The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have announced that effective January 1, 2019, they will recognize physician assistants (PAs) as designated hospice attending physicians. Limitations apply, but this may increase the role PAs choose to play in directing hospice referrals, making them more relevant in hospice marketing. PAs still may not conduct the face-to-face visit required for hospice eligibility or certify the terminal illness for Medicare hospice, so physician involvement remains mandatory. 

The marketing implication here is simple. Make sure your hospice marketing plans include PAs and nurse practitioners (NPs), both of whom will be recognized by CMS as hospice attending physicians. Marketing to PAs and NPs is similar to marketing to doctors in that there are only three ways to reach them – barring the occasional local exception. The three ways to reach prescribers are:

  1. Sales: a person makes individual contact by whatever means
  2. Mail
  3. Facebook: Brazzell Marketing Agency can use the Facebook advertising platform to direct ads only to the right types of doctors, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. Cutting out any gatekeepers, the ads serve directly to them on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and other partner apps. 

Given the importance of referral sources, the gross profit available from each referral, and the very limited avenues available for contacting them, most referral-based healthcare providers (including hospice, home health, and physical therapy) should be using every means available to stay in front of local referral sources. If you are not, your competition is. Hospice agencies, take a moment to consider your sales contact lists, update your physician newsletter mail lists, and broaden your Facebook advertising audience parameters.