~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Technology Pillar in Home Health Care Eight Performance Accelerating Technologies that are Changing Your Life in Home Health Care April 16, 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In this issue... -- Eight Performance Accelerating Technologies that are Changing Your Future -- Certification Program for Your Sales Professionals -- The Academy for Private Duty Home Care in Maryland -- Sponsor -- New BLOG Postings on the Home Health Care Leadership Minute -- About the Author -- Permission to Reproduce Welcome, . . . to Stephen Tweed's Leading Home Care Report, the premier online newsletter for CEOs and executives of America's leading home health care agencies. (For strategies and insights on how to grow your Private Duty non-medical home care business, we invite you to subscribe to Private Duty Today, our newsletter for non-medical home care.)

Eight Performance Accelerating Technologies that are Changing Your Future ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Drive one point five miles and then exit right," says Nuvi, the voice coming from a 3" by 5" inch display screen attached to the windshield of my car. "Nuvi" is the Garmin GPS Navigation system that guides me from airport to hotel in unfamiliar cities as I travel around the country speaking and consulting with home health agencies. I'm absolutely amazed at the capabilities of this tiny computer to know exactly where I am at any given moment anywhere in the United States. And, the capability to find the nearest gas station or sit-down Chinese restaurant. It is technology like GPS and eight other performance accelerating technologies that are changing the face of Home Care in America. As a leader in home health care, you need to be paying attention to these disruptive technologies and making plans to increase your investment in this area. It's a clear trend in our industry that investments in information and medical technology will consume an increasing percentage of your annual budget. These increased investments in technology are critical for the AOTF - Agency Of The Future. Let's take a look at eight performance accelerating technologies that will increasingly be a part of your home care life. 1. Point-of-Care Palm Top Computing Most of you are already using point-of-care computing with laptops. But the technology trend of equipment being smaller, cheaper, and easier to use leads us to palm top computing. More and more technicians in the field will be using PDA type devices that triple as a point-of-care computer, a cellular telephone, and a GPS navigation system. 2. Telehealth Many of you are already using telehealth to improve clinical outcomes and improving nursing productivity. The data from several studies show significant improvements in acute hospitalization for CHF patients and other diagnoses. And our clients who use telehealth are also reporting increases in referrals as a result of their competitive advantage in the marketplace. 3. Digital Imaging Using digital cameras in telehealth units is giving nurses in the office the opportunity to see as well as hear their patients in their homes. Digital still cameras enable wound care nurses to consult with many nurses in the field about complex wounds without using their valuable time driving from patient to patient. 4. Micro diagnostics Miniature, easy-to-use diagnostic tools connected to a telehealth unit or directly to a laptop computer enable nurses in the field to conduct diagnostic tests and transmit data directly to physicians who can read the results and prescribe treatment by phone or digital messaging. In some instances, the patients themselves can administer the diagnostic tests and have the results read remotely by a doctor or other clinician. 5. Wireless Connectivity With the advent of cell phone technology and WiFi networks, clinicians in the field can connect their computers directly to the central database in the office without plugging in to a land line. The VNS of NY just began implementing a wireless connectivity tool that allows their nurses to connect to their office while in skyscrapers, riding in elevators, and even underground in the subway. 6. Web Based Data Access More and more applications are being developed where users can access a database by logging onto the internet rather than having to connect to the agency's network. In our own company at Leading Home Care, we have a new Customer Relationship Management system that is housed on a remote desktop that we can access from anywhere in the world via the internet. More and more of your applications will be web based so that field staff and on-call staff can get into the scheduling system from anywhere any time. 7. Voice Recognition The technology already exists for you to control your computer and do most of your work just by talking. Most of you know my son, Jason. Jason is totally disabled and uses voice recognition software to write our other bi-weekly newsletter, Private Duty Today. Soon, all of your nurses in the field will be able to complete their documentation by talking into a PDA, rather than typing in data on a laptop or palm top. 8. Personal Health Records Several vendors are now offering web sites where an individual consumer can go online and set up a personal health record, holding all of their healthcare related data. They can then deliver that data to their physician or home health nurse on a USB thumb drive that can be read by the doctor or nurse's computer. As more and more consumers take more and more control of their health care, look for them to be more informed and have more access to their own data. A new site that will give you more information about setting up a personal health record is MyPHR.com.

