Nursing Homes Must Regain Trust To Be Successful: This Is How They Can...

As healthcare organizations throughout the U.S. work to regroup and stabilize following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, they find themselves in a precarious position. As planning begins on what I would call not the “new normal” but the “next normal”, healthcare providers and practitioners need to be creative and thoughtful in their outreach, messaging and communication with their referral partners and to the members of the communities they operate in.

Nowhere is this more critical than in our nation’s nursing homes. Fiercely attacked by not only the virus itself, but the constant negative hype and media attention ...the past few months has made what has always been a challenging level of care for people to accept, even harder.

But it is not impossible, and in fact an imminent recovery is very feasible. Our communities need nursing homes. They fill a very necessary gap in the care continuum that will only grow stronger as our nation continues to reach the peak of the aging tsunami straight through to 2050. With more adult children working, life expectancy increasing due to medical breakthroughs and treatments, and the need to find lower cost alternatives to acute care hospital stays, the demand for skilled nursing facilities will remain strong.

In the short term, however, how can nursing homes overcome the negative perception of the public? I believe facilities can quickly recover and start to rebuild their important place in the community and health care continuum, as well as build their occupancy - which based on recent research has decreased nationally in recent months.

The key is to have a focused plan. Some of the recovery will occur organically due to the need driven nature of nursing homes, but the rest is up to each nursing home operator. 

I have outlined some key action steps that are specific to the nursing home industry to help you as you design your plan:

Demonstrate Your Quality Through Data and Facts: Numbers and facts do not lie. You need to develop a sound and credible story to bring out to the market that underscores the quality of care that is provided at your nursing home. Dive deep into every element of nursing home compare data that you can use in telling your story to referral sources, community members, and prospective customers. Go “beyond the stars” on nursing home compare to understand how your data compares to your competitors and highlight those data. Make sure the information you provide is in written form and given out/left behind. For example, what are your staffing scores? Is your staffing higher than your competitors, How does it compare to the state data? Vs. the country? What is your percentage discharge rate to the community vs. competitors? So on and so forth. Other data you can use is any customer satisfaction scores, online reviews that can be shared, and written testimonials from current and former patients and families. You may even want to get written testimonials from physicians and hospital discharge planners who have had positive experiences with your facility.

Your Former Patients/Family Members: Nursing homes who have an active rehab program often do not keep in touch enough with their former patients and family members. Former patients will likely need care again down the road, so it is important for them to stay educated and informed on the latest news and updates at your facility. Keep these folks engaged with newsletters, support groups, health, and wellness events, etc. Former patients and families are your “brand ambassadors” and the most important and credible recommendations are the ones they share in the community. Additionally, think of new services and ways you can enhance the experiences of current discharges by providing information to them on home delivery services, home visiting physicians, pharmacy delivery, etc. Implementing new protocols and programs that reflect what your patients need and are looking for when returning back to the community will make you stand out.

“Own” the role you play in the care continuum: Establish a marketing campaign that positions your nursing home as the leading advocate for educating seniors and their caregivers in the community. Use a multi-tiered approach that includes distributing information on preventative health tips and useful information for seniors to places of worship, senior centers, physician offices, etc. Record podcasts, write press releases for online and traditional media outlets, host senior health and wellness events out in the community and at your facility and use your in-house clinicians to speak and participate. The most effective nursing home marketing is grass roots – many shrug off the importance of this, but in my experience, it adds a lot to your marketing program and very much to your occupancy. Right now, this is especially true as the general public’s perception of nursing homes has gotten worse. Your voice needs to be heard!

Focus on The Basics: Make sure you have a user friendly and responsive admissions office and admissions process. Follow up with families and referral sources is key and often overlooked when assessing problems with occupancy. It is key to have experience, training, and confidence in the admissions office – if a potential client or referral source does not have confidence in the front-line admissions office, it could reflect on their perceptions of care at your facility. Also, admissions personnel and offices should focus less on selling to people and more on helping their potential clients. 

