Home Health & Hospice Week

Making docs' lives easier can make your patient load grow.

Home health agencies searching for a way to increase their referrals can put their communications procedures at the top of their business-boosting idea list.

Physicians have hectic schedules, pointed out consultant Betty Gordon at the recent National Association for Home Care & Hospice 24th annual meeting in Seattle. Anything HHAs can do to make docs' lives easier can put them number-one on the home care referral list, said Gordon, with Simione Consultants in Westborough, MA.

Try these communications practices to improve your relationship with referring physicians--and your patient census:

1. Streamline phone calls. Physicians say they are sometimes reluctant to refer to home care because of the paperwork burden and volume of phone calls from the HHA, Gordon told attendees of her Oct. 25 presentation, "Referral Boosting Strategies."

Try whenever you can to consolidate phone calls to one physician, she advised. While you'll still need to make separate calls for emergencies, the physician knows that barring a crisis, she'll hear from you only at certain intervals.

To make phone communication even easier for your referring physicians, schedule a certain time of the day that you'll call. That way, the doc can expect and be ready to take your call at that time and will know you won't hassle him otherwise. Ask the physician when the most convenient time is and tailor each physician's schedule accordingly.

2. Set up a weekly meeting. To keep communications to physicians manageable, set up a block of time every week for a case conference with them, Gordon urged. Then referring physicians will know you won't bug them with routine requests all week. Except for emergencies, they'll hear from you during the weekly case conference only.

3. Batch orders. The home care paperwork burden can seem heavy when a physician is receiving a constant stream of orders to sign. Instead of sending orders for signature every day, try batching all the orders together once a week, Gordon suggested.

This way, you can give the physician a folder of orders to sign on the same day every week. She will know when to expect the orders and can set aside time to sit down and sign them all in one block of time--the same block of time each week.

4. Customize order delivery. Find out how each physician prefers to receive orders--courier, fax, mail, etc. "Make it as easy as possible for him and his office" to sign orders and handle the home care paperwork load, Gordon emphasized. This can bring the added bonus of securing signed orders faster.

5. Assign a nurse to each doctor's patients. Having one nurse care for all a physician's patients means the doctor and her office won't have to talk to a different person from your agency all the time. That will facilitate better communication and a better relationship.

Grouping patients like this may not be possible if a physician's patients aren't geographically close together, Gordon acknowledged. But employ the strategy when patients do live close together, she recommended.