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EHM and Intego

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ESSENTIAL HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT LEADS INTEGO, A CRITICAL ALERT SYSTEMS COMPANY, IN EXPANDING NATIONAL ACCOUNTS STRATEGY

DALLAS – September 26^th, 2012 – (EHM) a healthcare business consulting firm, was chosen by Intēgo® to help secure contracts with integrated delivery networks and group purchasing organizations across the United States.

EHM is a healthcare business development firm, creating demand for the products and services of leading medical suppliers.  Since 2007, the group has served the needs of clients, combining corporate accounts strategy and operational infrastructure.  EHM guides clients through the procurement process and helps companies present their offerings to key decision makers and target audiences.

Intēgo® has been the leading manufacturer and installer for healthcare communication products and services for the healthcare industry since 1985. Intēgo® provides Nurse Call products to hospitals and skilled nursing facilities nationwide.  The Intego Software’s CommonPath™system is the most comprehensive nurse call solution on the market. It is designed to accommodate today’s three principal nurse call modes of operation; Direct to Caregiver, traditional to nurse station, and the CommonPath Centralized™ approach.

EHM August 2012 Newsletter

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Essential Healthcare Management Newsletter

August 2012

The EHM Family: Nancy Kailas Nancy Kailas is a big-picture thinker, strategic manager and change agent with broad-based leadership experience in the health care industry, including a concentration in medical devices.  Differentiated by her business acumen and relationship building skills, Nancy creates a competitive advantage by empowering sales forces, customizing services and solutions, and instilling customer intimacy.  She is exemplary in securing large contracts, structuring deals around the relationships, and driving results, especially in the GPO (Group Purchasing Organization), government, Regional Purchasing Groups and IDN market sectors. Before joining EHM, Nancy served as Vice President of Sales in the $140M Surgical Division at Molnlycke Healthcare, where she led a sales organization and clinical team and was instrumental in its realignment and optimization.  Prior to that appointment, she held the position of Vice President of Corporate Accounts for the Molnlycke U.S. business, and was responsible for developing and executing contract strategies, solidifying strategic alliances, and managing legal and financial obligations for national accounts in both the wound care and surgical divisions.  Previously, she held the positions of Senior Director of National Accounts for Regent Medical, Director of Corporate Sales for Kraft Foodservice/Alliant Foodservice, and Account Manager at Baxter Healthcare. To her role at EHM, Nancy brings an impressive history of helping companies generate revenue.  She has worked closely with GPOs, IDNs, acute care hospitals, surgery centers and long term care facilities. She has secured the necessary contracts, designed and implemented business development strategies, and formulated successful execution plans. In addition to working with Clients, Nancy most recently has taken on the role of Business Development for EHM. Nancy is married to David Fouts and they have five children and reside in the Chicago area. Unbroken By: Rob Bahna, Vice President of Sales, Resuscitation International In my humble opinion, we use the word "hero" too liberally these days. It is difficult to turn on the news and not hear them hailing someone as a "hero" for doing something. I believe we may see a lot of heroic acts, but that does not make someone a true "hero". And I certainly applaud everyone who performs a heroic act. When I think of a hero, I think of someone who has demonstrated qualities that show distinguished courage and brave deeds and noble qualities over time that make them someone who we can look up to and admire. Many of you have heard the story of Louis Zamperini. He was arguably going to be the first person to break the 4-minute mile mark according to many experts and fellow runners. He made the 1936 US Olympic team in an event (the 5000) that he had only run in competitively 4 times. Unfortunately, his future Olympic dreams were destroyed when the 1940 Olympics were cancelled. