Today’s article will shed some light on the differences between Home Health care and Home Care. When visiting referral sources, the confusion between these two different portions of the Senior Care Industry, can result in your agency being offered the wrong type of referral. Before visiting referral sources, make sure you can adequately describe the kind of care and services your agency provides.
Tip: make sure that you include anything that sets you apart from your competition, differentiators are huge!
Home Health is Medical
One advantage is that Personal Care agencies now sit at the table alongside the various healthcare components related to the senior care industry. However, when marketing, I still explained to Social Workers, Discharge Planners, Doctors, and Nurses that senior care agencies are more than sitter services. When meeting with Social Workers/Discharge planners in hospitals and skilled Nursing Facilities, I remind them that Home Healthcare companies focus on healthcare needs, such as wound care, Physical and Occupational Therapy, IV and port management, and other medical needs.
Personal Care/Senior Care agencies provided the care that allowed us to assist their patients with tasks related to Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). I walked them through how we can help them with everything from picking up their prescriptions and grocery shopping to assisting them to bathe and dress, as well as cooking, cleaning, and ensuring that they take their medications on time, and providing standby assistance when they are completing the prescribed exercises from their PT/OT so that their rehab process goes smoothly. Remember that your goal as a personal care agency is to help your clients safely age in place!
In-Home Care Keeps Clients Safe at Home!
Also, if you haven’t yet begun working on partnerships with Home Healthcare agencies, they can be a great referral source for your business. Virtually every patient that they see needs additional care. However, as you deepen your partnership, make sure that you teach the Home Healthcare companies how to qualify leads for you. Remember that medical insurance covers Home Healthcare. Unfortunately, it does not protect many hours from Personal Care agencies like yours.
Rather than having Home Healthcare companies send you all of their leads, guide them toward which leads will make the most sense to send over. You should gently remind them about your costs and that if most of your business is private pay, your clients pay either out of pocket or through long-term care insurance. However, if your agency also takes Medicaid, turning their leads into clients may be more accessible. If you work for a personal care or home care organization and are interested in improving your operational efficiency, please get in touch with us for a free consultation; our site is seniorcarebusinessadvisors.com.
Our team looks forward to working with your office and creating a personalized plan to help your agency. Thank you again for reading today’s article. For more information, call us at 678-340-3649 or sign up here! Because we care!