Fifty-five years ago this month, Disneyland opened its gates in Anaheim, California. Since that time, more than 600 million guests have visited the park. While this wildly successful extension of the Disney brand makes a great marketing case study, is it relevant to hospice care? The surprising answer is yes.

In some ways, Disneyland's mission as an amusement park is not all that different from the mission of hospices. In his dedication speech on opening day, founder Walt Disney said, "Here, age relives fond memories of the past." In the same way, hospice patients are encouraged to talk about their lives and memories of the past. Through this sharing, the patients' lives take on meaning as they prepare for their death. Disney also talked about his amusement park being a place for "joy and inspiration to all the world." We believe hospices bring joy and inspiration to those they serve. So as we mark Disneyland's 55th birthday this year, Mickey's famous saying "That sure is swell" rings true for your service to others.

In this issue, we provide the second installment in our ongoing series of tips for gaining physician referrals. We also provide a word of caution about jumping on the diversification bandwagon in the "continuum of care" excitement.

These are challenging times, but we hope by reading our monthly newsletter you'll gain valuable insights into growing your hospice. We welcome all comments or suggestions for future articles.

The competitive landscape is changing rapidly for hospices, so with the prospects of future lower reimbursements, it is natural to look for something different to ensure viability for your organization. However, diversification into new business lines is not the obvious next step for all hospices. MORE >>

This is our second installment of providing tips to increase effective physician visits and referrals. In this issue, we discuss how to engage members of the doctor's office staff so you can build an ongoing relationship with them. MORE >>

In our research, we survey people in our client communities on a variety of questions. When asked if there are differences between hospice organizations in their community, the answer usually comes as a disappointment to our hospice clients. This graph shows that on average, more than 78% of people surveyed from various communities did not know if there were differences between hospice organizations. Another 8.6% didn't think there were differences. That's why a strategic branding campaign is needed to differentiate your hospice from your competitors.