October Digest: Get more referrals with these great ideas

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month. As our nation’s senior population grows, more Americans will be living with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, about 5.4 million Americans already are living with the disease, making it the most common form of dementia.

  • Present a free class on staying mentally sharp at your area senior centers. The Exercise Your Brain class from the Health Matters Education Series offers an easy-to-follow presentation about ways to keep mentally fit to stave off problems in memory and thinking. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
  • After the class, leave behind puzzle books personalized to your agency to not only keep these potential clients mentally engaged, but to create broader awareness of your agency and educate about the benefits of home health, hospice or private duty care. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/puzzlebook.php.
  • Visit with local neurologists, geriatric psychiatrists and geriatricians to tell them about your Alzheimer’s program. Demonstrate your agency’s serious focus on working with Alzheimer’s patients by showing off your Alzheimer’s disease patient education guide. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php. Leave behind stacks of your Alzheimer’s disease information brochures in their waiting rooms. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.

If you haven’t ordered personalized home care or hospice calendars yet, it’s time to stop waiting. Agency calendars are a durable, useful tool that your referral sources, prospects and patients will refer to all year long. This is one of the most cost effective and versatile tools you can have in your marketing toolbox – don’t gloss over this once-a-year opportunity to make sure your name, services and logo are font and center with everyone in your service area. It’s something they will WANT to see every day. Order by Oct. 31 and automatically get 25 free with every 100 calendars that you order.

When your staff isn’t in the home with a client, someone else usually is. It’s someone who does hour after hour of work with no expectation of pay or recognition. And it’s someone we are all grateful for: the family caregiver. November is National Family Caregivers Month. It’s a wonderful time to show family caregivers that what they’re doing matters far more than they know.

  • Visit caregiver support groups in your area and supply refreshments for a meeting in November. Ask to address the group and tell them about the benefits of home care, making sure to distribute your agency’s marketing brochures. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/marketing-brochures.php.
  • Distribute FAQ brochures to all the libraries and coffee shops in your area. Be sure to leave them at community counters wherever possible. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/faq-brochures.php.
  • Make the lives of your patients and their family caregivers easier by giving them a clear guide that shows them when their symptoms require a call to emergency services, to their home health nurse, or require no action at all. Zone flyers make this simple and are personalized to your agency. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php.
  • Set up a booth at community events this month and distribute agency materials, including disease information brochures personalized to your agency. These brochures educate on specific conditions and tell how home health, private duty or hospice care can help. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.

 

September Digest: Simple tips to get more referrals

Strokes kill more than 800,000 Americans every year, making this condition the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. A staggering 7 million people over age 20 in this country have had a stroke at some point in their lives. The seriousness of this condition underscores how important it is to get involved in raising awareness about strokes and how to prevent them. A perfect time to do that is Oct. 29, World Stroke Day. You not only may save lives through your outreach efforts, but you’ll be raising awareness of your stroke-specific medical services.

  • Call on clinical referral sources in your community and sell them on your agency’s outcomes when it comes to providing care for stroke patients. Find great Patient Outcomes Brochures for the Physician at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. You can easily show off how you compare to your competitors when it comes to a variety of outcomes measures.
  • The Patient Outcomes Senior Brochures are a natural companion to the physician brochures. They educate about stroke in easy-to-understand language. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
  • While touting your outcomes to physicians, show them that patient education is a strong component of your home health program. Comprehensive Patient Education Guides for Stroke not only are an eye-catching example of your work, but they help patients get more involved in their own care, which improves outcomes. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
  • Distribute personalized stroke care flyers at community health fairs, libraries, senior centers and anywhere that seniors gather. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.

October is National Physical Therapy Month. It’s a great time to not only highlight the important work of your staff physical therapists, but to convey to referral sources how physical therapy and home care can improve the lives of their patients.