Those facilities who demonstrate empathy and compassion in the admissions process will always be the most successful. 

Additionally, know who your external customers are. If your facility does not have an electronic database or CRM of all your referral partners, that is a problem. When you develop an outreach plan, it is wise and essential to have an updated list of potential referral partners in the community and healthcare provider world. Otherwise, your marketing and direct selling efforts outside of the facility will end up being a mish-mosh. A good focused communications and external marketing plan starts with an organized, up to date list of potential and existing customers so that you know exactly who you will be reaching out to.

Simplify your story: You do not need a shiny brochure, a newly renovated rehab gym or a splashy program to differentiate your facility. These things help, but try to focus on features that others are not promoting that are more important…features like the longevity of your staff, the years of experience of your department heads, how you communicate to families, the clinical capabilities at your facility that are unique, an example of the activities and programs you offer, the physicians and other health care partners affiliated with your facility, examples of how you prioritize customer service at your building, etc. Whether you are marketing to community influencers or health care professionals, they want to know the “real deal.” The “slicker” you attempt to be, the more they will doubt you. Also, be aware that any press and media attention that your facility and/or company has received over the past few months is in the hands of your referral sources, community members and potential patients and their families. Be cognizant also of how you are rated as an employer on popular job sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, these reviews are often viewed by potential customers not only job seekers. Encourage your team to write positive reviews about your facility/company on these sites. All in all, be prepared to proactively address any negative media attention you may have received. Transparency upfront is an important building block to establishing trust.

The “next normal”: Inevitably in your marketing and community outreach you need to address how your clinical and operations team have adapted to meet the new challenge of preventing infections - not only COVID, but all other threats. I would suggest putting together in writing what precautions, policies and changes you have made to ensure your facility, employees and your patients and visitors are as safe as possible as this will be “top of mind” for most people. Highlight any new technology, education, environmental changes, and training to show the investments your facility has made in quality. Also, since community members and referral sources might be hesitant to tour in the near future, put together a professional presentation with quality pictures of your facility that you can show them if they want to know about the look and feel of you facility - can be home made, you do not have to spend a fortune. Make sure this is also reflected in your online and digital marketing presence.

A silver lining during this challenging time is that the unwarranted obsession over readmission rates and length of stay driven by CMS "value based" initiatives such as accountable care organizations and bundle payment programs will likely be shelved (maybe even gone forever). Take the opportunity to demonstrate quality outcomes and patient satisfaction to referral partners. It has never been more clear that the patients cared for in nursing facilities are the most vulnerable, at risk and sick vs. patients receiving care anywhere else – studies have shown nursing home patients need a longer recovery time and likely will be hospitalized again, it is simply the reality and generally unavoidable.

Be Charitable:  Think about ways your facility or company can help or give back to your community. Don’t lose sight of the fact that many members of your surrounding community have lost jobs or have been furloughed and may have even have lost loved ones due to the virus and have suffered other economic, social or health issues that they did not expect. Consider hosting or participating in a fund raiser for a worthy civic organization or volunteering to help a charitable organization. Giving back is not only the right thing to do, it bonds you and your facility with the community and fosters trust in your care. Make sure to involve your employees, and connect with local leaders such as mayors, local health departments and other civic leaders to participate and help promote your efforts. Consider hosting a bereavement support group for spouses and family members from the surrounding community of those who lost their lives during the pandemic.

As the healthcare system recovers from COVID-19, nursing homes will most likely take the longest to heal. With increased regulatory scrutiny, skepticism in the general public and varied perceptions of quality with referral partners, now is the time to develop and execute an educational and outreach campaign designed to foster confidence and trust in the care that your facility provides. Never lose sight that your facility is a vital member of your local healthcare provider community and with a focused plan incorporating the elements outlined in this article, you will bounce back with occupancy.