"Good enough": Neither good, nor enough, for SNF marketing and admissions.

The skilled nursing facility owners and operators we talk to all seek similar broad performance results for building census and revenue:

• Increased overall census
• Improved payer mix/Medicare census
• Faster response times
• Better (or any) reporting
• Increased visibility and accountability of marketers and admissions teams

As our conversations continue, those providers typically identify specific census and marketing measures they wish to achieve (census from 86 to 90, conversion rates up 25%, response times from 60 to 45 minutes, etc.). We consult with them about how our other partners have succeeded in improving census and marketing, and map out a plan forward for them to realize similar results.

But sometimes, cold feet set in. We don't just mean a reluctance to spend money on a system for automating admissions. SNF providers also pull back because they resist change in process, and are reluctant to invest the effort to introduce new tools and processes in their facilities. Even tools with proven, documented records of success.

And I understand the cold feet. Money is tight, reimbursements are uncertain, and with the hectic daily sprint required to manage and operate multiple skilled nursing facilities, sometimes it's hard to imagine how there's room for one more project or process.

So, providers often decide to go with "good enough." They acknowledge that their existing manual, paper-heavy admissions processes don't deliver the results they seek, but decide they will suffice for now. They concede that reporting is slow or inadequate, but decide that collected spreadsheets of dubious accuracy and timeliness will work, at least for awhile longer. Perhaps they'll opt for a simpler add-on system to just do the basics of tracking referrals.

And therein lies the problem with "good enough." It ends up being neither good, nor enough, to accomplish the objectives these SNF providers identified at the beginning of the process. The same processes, with perhaps minor modifications or add-on internal or external tools, deliver the same marketing and census results. So six, or 12, months pass, and the frustration compounds.  

Of course I have a bias here; our company provides the only Web-based system for SNFs to automate marketing, admissions, bed management and reporting. So it's extra easy for me to say, "You have to spend money to make it."

But heck, sometimes it's just true. And maybe it's not about investing in our system. Maybe it's people. Maybe it's a marketing consultant. Maybe it's just more money to successfully execute the marketing programs you already have in place.

And it's not always the dollar considerations. How willing are you to adopt new tools and processes at your facilities to enable you to achieve goals for exceptional census and revenue performance? (At a certain point, can you afford not to?)

We wouldn't make this plea to avoid "good enough" if we didn't continuously hear the laments of SNF providers who settled and later regretted it. Especially when it comes to sales and marketing: Set your measurable objectives and ensure that your investment in dollars and resources support those objectives. Good enough will end up being neither.

Comments

[Paul K]

What does your system actually do?