Leading Home Care Report #117 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Home Health Care 2020Insights from the Oracle at DelphiAugust 15, 2007~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In this issue...-- Insights from the Oracle at Delphi-- Six Pillars of the Home Health Agency of the Future-- Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Referrals-- Certify Your Home Care Sales Professionals-- Latest Postings on our Blog: Home Health Care Leadership Minute-- About the Author-- Permission to ReproduceWhat do you think, ... the future holds for home health care in America?
Wouldn't it be great if we knew exactly what is going to happen in home care over the next 10 or 12 years? Wouldn't it make our jobs easier if we knew exactly what will happen in the future?
Insights from the Oracle at Delphi~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Several months ago, Elizabeth and I were traveling in Greece and we went to the ancient city of Delphi.
Dating back to 1400 BC, the Oracle of Delphi was the most important shrine in all of Greece. It's the place where prominent citizens from around the known world traveled to have their questions about the future answered by the "Pythia," the priestess of the Apollo.
As I stood in this ancient place looking at the temples that had been built and hearing about the sacrifices that had been made, I realized how valuable it was to the ancient Greeks to know about the future. I then began to consider how valuable it is to current day home care leaders to know about the future of home health care.
The Pythia in Delphi didn't have a crystal ball to see into the future. But she did provide valuable insights that helped those who came for answers make important decisions.
We've been studying the forces and trends that shape the future of home health care for over 25 years. I don't have a crystal ball either, but I have learned that by paying attention to the forces and trends shaping our industry, we can - in fact - anticipate the changes that will take place.
As leaders and strategic thinkers, our job is not to predict the future. Our job is to anticipate the future and prepare our home health care agencies for the changes that may occur. Our job is to put in place the people and processes to adapt to those changes in our industry.
For the next several issues of Leading Home Care Report, I want to share with you some of the forces and trends that I see shaping the future. I'll share with you what I see happening from my unique vantage point, and I'll describe the patterns of change that I anticipate.
I'll even suggest some things you can do to get ready for the future.
But it's up to YOU to take this information and consider how the trends and future changes will affect your agency. It's up to you to make the final decision about what you do to prepare your agency for these coming changes.
Six Pillars of the Home Health Agency of the Future~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~As the CEO of your home health agency (or the CEO of your department or section of your home health agency), there are six areas you need to consider as you prepare for the future:1. Quality
Everyone in home care talks about giving high quality care. AND, every referral source thinks home health agencies all give the same quality. Quality has become a commodity in home care. As we explore this pillar, we'll examine what it really means to give exceptional quality care in the AOTF (Agency Of The Future).
2. Service
If quality is the "product," service is the way you deliver the product. It reflects all of the little things you do to make it easy for patients and referral sources to do business with your agency. Again, all home care agencies believe they give wonderful service. Often, the reality is different.
Our customers' expectations of service are increasing by leaps and bounds, while the level of service provided by many home care companies lags behind their customer expectations.
I cringe every time I see or hear the phrase, "Our mission is to meet and exceed our customers expectations." Baloney! It's not happening very often in our industry. We'll talk about why not.
AND, we'll talk about what service will look like in the AOTF.
3. People
The people pillar is an area of tremendous opportunity. We have wonderful people in home care who are caring and compassionate. But again, most agencies look alike when it comes to their people. We're going to explore at least three key issues around people; corporate culture, leadership, and employee retention. These are the three critical ingredients under the people pillar for the AOTF.
4. Technology
Home health care in America lags the most behind other industries by about five years when it comes to technology. There are a few agencies who are taking a significant leadership role in this pillar. We'll describe the technology issues you need to be exploring if you are really going at be an AOTF.
5. Growth
All organisms are either growing, dormant, or dying. Which stage is your agency in? There are a number of critical issues under the growth pillar that we'll be exploring including competitive strategy, branding and marketing, networking and selling, and measuring performance. The AOTF is one that is able to clearly define its growth strategy and sustain it over many years.
6. Finances
I remember clearly early in my speaking and consulting career working with a large Catholic hospital system. The nun who was CEO constantly repeated her mantra, "No Money, No Mission!"
