It's gratifying to be part of the worldwide movement to help people make wise choices about the end of life. In that spirit, World Hospice and Palliative Care Day will be celebrated on October 9 with the theme "Sharing the Care." People in more than 70 countries will take part in celebrations, public awareness activities and advocacy. This day provides a great opportunity to reach out to your community to communicate the many positive benefits of hospice care. In addition, by describing to your community how you are "Sharing the Care," you can leverage your marketing and branding efforts to differentiate your hospice from competitors.

In this issue, we discuss a helpful tool for examining your market maturity and competitiveness so you can position your hospice for growth through differentiation. We also provide links to NHPCO's Insights articles on growing your organization in a competitive environment. Plus, be sure to check out the results of a recent Transcend Hospice Marketing Group industry survey about physician referrals.

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On August 5, Stan Massey, partner, executive vice president of Transcend Hospice Marketing Group, and Rich Chesney, president of Healthcare Market Resources, Inc., spoke at NHPCO's Expanding the Care Continuum conference in Boston. The two provided advice on sound growth strategies for hospices, but also cautioned against jumping on the bandwagon to diversify into new business lines. They asserted that the desire for diversification must be weighed carefully against the opportunity to grow business from new or existing referral sources. MORE >>

A goal of hospices is to grow physician referrals, but meeting with physicians each time you visit an office is not always possible. Take advantage of the opportunity to communicate with the nurse. Nurses tend to spend the most time with the patient. They typically are more receptive to delivering the hospice message to terminal patients. Nurses also are easy to engage and this can lead to positive interactions with the physician later. Consider both the nurse and the physician as important gatekeepers to hospice. A word from either of them to their patient can have an impact on whether the patient considers hospice care. MORE >>

Survey respondents from 26 states confirm that no matter the size of the hospice, gaining admissions from physicians is most challenging because physicians "do not initiate the end-of-life discussions soon enough."

Transcend Hospice Marketing Group recently completed a survey of the barriers and challenges that hospices face in getting physician referrals. The survey was conducted online and at the NHPCO annual leadership conference. We asked respondents to rank seven barriers that "stop or make physicians hesitate to refer to hospice." MORE >>