Have excellent CMS compare scores? Show them off!

Medicare's Home Health Compare scores have been available for years to assist consumers in choosing a quality home health care provider, but the new Medicare Hospice Compare tool is finally allowing terminally ill patients and their family members similar metrics.

Although the new hospice tool is not as robust as its home health sister, the data provides a great opportunity for companies with positive scores to stand out from others in their market.

  • When approaching physician referral sources, make sure to have materials to leave behind that clearly and visually show how you compare to state and/or national averages. Some companies even choose to display their scores directly beside their competitors. Click on TAG Partners' physician materials at the links located at the bottom of the pate to see graphs we've created to convey the information clearly and immediately.
  • Educate consumers who call you as they evaluate providers about the Medicare tools and encourage them to look up your scores.
  • Contact local media and make sure they know about the scores and about how well you performed. Offer to place them in contact with your medical director and administrator to discuss your philosophy of care and how you are achieving your outstanding results.
  • Home health providers, are you calling attention to your Quality of Patient Care and Patient Survey star ratings that are reported alongside your Home Health Compare scores? Highlight your excellent star ratings by developing a graphic representation of the achievement and adding it to all of your outreach items, including your website, general services brochure, or even the back of your business card. Check out this logo TAG Partners created for this purpose.

Through Oct. 31, the following products are 20% off list price when you use promo code TWENTY at checkout:

Call us at 866-232-6477 to learn more.

Your next home care marketing opportunity: Aphasia Awareness Month

Living with aphasia can be frustrating for both patients and their loved ones. June is National Aphasia Awareness Month.

Make it a point to educate your community about aphasia, its common causes, and how people with aphasia can benefit from your services. Here are some tips to help you get started:

  • Host an educational session on aphasia and ways to improve communication. Find tons of tips and tools at the website of the National Aphasia Association.
  • Educate your referral sources and patients about the role speech-language pathologists play in assisting those with common medical conditions, including aphasia.
  • Visit the Aphasia Awareness Month webpage hosted by the American Stroke Association and stock up on tons of ready-made resources to reach out to your community about this language disorder. Be sure to add their infographics to your company's website.
  • Post an item to your municipal government’s regular meeting agenda seeking to recognize June as Aphasia Awareness Month. Invite your speech-language pathologists to participate. Be sure to speak during the reading of the agenda item or during the meeting’s public comment period about the important work these professionals do. See page 2 at this link for a sample proclamation.
  • Contact your local television morning talk show producers and ask to be featured in a segment about aphasia awareness. Ask one of your agency’s speech-language pathologists to join you. Prepare yourself for the appearance by learning aphasia statistics, common conditions that cause aphasia, and tips to cope.
  • Create a word search puzzle using aphasia terms and personalize it to your agency. Leave stacks of them in the rehabilitation facilities in your area.
  • Locate a patient who is a stroke survivor who has made strides in overcoming their aphasia with the help of your speech-language pathologist. Secure the appropriate releases to speak with the media and then contact your local newspaper for a feature story about this patient, her progress, and how your agency has helped.