Home Health Marketer

gettout · Feb 9, 2011

No idea, wish I could help, good luck:no:

cb_rn · Feb 9, 2011

I knew one and she spent a good deal of her day sweet talking and schmoozing doctors for referrals and then, when that didn't work, chasing them around blindly to sign the orders that were about to be over the time limit (I think medicare gives you 30 days? can't remember). she also had the job of calling physicians to soothe things over when something not so great happened as in one of the nurses did something that the docs didn't care for or there were other ruffled feathers for this and that. she enjoyed it. best of luck. BTW...please work on some of these older physicians that don't realize the face of hospice has changed! (provided you handle hospice marketing that is). My grandmother is end stage COPD and would GREATLY benefit from hospice and refused it immediately because the old coot hospitalist had the unmitigated gall to walk in her room and announce he'd send her home with hospice if she was ready to give up and die instead of fight and he'd be happy to give her morphine if that's what she really wanted :mad: thanks for nothing, jack*ss

caliotter3 · Feb 9, 2011

Why would you want to do this instead of nursing?

Epona · Feb 9, 2011

I worked in nursing for a little bit. I have two degrees and LOTS of previous advertising and marketing experience. They wanted (hoping for a RN) and someone who had this previous experience. Bingo. There is me. RN and marketing. So they hired me right away.

BrookeeLou_RN · Feb 9, 2011

I have done home health nursing for over 20 yrs..also did some marketing for hospice. You have accepted a very tough job.. Pay varies by area and yes more referrals equals more money. You need to consider you will be chasing Dr to talk to you and also sign the orders within 30 days but some companies want 5-10 days!! You will be road warrior.. Obviously Docs can be great or awful and every stage in between. And yes if a patient is unhappy you will be begging that Doc not to pull the case and to continue giving you more. But that is merely one part of the job.. The other part is dealing with your Directors, DON's, Administrators and up... You get a referral they love you for 5 mins if you are lucky then it is what have you done for me "lately" routine. The market is so competitive now and I feel over saturated with companies offering the "same" product. And they do not want just referrals they want high return dollar patients who need more services but magically will not require too much care!!

You must be bubbly, super outgoing, very pretty helps ( and I hate to be sexist but this is reality). While one would think being very professional would be best, in my experience of dealing with people who do this.. professionalism is not a true factor. Docs want you to promise more than any agency would ever give or they would be bankrupt. The challenging docs are the ones with the challenging, demanding patients.

Now do not get me wrong..anyone on home care should get excellent patient care, all services they qualify for, treated with utmost dignity and respect and educated extremely well. The key to all that is will they accept your services and by that I mean really work with the nurses etc. And do they truly qualify!!!! Docs want services because they '"ordered" it!! Medicare requires an order but aside from that,, medicare and insurance companies make the RULES!

Patients and Doctors have issues with that. "Homebound status" required by Medicare is the trickiest of all. Every nurse I have ever talked to and every agency and every manager will define it differently. Medicare leaves it in what I call a very "vague" state. I have seen marketers actually crying over their jobs and these were the good ones.

It is a tough job and will never pay what you actually deserve.. can you succeed..yes..if you are the specific type of sales person with thick skin, sweet talking, fast walking that can make it. Personally I feel selling used cars would be easier.

And by the way , most are not nurses and know just the minimum needed to sell the product. But agencies like to hire Nurses so they feel you will get every tiny referral out of the source. A non-nurse may miss something.

Personally I have liked working wiht 90% of all marketers over the years but I always feel bad for them when census drops and they get the brunt of it! And census dropping is usually seasonal and not anything you can control.

Take the job, ask for every compensation you think they will go for, get it all in WRITING in triplicate!!! Then go out and do it. If you succeed..fantastic, go for gold! If you do not..never feel bad or put yourself down. The part that bothered me the most was getting referral knowing full well what nurse would take that case( based on area or skill set) and just knowing that nurse and that patient would not mesh and the doctor would not be able to be pleased as the patient's outcomes would be minimal at best. Many people think Home Health means miracles every day, every patient.

You will arrange to provide great services for many but you can not save and change everyone! If the people you work with at the agency give you the sense that they know what to do and how to do it.. your job will be much happier but if any questions in your mind..be forewarned, and watch your back.

Best of luck in whatever you do.

Marketing home care is unlike marketing anything else in the world especially if you are working Medicare agency.

Epona · Feb 9, 2011

THANK YOU! That was very helpful! I like challenges and working with people. I am a great talker and good negotiator. I have done sales too and worked with everyone from large corporations to small 'moms and pops'. I also competed in the Miss America system... did well in that, won interview, etc. So being an RN with all this previous marketing and PR background I think will be a great fit. They actually gave me MORE then what I had asked for. It's the most money I have made so far... full time with benefits, gas reimbursement, etc. So I am thinking I will actually do very well in this. I do not have any 'bonuses' or commissions... just so you know. Straight salary.

THANKS AGAIN! You were very insightful! :)

BrookeeLou_RN · Feb 9, 2011

Glad I could be of help..I did not want it to sound negative just realistic. Sounds like you have what it takes to make it. It is a great paying and can be very interesting job. I am happy you got more salary than expected and not tied to commissions.. Commissions can be hard in those off months.

I hope your agency is a good one and that you are in a good part of the country!

Best of luck and PM me if you get time to let me know how it is going down the line.

RN marketer · Dec 11, 2011

Hello everyone I'm new to the site and read this thread and thought it was awesome. Epona what did you find out about the pay scale for the Home Health RN marketer? I've been offered the opportunity to create my own job description and compensation plan for this job and have no idea where to start.

HELP !!!

caliotter3 · Dec 11, 2011

Find out what a non-RN marketer is compensated for this position and then add on a value to the RN license/experience. Also get a job description for this position, then try to come up with some valid sounding skills that an RN could bring to the position. That is where I would start.

RN marketer · Dec 11, 2011

Awesome! Thanks thats where I am right now, typing it up as I go. It's due monday. Currently with this company the marketers make about $13-$15/hr and are incentiviesed on medicare pts. They want me to come up with how bringing a nurse to the marketing team will benefit them and obviously make them money. Denver are may be tough! So I have to on the money (no pun intended) with the compensation plan or they'll probably tell me to get lost.

caliotter3 · Dec 11, 2011

Well, being an RN should make it easier to be heard and taken seriously by potential clients, but that hourly rate is rather low from the standpoint of a nurse, even though it is par for the position. It will be difficult to be able to justify bringing your rate of pay to a comparable RN rate. If you are ok with that, then no problem. It will certainly be challenging no matter what they pay you!