The Individual SNF Marketing Roadmap™

When it comes to achieving marketing and sales objectives, whether it’s increasing Medicare admissions or overall census, the key to finding the right solution is to focus on the right issues. How can you be sure the issues you’ve targeted are really the right ones?

We believe that questions are the answer. That’s what our Marketing Roadmap™ is all about. Insightful questions. Intelligent listening. Revealing corporate and individual buildings’ evaluations based on proprietary best practices. This unique process is designed specifically to help LTC providers operate in the ACO, MCO, bundled payment and preferred provider environments. The focus of this program is to develop a realistic marketing strategy and program to enhance relationships with local hospitals and physicians and to maximize post acute, Medicare and STR referrals and admissions in your building.

Once completed, the results are synthesized into a Business Development Report™. This detailed, actionable plan provides clearly stated, objective interpretations of the findings. It separates perceptions from reality, defines needs, and identifies realistic opportunities to make the best use of your human and financial resources in order to deliver improved performance.

The Individual SNF Marketing Roadmap focuses on the following 11-point study process that primarily utilizes building statistics, industry data, and best practices to understand the variables that impact census building.

1. Branding and Strategic Positioning Evaluation
   Does the brand and positioning accurately reflect your building’s capabilities? Does your positioning effectively highlight your competitive advantages in relation to other providers in your service area? If not, what should your brand image and positioning be?
   
   
2. Internal data: Review and Analysis of Census, Referrals & Admissions
   Using data from the building, we will analyze the following variables: overall census and occupancy; pay mix; volume of overall referrals, admissions, denials and discharges; overall referrals received - referral accepted conversion ratio; overall accepted referral – admitted conversion ratio; and admissions by primary diagnosis. Are there patterns and trends over the past years that indicate changes in your marketplaces that might impact your admissions and post acute census?
   
   
3. External data: Review and Analysis of industry data for establishing new physician and hospital relationships
   Using data from CMS and other industry sources, we will provide intelligence that will offer valuable insight into physician discharge patterns to SNFs as well as the operations and challenges of your local hospitals. Intelligence includes information regarding: a) Medicare patients being discharged from hospital to SNFs by top physicians; b) Medicare patients being discharged from hospital to SNFs by diagnosis; c) Hospitals Medicare readmission penalty status and d) length of stay data comparing the hospital’s LOS to CMS’s targeted LOS. We will study three (3) hospitals as part of this project.
   
   
4. Physician Relationships Analysis
   Who are the key physician “influencers” in your service area? Where are they credentialed? How many SNF Medicare admissions do they send to SNFs and which SNFs are they sending to? Our Physician Review System™ includes a comprehensive six-step review process to identify the key referral sources in your market and then develop the strategies needed to engage these select doctors to provide more value to your SNF. All intended to increase referrals and admissions; support the development/enhancement of a clinical specialty; and give you a powerful competitive advantage for your discussions with ACO, preferred provider and bundled payment organizers.
   
   
5. Advanced Payment Models: Challenges and Opportunities
   How are ACOs, bundled payment and preferred provider programs influencing SNF admissions in your marketplace? If you are in one of these models, what can you do to maximize your admission and revenue opportunities? Trying to join? What is the criteria being used in selecting SNFs and what is the best strategy for presenting your building and operations in a compelling and competitive manner. Left out of these models? What are strategies and programs to protect your market share?
   
   
6. Market Competitive Review
   Who are your primary and secondary SNF competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Where are the market “soft spots” and how can you capitalize on them? For your primary competitors (up to three building), we will have our staff secret shop these building by visiting the facilities and meeting with admissions staff. Our review of primary and secondary competitors includes phone interviews, review of available promotional material and analysis of their websites.
   
   
7. Fair Market Share Analysis
   Is your over-all census and specifically your Medicare census all that it could or should be? How does your market share measure up to government and industry data? Is your building getting their fair share of Medicare admissions? Understanding your Medicare market share is an important variable in analyzing your marketplaces and identifying marketing opportunities in order to improve Medicare admissions and your quality case mix. We will analyze your market share using CMS data and hospital discharge trending data.
   
   
8. Physical Plant Review
   How well does your building present? From the standpoint of a family, what is their “first impression” and tour experience? Are staff members using touring “best practices” to maximize the experience and to engage the family? Are there simple changes that can be made to the physical plant or tours that will enhance your competitive advantage?
   
   
9. Current Marketing and Sales Activities
   Are your marketing programs and promotional materials appropriate for the marketplace and the assets of the building? Is there a documented “plan” that includes staff responsibilities and appropriate management oversight? Is there a focused approach to enhancing and establishing new trade and community relationships? Does your marketing staff have the tools and confidence to “step out of their comfort zone” in building new relationships?
   
   
10. Web Site and Digital Marketing
    The web has changed the way consumers research and make decisions regarding post acute services. Is the building’s website user friendly and does it present your programs, clinical services and physical plant in a competitive manner? Do you have a plan to “drive” consumers to your websites and are you using digital marketing to stay in touch with current and past residents/families to enhance satisfaction and word-of-mouth referrals? We will also review the building on-line family/resident reviews that appear on the major LTC third party websites.
    
    
11. Resident, Patient and Staff Satisfaction Surveys
    Are you getting the most from word-of-mouth referrals? Reviewing existing surveys often provides the information needed to create a proactive communication program with current family members and discharged short-term residents and families.