We recently had a conversation with an agency owner who was determined to not let unethical or selfish agencies win in her market. In fact, she was more determined than ever to make sure that her agency continued to strive and become not only the home town favorite, but to entrench her agency in the community.
Our conversation lasted about 20 minutes, but it showed the true spirit of owning a home health agency and its purpose: innovative ways to care for a patient. While some agency owners wait for patients to come to them and while some owners deploy teams of marketers who act like Bill Clinton in a sorority house full of potential interns, many operate ethically within Medicare guidelines.
Agency owners who know that their product and services are sound are more likely to be innovative than those that worry about staffing and compliance issues. Having a good control on your agency and being able to rely on staff that know home health and their job duties will help your agency grow. But for agencies that experience very high turnover and rely on mostly contracted staff to fill visits will not do as well.
Consistency is key to making sure your agency does well. Along with data analysis and identifying issues then taking action to correct these issues, you will make a difference not only for patients, but also for your bottom line. .