Last time in our series featuring home health experts and professionals, OperaCare President Michael McGowan lent his thoughts and ideas about how agencies might shift their approach to care based upon new requirements and regulation within the industry. Joining the conversation on what the industry can expect for 2018 is Melanie Stover from Home Care Sales. Today, she explores how relationships with referral partners are essential to success in 2018.

Embrace Transformation

My word for 2018 is transformation. The landscape is changing so fast for us and our referral sources; the biggest challenge and opportunity revolves around how we collaborate with our referral sources as good care partners. Helping support them in protecting their revenue while doing what we do best – care for their patients, clients and residents, I believe, like you, the best marketers and salespeople are educators. Home care educational-based selling tactics produce the best results. The sales and marketing teams who are actively reaching to their referrals and aligning their services with their referral source’s goals will gain the most referrals and the deepest relationships that lock up their accounts.

We look to 2018 as a year of transformation for home health, home care and hospice to become that trusted care partner through the facilitation of sales and marketing teams to lead their organizations to next level relationships with their referral sources. Those representatives and liaisons that know how to shepherd a referral source through a care partnership formula will have access, referrals and feedback to deepen their relationships.  This is what we all want – serving patients and referral sources at our highest levels.

Continuing our series is our very own Director, Client Strategy Teresa Craig. Join us next time as she dives deeper into truly understanding the needs of partner providers and how home health providers can provide support.