How to Differentiate Your Hospice in the Marketplace

Photo credit: Ralf1403

My cousin Stephanie died on Tuesday. It was sudden, and she was quite young – close in age to my oldest daughter who will be 32 in a couple of months.

So the cycle of grief begins again. I am sad and exhausted. But, by necessity, we must press on, even when it feels like the world should stop turning.

Death is never easy or pretty. I can’t tell whether a sudden demise is worse for a family, or perhaps watching and caregiving a long decline is a harder road. I don’t know. I just know that however it comes, it always hurts.

I’ll have to recommend to Stephanie’s immediate family that they look into bereavement counseling from a hospice. I hope I can find a good program. The family is split between the Chicago area and the Phoenix region.

As I start to evaluate my own family’s options those markets, I will be engaging in a process that has become trickier as the hospice sector has expanded: Distinguishing differences among various hospice organizations. Competition in the field has never been tighter as new providers continue to proliferate, driven primarily by new or expanding for-profit companies. In this environment, a critical piece of the puzzle is differentiation. What makes your hospice stand out among its peers?

Consider this quote from a recent LinkedIn post by the home care and hospice executive Kurt Kazanowski:

“The hospice industry has evolved dramatically over the past two decades. Nearly every market is more competitive than ever before. Hospitals, physicians, senior living communities, and families often have dozens of hospice providers from which to choose. Yet, despite this increased competition, many hospices continue to market themselves in remarkably similar ways. They all promise compassionate care, experienced clinicians, 24-hour availability, and a commitment to dignity at the end of life. While these qualities are essential, they are no longer differentiators — they are expectations.”

Hospices can distinguish themselves in four main ways, according to Kazanowski. These are:

• Clinical expertise

• Creating programs that address specific needs within their communities

• Shifting from being a vendor to referral partners to a strategic partner

• Becoming an industry thought leader

Clinical expertise speaks to hospices’ core mission. Providers should strive to become known for exceptional care. This expertise extends beyond quality scores and into the realm of disease-specific programs and palliative care integration.

As hospices develop programs designed to meet specific community needs, they should consider the following factors, according to Kazanowski:

• Volunteer-driven programs

• Leveraging technology to address communication challenges, particularly in senior living communities

• Caregiver education

• Veterans’ recognition initiatives

• Integrative therapies

• Family caregiver coaching

• Telehealth support

• Community education

“Referral sources remember hospices that solve difficult clinical problems. Families remember hospices that prevented unnecessary suffering. Clinical excellence becomes your reputation,” Kazanowski said.

Becoming a strategic partner for referring organizations is also key. This means that the hospice becomes a greater resource for them than simply taking on their terminally ill patients. Every referral partner has objectives, goals and problems. The hospice that understands those issues and needs and can offer solutions or improvement is better set up to succeed.

Finally, hospices can differentiate themselves by becoming thought leaders. I recently did a piece on becoming an industry thought leader on Hospice News. Check that out here.

For Kazanowski, this means that a hospice can develop a reputation for being an organization that advances hospice care through education, innovation and expertise. Examples for how a provider can achieve this include developing a physician advisory council, publishing articles and white papers, speaking at conferences, conducting educational programs and participating in research, among others.

What tactics does your hospice use to differentiate itself from its competitors? Let me know in the comments.