USA Today recently reported that one in five U.S. nursing
homes consistently receive poor ratings for overall quality under the
Five-Star Quality Rating System. That is not surprising since the system
rates on a bell curve. Some facilities no matter how well they perform
will receive one star.
That started a sea of gripes, most
notable how resident, family and staff satisfaction surveys are not
included in Five-Star. In June of 2009, research and consulting firm
Holleran found little to no association between a facility's rating on the
five-star scale and the patient or family's level of satisfaction with the
facility.
Yes the System is flawed. But one
thing is certain. Ratings are here to stay. They may be perceived as
authoritative (think CMS), popular (think Consumer Reports), questionable
(Angies List).
Hospitals and physicians also get
entwined in the ratings quagmire.
But people are reading the ratings.
People are talking to each other. And that may be good or bad for you.
Want to do something about it? Tell your story and engage your
ambassadors.
Tell Your Story
There are hundreds of small miracles
that happen in all kinds of healthcare facilities every day. Most are
undocumented. Stories. People are moved by stories. It is not enough to
write stories but you need to establish a culture where employees are
bringing stories to administration and marketing. Then write and run with
them.
Spread Your Story
You don’t need a social media rehash
here but suffice to say that there are a myriad of ways to push your story
to the public. The beauty is that stories of a great patient experience in
a hospital or a resident experience in an assisted living facility are
human-interest pieces not overt selling tools. It’s not about your
infection rates, latest technologies, whiz-bang doctors. It’s about
everyday people. Good stories are spread. Good stories are believed. Good
stories have a halo effect on your brand.
Identify Your Ambassadors
Who is passionate about your services?
Who passionately recommends you? Who offers unsolicited advice? Who comes
to your defense? These are potential ambassadors for your brand. They
might be an employee, a board member, a volunteer, a patient, a resident,
a family member. They may have surfaced through a letter they write to
you, an op-ed piece in the newspaper or in an on-line chat. Engage them.
Leverage Word of Mouth
There are several ways you can
leverage word of mouth for your organization.
- Engage influencers – who
can get your message to the most people? Who has the ear of many? Engage
these people. Give them sneak previews of what will be happening at your
organization. Give them access to information before others. They will
feel honored and will spread the message.
- Give to Get – give
something of value to spread goodwill and to help others get an idea of
what care might be like in your organization. One hospital for example
sends a nurse and a physical therapist to the home of surgery patients
to assess the environment so that it is conducive to post-operative
healing. Likewise, there are long term facilities that offer safety
assessments of the home. Who would you think of when you need services
in the future?
- Adopt Causes
Strategically – I joke with orthopedists and long-term facilities that
they should adopt the cause of fall prevention. Yes those orthopods rely
on a steady stream of hip and knee replacements from people who have
fallen. And then they often end up in a nursing facility to rehab. But
what if you keep them in a better quality of life for another 5-10
years? Something will happen to someone at some point. Who will they
think of when they need care?
- Bring Communities
Together – Harley Road Rallies, the once popular Saturn Picnic. These
are examples where organizations bring together their enthused populace,
move out of the way and let them mingle and talk about their brand.
So don’t gripe about the latest and
greatest ratings. Just craft your story and cede your army of ambassadors
to spread it through that old reliable word of mouth.
