Marketing by Disease Type for Private Duty Home Care

Marketing by Disease Type for Private Duty Home Care

Michelle Hofhine, RN

Accredited Home Health Services

Woodland Hills, CA

Definition of Disease Management

• Disease Management is a system of coordinated healthcare interventions and communications for populations with conditions in which patient self-care efforts are significant.

• Disease management:• supports the physician or practitioner/patient

relationship and plan of care, • emphasizes prevention of exacerbations and

complications utilizing evidence-based practice guidelines and patient empowerment strategies, and

• evaluates clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes on an going basis with the goal of improving overall health.

Disease Management Components

• Population Identification processes • Evidence-based practice guidelines • Collaborative practice models to include physician

and support-service providers • Patient self-management education (may include

primary prevention, behavior modification programs, and compliance/surveillance)

• Process and outcomes measurement, evaluation, and management

• Routine reporting/feedback loop (may include communication with patient, physician, health plan and ancillary providers, and practice profiling)

Goals of Disease Management?

• Improve patient health and compliance

• Avoid costly complications

• Increase nurse call center efficiency • Reduce medical costs

• Support patient and family self-management

Who’s on the Disease Management Bandwagon?

• Physician Organizations & Clinics

• Provide quality care and optimize patients' health

• Gain control over the day

• Manage administrative costs

• Convert calls to clicks

• Attract and maintain loyal patients

• Reach out to wired patients

Who’s on the Disease Management Bandwagon?

• Hospitals and Health Systems• Build community preference • Highlight your centers of excellence • Strengthen physician loyalty • Increase traffic to your Web site

• Increase physician referral calls

• Skilled Home Health Agencies• PPS

Who’s on the Disease Management Bandwagon?

• Insurance CompaniesExample – Mutual of Omaha• What is the Mutual of Omaha Healthydirections Diabetes

Program?• The Mutual of Omaha Healthydirections Diabetes Program is our exclusive

approach to caring for people with diabetes. Registered nurses and dietitians provide individualized support and educational materials to you and your doctor. If you are eligible for this program, you and any dependent family members with diabetes can participate at no additional cost to you as part of your health plan's services. You'll receive valuable support to help you:

• Manage your condition • Make your daily care easier • Enjoy a healthier quality of life

Other Advertised Diagnoses as part of Healthydirections – Asthma, Heart Failure, Coronary Artery Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Disease Management Simplified

• Save Money

• Encourage Self-Care

• Quality of Life

Saving Money

• Research shows that over 70% of a person’s medical expenses are paid out in the last two years of life

• Research also shows that poor self-care and/or limited social resources increase medical expenses

Interpretation – Providers who have financial risk are tired of paying unnecessary costs because a member doesn’t know how or refuses to take proper care of their health

Encourage Self-Care

• Self-Care means less reliance on others, particularly medical professionals.

Opportunity for Private DutySelf-Care also equals self-pay care. As we know, private duty is not a typically

covered service. Work with professionals to utilize this service as it is consistent with their goals and objectives for their organization and the patient’s well-being

Quality of Life

• Independent

• Comfort of My Own Home

• Pain Free

Couple of Examples of Non-defined disease management programs

• Medicare PPS (Diabetics)

• Medicaid Waiver (Multi Service Senior Programs)

• SCAN Health Plan (Social HMO)

• Secure Horizons (Respite Benefit, Solutions for Caregivers)

Disease Management is a fancy title

• Disease Management is a marketing term. The reality is that these types of interventions have been offered for years. The healthcare industry is trying to reach out and have their patients buy into taking better care of themselves. With greater attention to a patient’s specific disease, you increase the chance of actually achieving the goals you have for them.

What is the basis of disease management marketing in private duty?

• Follow their lead. No investment necessary. You are not building any new programs or services. You are merely organizing your information about what you do for a particular disease

• Appeal to healthcare industry’s desire to save money for their pockets. In-Home Care is a patient’s out-of-pocket expense

What is basis of disease management marketing in private duty?

Quality of Life Research stills shows that seniors would rather live at home than in a facility. Home

Care services enable a patient to remain at home versus hospital, nursing home, assisted living while ensuring ADLs are being met. Ability to perform ADLs have a direct impact on patient’s quality of life.

Switching from general home care marketing to disease management marketing

• In Home Care we sell our services as assistance with;bathing

dressing

meal preparation

light housekeeping

medication reminders

grooming

transportation

ambulation

toileting

Very Generic

Switching from general home care marketing to disease management marketing

• With a disease management spin, we talk about those same services as it specifically relates to common disease symptoms and/or their presentations

What we’ve done

• Designed an approach for the top ten diseases that we want to target for business purposes

• Advantage Accredited – Home Health & DME Services also available. We can create a multi-tiered approach to disease management at home

• Create market collateral• Decide who to market these programs to, for us it is:

PhysiciansHospital Discharge PlannersSocial Service Organizations (ie. Alzheimer’s

Association)

Alzheimer’s Disease

• Patient Supervision….to prevent wandering• Toileting reminders… to eliminate potential accidents• Meal preparation… to maintain nutrition & prevent

kitchen accidents• Social Stimulation…. To combat loneliness/depression

Arthritis

• Assistance with painful tasks (driving, bathing, dressing, housekeeping)

• Applying ice packs or heating pads to relieve localized pain

• Apply proper transferring techniques to prevent further joint damage

• Meal preparation and diet modification to prevent weight gain (which stresses joints)

Cancer

• Post chemotherapy/radiation therapy support and assistance

• Meal preparation and nutrition encouragement to increase energy levels

• Social support and activities to divert negative feelings

• Assistance with exercise regimen to reduce depression & anxiety while increasing energy

• Management of Daily Activities at onset of fatigue to best conserve energy

Diabetes

• Preparation of diabetic-friendly meals

• Monitoring condition of the skin and lower extremities to prevent skin breakdown, ulcers and related injuries

• Ensure proper oral hygiene to prevent gum disease common to diabetics

Heart Disease

• Increase patient compliance with dietary and/or lifestyle changes

• Supervise prescribed exercise/physical therapy activities

• Ensure proper supervision and act in the event of an emergency. All of Accredited’s caregivers are trained in both First Aid & CPR

Multiple Sclerosis

• General assistance and ADL support during an exacerbation period

• Social stimulation to combat depression• Transferring assistance to prevent falls

and injuries

Osteoporosis

• Gait supervision and assistance to prevent falls resulting in possible fractures

• Assistance with weight-bearing exercises to increase bone mineral density and maintain proper body alignment

• Social support and activities to divert their attention

Parkinson’s Disease

• Gait supervision to prevent fails• Light housekeeping to remove potentially

dangerous obstacles• Assistance with feeding during tremor

episodes• Specialized meal preparation (ie. Puree)

when swallowing is difficult• Offering fluids for thirst relief caused by

Parkinson’s medications

Stroke

• Transfer assist for patients with paralysis

• Emotional support for labile patients

• Support with feedings for clients with difficulty swallowing

• Mobility assistance/supervision to prevent falls

Resources for Disease Management

• Web MD

• Yahoo Health

• American Cancer Society• Alzheimer’s Association

• American Parkinson’s Disease Assoc

Results

• Don’t expect your referral sources to change in a day.

• Building foundations for future growth• Differentiation from the competition

• Emphasize successes

• Beef up on disease specific staff training