  • Schedule meetings with the orthopedic surgeons in your area to show them how well your home health or private duty company can help improve the outcomes for their hip, knee and shoulder replacement patients. Leave them with a unique orthopedic rehabilitation brochure that outlines your company’s services for this as well as how your outcomes scores stack up against state and national averages. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. Companion brochures for patients are available at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
  • You can’t say “thank you” enough to employees who are doing a great job and helping you have a successful business. Gove your physical therapy staff a little extra thanks with a mention in your company newsletter and a fun thank-you card with a little treat. Find the cards at www.tagwebstore.com/giveaway.php.
  • Visit an assisted living facility and host a discussion on the benefits of physical therapy for a variety of common health concerns among seniors. Distribute informative flyers about physical therapy to the attendees. Find them at https://www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
  • Promote your company’s hip and knee replacement recovery services at local health fairs. Distribute informative brochures about the procedure and how home care can help. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.

October is all about lung awareness – not only is October Healthy Lung Month, but Lung Health Day is Oct. 28 and National Respiratory Care Week Is Oct. 25-30. The number of Americans affected by lung disease is staggering. With about 158,000 deaths every year (more than prostate, pancreas, breast and colon cancer combined), lung cancer is the nation’s deadliest cancer. About 206,000 people are diagnosed with the condition each year. Additionally, about 10 million adults are diagnosed with chronic bronchitis each year, and about 4.7 million others have ever been diagnosed with emphysema – the diseases that make up Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). About 25 million people live with asthma. Take a stand for lung health and encourage your community to spread the word about lung disease.

  • Use your agency’s COPD outcome scores to demonstrate to physicians your success at providing quality outcomes for certain conditions. Outcomes brochures for the physician detail the specific services you offer and display your outcome scores as compared to state or national averages. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php. Companion brochures for patients are available at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php.
  • Hospice agencies can visit with physicians and discharge planners to discuss when referral is appropriate for patients with lung disease/COPD. The hospice specialty care flyer, which includes easy-to-follow end-stage indicators, is a wonderful tool to clearly convey this message. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/hospice-specialty-care-flyers.php.
  • Partner with physicians to improve hospice care for patients with COPD. The COPD hospice disease case study provides a specific patient scenario in which hospice referral would be recommended. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-case-study.php.
  • Empower your COPD patients and improve your positive outcomes by providing them with COPD zone flyers that tell them when their symptoms indicate a call to their home health nurse is needed, and when it’s time to call 911. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php. Reminder stickers and magnets also are available at www.tagwebstore.com/zoneflyer-english-products.php.
  • Show physicians you’re serious about giving patients an active role in managing their condition by using patient education guides, which are packed with guidance, tips, goals and logs. Be sure to take the guides along when you call on physicians to discuss potential referrals and the care you provide. Find guides for asthma and COPD at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.

August Digest: Plan your health observance marketing now

High cholesterol is a problem that plagues millions of Americans. In fact, about 71 million American adults (almost 34 percent!) have high LDL or “bad” cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This puts them at about twice the risk of heart disease as people with lower levels of the substance, and only about 1 in 3 adults with high LDL cholesterol has the condition under control. Do your part to increase awareness of this condition during September’s National Cholesterol Education Month.
• Host a free class for seniors on heart health or diet and nutrition. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.
• Visit with local internists, cardiologists and family practice physicians and ask to leave informational brochures about heart disease, stroke or diabetes at their checkout desk. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.
• Meet with cardiologists and offer them the use of a helpful tool to help their clients keep track of their health while also reminding them of your referral information. Scorecard logs allow patients to record information such as medications taken, doctor’s appointments, record of vitals, surgeries and procedures, cholesterol check, and general symptoms. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-scorecard-logs.php.

Alzheimer’s disease affects the lives of more than 5 million Americans and it is the nation’s fifth leading cause of death among adults age 65 or older. September is World Alzheimer’s Month and September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day. Treat these observances as opportunities to educate your community about this disease and how your agency can help.
• Mental engagement can help keep aging minds sharp and stave off mental decline. Distribute puzzle books personalized with your agency’s name and contact information to visitors of your local senior centers. Get them at www.tagwebstore.com/puzzlebook.php.
• Place informative brochures about Alzheimer’s disease and how your agency can help in the waiting rooms of your community’s geriatricians. Get them at www.tagwebstore.com/disease-information-brochures.php.
• Demonstrate to referral sources that your services include a concrete plan to help their patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Patient education guides not only empower patients and their families to take an active role in the patient’s care, but help improve compliance and outcomes. Get the patient education guide for Alzheimer’s disease at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.

