Top Post-Acute Marketing Strategies for 2022

As we round out the first month of the new year, it’s a good idea to take a step back and look at how your Q1 post-acute marketing strategies are performing. Whether you kicked off the year with a strong plan in place or had some things left to nail down, your progress in month one is a good indicator of your ability to reach your goals this year. If you’ve fallen short, at least you have time to course-correct.  

It’s safe to say the post-acute care industry is still facing an uphill battle to recover from COVID-19, and top sales and marketing leaders are looking for creative ways to reach their company goals. In our recent PAC (Post-Acute Care) Priorities Benchmark Report, we found that, across the top PAC settings, priorities had shifted from previous years. Rather than a singular focus on increasing patient counts, PAC leaders are looking for new ways to increase revenue and market share while standing out in a competitive environment. 

If you’re looking for inspiration to elevate your 2022 post-acute marketing strategies, start by checking out the top techniques other leaders are using: 

New Targeting Tactics 

If your goals include increasing patient admits and strengthening your referral relationships, it’s important to look beyond your existing referral partners. Using new targeting strategies – by identifying physicians who serve the top diagnostic categories in your area, for example – will increase your potential referral partner base and, as a result, your potential patient referrals. Other targeting tactics include identifying physicians who are underutilizing post-acute care or are affiliated closely with a competitor. Creating a compelling value proposition story will help these referral partners realize the long-term benefits of sending their patients to your post-acute care setting and destination over others in your market. 

Partnering with ACOs (Accountable Care Organizations) or DCEs (Direct Contracting Entities) 

Value-based care is on the rise as CMS places more emphasis on outcomes and savings. Successful ACOs and DCEs are not only looking for high-performing acute partners to add to their networks but also post-acute partners. To position your agency or facility as a high-performing partner, you need to understand the metrics that matter to value-based care organizations. Check out this physician scorecard template to understand how ACOs and DCEs are evaluating their potential physician partners. Have your sales and marketing teams create competitive comparisons that highlight your performance metrics and demonstrate your ability to help their benchmark. 

Expanding to New Markets 

For post-acute care organizations that already have the largest market share in their area, it might be time to consider expanding to new markets or locations. Look for markets that have a high number of patients who would benefit from the post-acute care services you provide and have a limited number of destinations to choose from. You can then leverage the performance metrics in your existing markets as proof points of the excellent patient outcomes you provide from an organizational level. 

Mergers and Acquisitions

With COVID-19 impacts leaving many post-acute organizations short-staffed or lacking resources, the number of patients who need care is quickly outpacing the number of care settings available. Mergers and acquisitions offer the opportunity for larger, more profitable organizations to absorb the NPIs (National Provider Identification) of struggling PACs. In a recent guest blog by Home Care Pulse, we discussed the benefits and requirements for determining if M&A strategies are right for your organization. The bottom line is, however, that these types of deals allow for faster growth and better patient care, if done correctly. From a marketing standpoint, you need to have a well-defined plan for how to integrate brands, messaging, and offerings to ensure a smooth transition from one organization to another, with little to no disruption to patients and referral partners.  

With any of these marketing strategies, you need to have a few components in place. From evaluating the competitive landscape to crafting a compelling value proposition, actionable market intelligence and best-in-class marketing resources can help you get there. Check out our 2022 Post-Acute Marketing Toolkit for the latest insights, resources, and on-demand events that can help you elevate your marketing plans throughout the rest of this year.  

Ready to see our robust, actionable market intelligence and business development solutions in action? Request a demo today!