Certification Program for Your Sales Professionals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the big challenges facing home health care executives who want to grow their businesses is finding and training sales representatives. Our research shows that the number two most effective and most frequently used technique for bringing in referrals that turn into admissions is "Direct Selling", having feet on the street calling on physicians and other referral sources. We also know from our research that most home care sales representatives are not effective, and in fact do not bring in enough admissions to cover their carrying costs. To solve that problem, Leading Home Care has teamed up with Decision Health, publishers of Home Health Line and Private Duty Insider, to offer two sales certification workshops. The Certified Home Care Sales ProfessionalTM This certification is designed specifically for sales professionals representing Certified Home Health Agencies, calling on hospitals, physicians, and other skilled care facilities. This workshop is designed specifically for those selling home health care. We have also had participants from hospice, medical supply companies, home medical equipment, and home infusion pharmacies. The Certified Private Duty Sales ProfessionalTM This certification is designed specifically for sales professionals representing private duty, non-medical home care companies. Although the selling principles are the same, the focus is different. This workshop is designed specifically for those selling private duty. I'm writing to you today from San Antonio, Texas, where we just completed our very first Private Duty Certification Program. Fifty eight sales professionals and Private Duty business owners from around the country are here for two days of in-depth sales training and coaching. Stay tuned for the dates of the next CPDSP program. Coming up next: The Certified Home Care Sales ProfessionalTM June 11, 12, 13, 2008 - Charlotte, NC September 17, 18, 19, 2008 - San Antonio, TX Join Dr. Tray Dunaway, Michael Giudicissi, and myself for two and one half days of high-impact sales training, and earn the CHCSP designation. See you in Charlotte or San Antonio. Register today!

The Academy for Private Duty Home Care in Maryland ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many of you who are leaders of Home Health Agencies also have a Private Duty Home Care business. If so, you're probably looking for new ideas and information to grow that business and increase it's profitability. If you're on the East Coast, you'll want to consider sending your Director of Private Duty to The Academy for Private Duty Home Care being held in Columbia, Maryland on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008. Sponsored by the Maryland-National Capital Home Care Association, this one day program will cover sales and marketing strategies, and recruiting and retention techniques to grow your non-medical home care business. Based on significant research that began in 2003, the Academy for Private Duty Home Care has been designed as a one-day institute expressly for CEOs and owners, administrators, sales and marketing staff, financial and personnel officers, and other senior staff of Private Duty Home Care companies. This is your opportunity to come together in an intimate, high-impact learning environment to share strategies, ideas, and insights on how to grow your business, multiply the performance of your team members, and increase your income. Objectives: As a result of this intimate, high-impact learning experience, leaders in Private Duty Home Care will be able to: Put the Three Key Elements of a successful Private Duty Home Care business into practice. Implement a focused sales & marketing plan to ensure a steady flow of clients. Develop specific action plans for immediate and long term growth. Find and keep the caregivers you need to grow your business and serve your clients. Develop and implement your Personal Private Duty Scorecard. Plan now to attend: June 4, 2008 - Columbia, Maryland 8:30-4:30 The Handelman Learning Center The Beacon Institute, Inc. 10280 Old Columbia Road, Suite 215 Columbia, MD 21046 410-381-2401 Register Today for the Academy for Private Duty Home Care

Sponsor ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Solutions Group

New BLOG Postings on the Home Health Care Leadership Minute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here are the most recent postings on our BLOG at the Home Health Care Leadership Minute: Telehealth as a Sales & Marketing Tool in Home Health. Home Health Care and Nursing Homes duke it out over Medicaid dollars." Technology Trends in Home Health - Wireless in Spain. Linking Technology to Improve Quality and Clinician Performance. High Tech Home Care Camera lets you peer into your own cavities. Click here to visit our BLOG

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 homecare 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. Meet the entire Leading Home Care Team

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 2008 Stephen C. Tweed. To receive a FREE subscription to this newsletter, log on to www.leadinghomecare.com."

Contact Leading Home Care ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ email: stephen@leadinghomecare.com phone: 1-866-209-5101 web: http://www.leadinghomecare.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~