September is National Pain Awareness Month. According to the American Pain Foundation, about 50 million Americans suffer from persistent pain each year. What’s more, about one in three Americans loses 20 hours of sleep or more every month due to pain. Those in pain don’t suffer alone; their family members suffer, too. Commit to observing Pain Awareness Month by educating your community and helping them find ways to cope with the condition.
• Hospice agencies can distribute Pain and Symptom Logs to patients to help educate them and their caregivers about the importance of pain and symptom tracking. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/painsymptomlog.php.
• Ask your area pharmacists whether you can leave brochures at their counters about pain management and how your agency can help. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/brochure.php.
• Give patients who suffer from pain a durable Zone Flyer that clearly shows them what’s normal, what merits a call to your agency and what warrants a call to 911. Show your referral sources that you are using this handy tool to improve patient education and outcomes. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php.
• Leave stacks of flyers about pain management, chronic pain or arthritis in the waiting rooms of local rheumatologists, internists and family practice physicians. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.

July digest: Red hot ideas for more referrals

National Safe at Home Week is Aug. 23-29. It’s an ideal time to get out into the community and educate about the potential dangers lurking in the place where we should all feel the safest: home.

  • Distribute Home Safety flyers at health fairs and other community events. The flyers are personalized with your agency’s logo and contact information and include information on fall prevention, fire safety and general household safety. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.
  • Show your referral sources this month that you are committed to ensuring patient safety. Integrate patient education guides for fall prevention into your services for those at an elevated risk for a fall. The guides also are an eye-catching tool you can use to show referral sources how seriously you take this issue. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-education-guides.php.
  • Host a free educational class at your area senior centers on the importance and basics of fall prevention. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.

Celebrate your community’s seniors this August by taking part in Senior Citizens Day (Aug. 21, 2015). This fast-growing group has long been behind social changes, and they’re not going to stop any time soon. Make an extra effort to recognize your community’s vital older adults and show them the benefits of home care.

  • Show prospects (and their physicians) just how successful you are at improving certain conditions with outcomes brochures for patients and physicians. The patient brochures educate on home care and the services you provide. The physician brochures outline specific programs and compare your agency’s outcomes scores to state or national averages. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-physicians.php and www.tagwebstore.com/patient-outcomes-senior.php. Outcomes brochures are 50% off through July 31 and highlight the new CMS Quality of Patient Care star rating.
  • Drop by your local senior centers and host a fun activity. Be sure to distribute puzzle books personalized with your agency’s logo and contact information to all those in attendance. Find them at https://tagwebstore.com/puzzlebook.php.
  • Empower patients and prospects to take a greater role in their own health care with health log books personalized to your agency. Distribute them to existing patients and offer them to referral sources to distribute to their patients. Your name and referral information will go everywhere the patient goes. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/patient-logbooks.php.

The year is halfway over and it’s time to start thinking about 2016. Home care and hospice-specific calendars educate about common conditions and keep your agency in front of referral sources, clients and potential clients all year long. Getting your calendars early means you’ll have them ready for distribution as fall creeps closer – at the rate this year is flying by, that’ll be before you know it. In an offer available this July only, get 25% off all calendars at www.tagwebstore.com (includes wall calendars, weekly planners, pocket planners, and notebook planners).

