It's the time of year when sales managers roll out 2020 goals for their sales team. New goals are a new opportunity for business growth, but if done improperly, can sabotage your year before it even begins. Here's a primer on setting effective sales goals. 1. Make them reasonable - If you missed your goal last year by 5%, and were planning for 15% percent growth this year, don't make your sales goals 20% higher by adding the 2 numbers together. Why? Because you're setting yourself up for failure before the year even begins. For whatever reason, last year was a "miss". Evaluate that, but don't saddle 2020 with 2019's burden. If 15% is the growth goal in 2020, then make it 15% and focus all of

Federal Criminal Complaints have been filed against thirty defendants in the San Francisco area who are charged in a “patients-for-cash” kickback scheme. The complaints center on Amity Home Health Care, the largest home health care provider in the Bay Area, and Advent Care, Inc., a hospice. Under the leadership of Ridhima “Amanda” Singh, Chief Executive Officer, the federal government claims that Amity and Advent paid kickbacks to discharge planners/case managers at hospitals and social workers at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), among others, in exchange for referrals. The Criminal Complaints says that discharge planners/case managers in hospitals and SNFs received the following in exch

What do you wear as your sales attire when calling on referral sources? I received an inquiry from an agency owner last week that talked about this subject, and I thought it would be perfect to discuss in this forum. The answer is surprisingly straightforward (but often challenging to put into practice, as you'll soon see). "Dress at, or one level above the people you are calling on" There....simple, clean, and clear. Here's a cheat sheet: They Wear You Wear Scrubs Scrubs or Business Casual Casual Business Casual Business Casual Business Casual or Business Classic Business Classic Business Classic Wha

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule on September 30, 2019, that requires hospitals to make substantial changes in discharge planning. The final rule is effective sixty days from publication, so it becomes effective on November 29, 2019. In the meanwhile, many hospital discharge planners/case managers and post-acute providers who receive referrals from hospitals are especially interested in any changes regarding patients’ right to freedom of choice. First, CMS clarifies that CoPs for hospitals apply to acute care hospitals, long-term care hospitals (LTCHs), independent rehab facilities (IRFs), short-term acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals,

Last week I introduced you to a very important sales reality. "Sales, all sales is a critical evaluation of results versus resources" While doing a great sales seminar with a sales team in south Florida last week, we delved further into this powerful equation. You have a certain amount of resources. Let's say your sales resources are: 1. Sales rep time 2. Marketing materials 3. Educational programs 4. Inservices 5. Marketing budget 6. Etc. In every account you are going to "spend" some of these resources in order to get some result. The key is to make sure that your result matches or exceeds the resources you put into the account. Early Stage Referral Relationships - Resources High, Results

Enforcers and regulators continue to take enforcement action against home care providers’ arrangements with referring physicians. Recent action by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in United States ex rel. Herbold v. Doctor’s Choice Home Care, Inc. [No. 8:15-cv-1044-T-33AEP (M.D. Fla, Oct. 31, 2019)] is another example of such enforcement actions. In this case initiated by a whistleblower, the federal government intervened in the action against Doctor’s Choice Home Care, Inc., and its owners Timothy Beach and Stuart Christensen. Enforcers claim that the defendants entered into “sham” medical directorships with three physicians in order to induce patient referrals i

You've read the stat a hundred times, It takes 7 touches to make a sale but 90% of sales reps give up after the first one Is it true? Yes, and No. It's true in the study that cited those statistics (long since lost to the vastness of the internet). I took some time to see what other studies said about the same subject. The results will be surprising. Apparently it takes 8 touches just to get someone to listen to you.....but wait, this one says it takes only 5-7 touches to generate a sale. Hmmmm, which one is right. Let's keep looking. Ok, now we're in the range of 6-8 touches just to create a viable sales lead here....while this one says 7-13 touches!! I'm confused! So, which study is right?

There is a lot of talk these days about the relationship between social determinants and health. A key social determinant is, undoubtedly, access to a sufficient amount of nutritious food. What are the current rules about giving food to patients during the holidays? The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the primary enforcer of fraud and abuse prohibitions, announced an increase on December 7, 2016, on limits on free items and services given to patients. Specifically, according to the OIG, items and services of nominal value may be given to patients or potential patients that have a retail value of no more than $15 per item or $75 in the

December is a month like no other in the homecare and post acute world. The holiday season is upon us and it pays to take a moment to arrange your calendar to take best advantage (and not waste resources) at this time of year. Here are the key dates for December 2019 December 1 - Time to assess your year to date performance. If you're behind, the first (almost) 3 weeks of December can be spectacular and might give you the chance to catch up. If you're at goal, stay the course and finish at your mark. If you are ahead, go for a new annual record, or start putting in some time building new and deeper relationships that will pay off in January and beyond. December 16 - The start of "gifting" we