Looking for advice on how to market to hospitals.
I run a pretty small operation that provides a very specific service in healthcare. I have no experience marketing to large organizations like hospitals and I feel like I’m hitting a brick wall trying to get in contact with people. I wanted to stop by and leave a card or information with the supply chain manager but this is strictly prohibited in most of their policies.
What are the best ways to get a response from supply chain managers? I understand that hospitals are bombarded with vendors on a daily basis, how do I stand out?
It’s essentially transportation between hospitals.
You could try calling the hospital and asking to be put thru to the office of or the head of case management(sometimes called nurse case management) at the very least they will tell you if you are talking to the wrong people. I want to say the nurse case managers and social workers at some hospitals handle inter hospital transport for the patients.
I also wanted to say as a small fry in medical serving hospitals, your benefit over the big guys will be promptness and a stream lined process. If you can get the job done quickly(your intake process, insurance verification, and getting someone there to do it), then they will call you first 100% of the time. You also will be high on their list if you are quick to refuse as well. Being responsive will be a massive benefit. I’m not sure how you get your request(call, fax, portal, email) but if you didn’t talk to them on the first call, call immediately when you get the request just to touch base and let them know you are working on it.
Be able to provide a list of insurance you definitely take(hopefully medicaid and medicare) and a list you definitely don’t take and a note saying other insurance will be verified to determine in network benefits.
Offering on call hours(nights and weekends) can also put you over the top for referrals. Being able to promptly offer your services on a Saturday night would be sought after.
Make sure who ever is taking/making calls has a friendly voice and demeanor.
Large companies are often bogged down in their process and take too long or have unfriendly staff that could make case managers dread the referral.
I haven’t started a business like this but I worked for a small DME company that did 90% of the referrals at the children’s hospitals in the area because of the above and essentially edged out the national competition.
You may also earn priority with the hospitals for agreeing to low or no reimbursement indigent contracts on a case by case basis to establish a relationship with the case managers.