also provides help with the below:

  • Explaining the disease process

  • Counseling for patients and their families

  • Managing patient care

  • Observing treatment progress and advising when adjustments are needed

  • Educating about safety in daily activities and emergencies

  • Monitoring medications

  • Evaluating nutritional needs

Lung cancer patients typically have a team of doctors and specialists working together to eradicate their cancer. This collaboration usually consists of: thoracic surgeons, pulmonologists, palliative care physicians, and medical and radiation oncologists.

Much in that same way, hospice uses a team approach to treat patients. Hospice teams are made up of physicians, nurses, home health aides, social workers, counselors, therapists, volunteers, and chaplains. A cancer patient is generally eligible for hospice care when treatments are no longer effective, and their disease is determined likely to follow its normal path of progression.

Hospice care focuses on quality of life for the patient as well as their family. They minimize patient discomfort through symptom and pain management, while providing respite care, emotional support, and bereavement counseling for family members.

Reach out to the oncologists and cancer treatment centers in your service area with information on how partnering with home health and hospice can improve the quality of care for their cancer patients.

Help your referring partners address the many misinterpretations about hospice and the services they provide for terminally ill patients and their families by visiting the tagwebstore.com: The Real Truth About Hospice Flyer.