  • Plan your outreach efforts for the second half of the year, including events and opportunities to distribute traditional wall calendars. Time-tested and durable, calendars will remind referral sources, patients and others about your services, and will make them aware of healthcare observances and any other dates that are important to your agency. These calendars are at their lowest price ever. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/homecare-calendars.php.
  • Equip your staff with durable and indispensable weekly planners. The spiral-bound planners include plenty of space to keep track of appointments and notes, and also include health care observances. Referral sources will love these, too. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/weekly-planners.php. Other great options include notebook planners (www.tagwebstore.com/notebook-planners.php) and pocket planners (www.tagwebstore.com/pocket-planners.php).
  • Hand out magnetic calendars personalized to your agency at health fairs, senior centers and all your educational events. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/magnetic-calendar.php.

June 2015: Celebrate and Educate

Happy birthday to you! Medicare turns 50 years old this July 30. Take part in the celebration of the national social insurance program for older adults. About 55.3 million Americans were covered by Medicare in 2013, and the figure is expected to rise as Baby Boomers continue reaching retirement age.

  • Offer your patients a tool that will go everywhere they do. Give them a protective sleeve for their Medicare card that already includes a card with your agency’s name and contact information. It will keep their Medicare card safe and make it easy to refer to you when it’s time for home care. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/medicare-sleeve.php/.

  • Host a class at your local library to help acquaint people in your community with Medicare. Be sure to also tell them about Medicare’s covered home care or hospice benefits and how your agency can help. Find a ready-made class at www.tagwebstore.com/healthmatters-education-series.php.

  • Make sure your physician referral sources have an easy way to know what Medicare-covered services are available to their patients and Medicare’s conditions for payment. The physician pocket guide to Medicare tells them at a glance the services your agency provides and includes your telephone number for easy referral. Find it at www.tagwebstore.com/pocket-guide-to-medicare.php.

There’s no mistaking that summer is here. It may be a quiet time when it comes to healthcare observances, but there still are plenty of ways you can keep your marketing efforts current.

We celebrate the independence of our nation on July 4, but it’s also a great time to celebrate the independence seniors in your community are maintaining with the help of family, friends and agencies like yours. Here are some things you can do to reach out to this vibrant community.

  • Visit local senior centers and distribute Senior Fun Packs, which include playing cards and bingo cards personalized with your agency’s logo and contact information. This outreach out to those who are maintaining social activities such as senior center participation will pay off with enhanced awareness of your agency. Find the Senior Fun Packs at www.tagwebstore.com/seniorfunpack.php.

  • Experts agree that one of the best ways to maintain mental acuity (and prolong independence) is by completing puzzles. Connect with seniors and raise awareness of your agency with puzzle books personalized with your logo and contact information. Display them in referral source waiting rooms. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/puzzlebook.php.

  • Plan a Fourth of July-themed event to celebrate the independence of your community’s seniors that also will help prolong their independence and increase your referrals. In addition to a light luncheon featuring ice cream, hot dogs and other summer treats, provide informative booths and educate attendees about an important Medicare benefit they may not realize they have: The Annual Wellness Visit, which includes a review of medical history and risk factors, and a personalized prevention plan. Have a clinician on-hand to perform the annual exams. Find a kit to help you plan and execute the event here: www.tagwebstore.com/annual-wellness-visit-kit.php.

Sandwich Generation Month takes place this July. Join thousands of organizations and communities around the country in recognizing and raising awareness about the Sandwich Generation – the generation of adults who are caring for their children as well as their aging parents. Learn more about it at the sponsor organization’s website www.sandwichgenerationmonth.com/.

  • Take part in community health fairs this month and stress the importance of supporting these caregivers. Have plenty of agency marketing brochures on hand. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/marketing-brochures.php and www.tagwebstore.com/faq-brochures.php.

  • Sign up to speak about the sandwich generation at the community meetings of various local elected officials and local community groups. Educate them about how your agency can help those with a variety of conditions and ease the burden on their caregivers. Find disease-specific flyers at www.tagwebstore.com/health-care-flyers.php.

  • Visit with your referral sources and stress the assistance your agency can provide family caregivers when a loved one has a serious illness or injury. Show them that one of the tools in your caregiving arsenal is zone flyers, which help improve positive outcomes. Find them at www.tagwebstore.com/zone-flyer.php.