The AOTF will be a financially sound company that is able to grow its revenue line, earn an exceptional profit, and be a good steward of these financial resources - in spite of changes to the Medicare PPS system.
Quality, Service, People, Technology, Growth, Finances... Six Pillars that you need to concentrate on to become an AOTF - A Home Health AGENCY OF THE FUTURE.
For more on becoming an AOTF, stay tuned to future issues of Leading Home Care Report.
Everything You Need to Know to Grow Your Referrals~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Over the last five years, we've accumulated incredible knowledge about Marketing and Selling home care services. We've made that knowledge available to you in the form of books, eBooks, teleseminars, audio CDs, and eTools.
Now, you can have the full library of home care sales and marketing ideas in one powerful package... The Mega Marketing Power Pack for Home Health Agencies.
Using the resources of the Power Pack, your home care sales and marketing team will be able to:
- Apply The Seven Step Relationship Selling Process
- Build brand awareness for your home care agency
- Market your specialty clinical programs
- Approach key physicians and develop relationships
- Get past gatekeepers who separate you from referral sources
- Use direct mail and paper newsletters to keep your name in front of customers and prospects
- Use email newsletters to generate referrals
- CLOSE MORE SALES!
Our Mega Marketing Power Pack is designed to be the one-stop resource for your marketing director and your direct sales staff. This amazing set contains over three years of research and information produced by Leading Home Care ...a Tweed Jeffries company.
To order the Power Pack, click on the link below to see the details on our web site. Then you can purchase online, or call our office toll free at 866-209- 5101.
For more information on the Home Health Care Mega Marketing Power Pack
Certify Your Home Care Sales Professionals~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~One of the biggest challenges facing rapidly growing home care companies is the ability to recruit, select, hire and train effective sales representatives. The need is great, and the supply of experienced home care sales pros is limited.
Get ready for a fresh approach to home care sales training that will take the guesswork out of predicting the success of your sales team. Join us for a program specifically for home care agencies that want to develop Certified Home Care Sales Professionals.
Stephen Tweed and Michael Giudicissi at Leading Home Care have teamed with Dr. Tray Dunaway to create an in-depth, focused sales training program and certification designed to give your sales people the knowledge, skills, and focus they need to reach even the most difficult referral source.
Then we teamed up with Decision Health, the publishers of... Home Health Line, and Success In Home Care... to create an exceptional workshop environment in which to provide this training. Join us in San Antonio, Texas on September 24, 25, and 26 for the 2007 Home Care Sales Professional workshop.
Don't Delay, Register Today!
Latest Postings on our Blog: Home Health Care Leadership Minute~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Here are the latest postings on our BLOG, Home Health Care Leadership Minute:
- NPDA defines three levels of caregivers for Private Duty Home Care
- Heroes in the Home
- PA Governor Signs Law Allowing Nurse Practitioners to Order Home Health Services
- Ohio Governor Signs Order Granting Collective Bargaining Rights to Independent Home Care Workers
- Mayo Clinic Offers Home Care Advice
About the Author~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Stephen Tweed, CSP, is Chairman and CEO of Leading Home Care ... a Tweed Jeffries company. For nearly 25 years he has been a recognized leader in strategy and leadership development for home care companies and associations. He is the author or co-author of five books, four of which were written specifically for the home care industry. He has served on the boards of directors of three not-for-profit home care agencies, and has served as interim President & CEO of a $25 million home care company.
Stephen is a past-President of the National Speakers Association, a 3500 member international society of experts who speak professionally. He is also the father of a 37 year-old son who is physically disabled and uses the services of home care on a daily basis.
Permission to Reproduce~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Permission is granted to healthcare publications, associations and companies to reproduce this article in your publication, or to distribute copies to your leaders, on the condition that you reproduce the credits and contact information as follows: "Reprinted with permission from Stephen Tweed's Leading Home Care Report. Copyright 2006 Stephen C. Tweed. To receive a FREE subscription to this newsletter, log on to www.leadinghomecare.com."
Contact Leading Home Care~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~email: stephen@leadinghomecare.comphone: 1-888-668-9333~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~