Hospices are employing multifaceted referral management strategies to improve timely access. Providers’ innovative efforts center around wider technology utilization, digital storytelling and leveraging their quality data.
Many patients are not referred to hospice until their terminal illness reaches an advanced stage, said Joshua McClinton, community liaison at Three Oaks Hospice, during the Hospice News virtual Sales & Referral Summit. The trend has long-served as a significant barrier to better quality and support for patients and their families.
Strong referral relationships are a cornerstone to improvement, but today’s hospice providers face unique challenges that require revamped outreach approaches, McClinton said. Swelling aging populations are straining the nation’s health care system during a time of widespread staffing shortages, rising costs and the fast-paced evolution of technology. Hospices need a hybrid of virtual and in-person outreach efforts to keep pace with the needs of both patients and referrals, he stated.
“It’s not enough to be a one-trick pony,” McClinton told Hospice News. “You actually have to show up and show results. Nowadays, we hear about AI as a kind of doom and gloom. AI doesn’t have any emotion connected to it. The circumstances that [hospices] are dealing with are heavy. No matter how smart the computer is, it doesn’t feel the stress of a family who is looking for answers. That is an opportunity to really showcase your value, to become a trusted partner. Everything has its place, but when it comes to that personal touch and relationship building, I don’t think AI can compete with human touch.”
Late hospice referrals can negatively impact end-of-life experiences for patients and families. Shorter hospice stays have been associated with increased financial and operational strain for health care providers and lower quality.
Predictive patient data analytics have increasingly come to the forefront as an avenue to improve timely access and patient support. These artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning programs use algorithms and statistical models to detect patterns in patient data and make predictions based on those patterns.
Upstream providers and hospices have implemented predictive analytic AI systems to identify earlier patients in need of their services, as well as to track outcomes and alert care teams when death may be imminent.
AI tools have also provided referrals with greater transparency around a hospices’ quality ratings, said YoloCares CEO Craig Dresang. Quality is a prime driver of improved patient reach, Dresang said. Upstream providers are looking more closely at family satisfaction ratings when selecting hospice partners, and AI technologies can be a powerful communication avenue when augmented with human oversight and support, he indicated.
“You have to lead with quality,” Dresang told Hospice News during the summit. “AI is a tool to be used. It is a tool to support what we do. It’s critical so that you can track and manage those [referral] relationships. There are a number of ways that can be used as a tool, but nothing will replace good old-fashioned people skills and relationship management skills. Nothing will replace relationship management, person-to-person. We have to get creative. What are the out-of-the box ideas?”
Hospices are navigating new ways of using technology to support their referral and sales teams, according to Jen Malko, vice president of business development at Haven Hospice.
Providers have leveraged social media marketing and digital storytelling across multiple virtual platforms. Technology utilization has allowed hospices the ability to measure and improve public engagement, Malko stated.
Digital storytelling can be a powerful marketing and referral education tool for hospices to demonstrate their value in terms of quality, she added. Positive end-of-life experiences shared by patients and families can help to break down common misconceptions about hospice. Additionally, digital storytelling can involve relatively low-investment of staffing and communication resources, Malko said.
“When I think about digital trends and ways in which we need to increase awareness to also the referral partner, [it’s] digital storytelling, virtual education and social media,” Malko said during the summit. “We’ve been doing video testimonials [and] videoing all these different aspects of care. It really brings people in. It’s a multipronged approach to developing and improving relationships in the community. You might be dealing with an awareness issue initially, but then it’s a deliverance and how do you deliver care at the appropriate time. The entire interdisciplinary team needs to be involved in community development.”
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