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1941. He was assigned to be a Bombardier on at B-24 Liberator. They had several "successful" missions, although they took heavy fire and some of the crew was killed. In World War II, 35,933 AAF planes were lost in combat and accidents. On Thursday, May 27, 1943 Louis was aboard a search plane looking for a missing B-24. Louis' plane crashed into the ocean, killing 9 men. Louis, the pilot and one other man miraculously made it to the life rafts. Of the 11 men on board, only 2 would end up surviving. They were lost at sea, battling sharks, jumping on the side of the rafts, Japanese Zero planes shooting at them, the elements, but mainly starvation, dehydration and maybe most importantly - faith, hope and sanity. After 47 days of hell, they drifted to an Island and were captured by Japanese soldiers. They were ultimately transferred to a secret interrogation center called Ofuna, where "high-value" captured men were housed in solitary confinement, starved, tormented, and tortured to divulge military secrets. Because Ofuna was kept secret from the outside works, the Japanese operated with an absolutely free hand and did not register the men as living with the Red Cross, or follow the Geneva Convention. Japan held some 132,000 POWs, of those nearly 36,000 died, more than one in every four. Americans fared particularly badly; of the 34,648 Americans held by Japan, 12,935 - more than 37 percent - died. By comparison, only 1 percent of Americans held by the Nazis and Italians died. Like all the men, Louis suffered greatly in the camps, mercifully beaten time and time again, nearly starved, worked to exhaustion, and of course they spent the entire time trying to mentally break down the men. Conditions were terrible, and he would stay in these camps until two weeks or so after Japan surrendered on the morning of September 2, 1945. Two years of mental and physical torture that was especially brutal because they knew who he was. His family did not know he was alive until almost the end – and he was officially declared dead. He finally came back from the war, but was in many accounts a broken man. They did not have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder diagnosed at the time. He turned to alcohol to deal with the demons and nightmares. He went to see Billy Graham give a speech and it helped turn him around. He would not let the enemy destroy him and win after all he had been through. He would not let them determine the man he really was. He eventually returned to Japan and even forgave the guards, opened a youth camp for troubled boys and toured the country speaking. He ran with the Olympic torch several different times and discovered skateboarding in his 70s. When you watch the Olympics over the next few weeks, remember how much so many have given to keep our country and world safe. They are truly Heroes. And no matter how difficult your week or month has been, it could be a lot worse. Pick up the book, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (the author of Seabiscuit). This is where all of this information came from. And it is definitely worth the read. Want New Healthcare Customers? Share Your Knowledge! Cynthia Baker, Accolades Public Relations In our last blog, we discussed the painful knowledge that developing a sharp, attractive website with well-written content is just not enough.  "Build it and they will come" simply does not attract sufficient website traffic for new business development.  With basic SEO, your new website is still fairly isolated on the web unless your grassroots marketing efforts are driving traffic to your site. You are going to need fresh, ongoing content optimized with relevant keyword terms.  You will want to discover and employ the keyword terms that your clients/customers use when they search for your company, its services and products online.  This optimized content will serve as a magnet and will pull potential customers to your site. Blogs, which automatically  optimize posts for SEO, are the most convenient way to provide keyword-rich content for your site on a continuous basis. Blogging is your next step to becoming social on the web.  Share the knowledge that you share now with customers and clients everyday in helping them to solve their problems. Demonstrate the depth of the knowledge that you have in the healthcare industry and the trends affecting it.   Share valuable healthcare information to a wider audience online. How do you overcome procrastination and writer's block so you can get started?  Maybe this will motivate you .... more blogging equals more customers. “Increased frequency of blogging correlates with increased customer acquisition, according to…HubSpot. 92% of blog users who posted multiple times a day acquired a customer through their blog, a figure that decreased to 66% for those who blogged monthly and 43% for those who posted less than monthly.” ( Marketing Charts) Ask your sales team to cheer you on!  I bet they would prefer these odds ... more blogging means more leads. "B2B companies with blogs generate 67% more leads per month on average than non-blogging firms." ( Social Media B2B) With customers researching healthcare companies before they engage with them in doing business, it only makes good sense to share your industry knowledge directly with the public online via a blog and then to distribute the blog posts through the social networks. "Social media sites and blogs reach 80% of all U.S. internet users." ( Mindjumpers) Our Accolades team consults with healthcare companies  - assisting  with strategic thinking to determine the best topics to discuss online, pinpointing the keyword strategy to be used and developing blog content for them when they are too busy to do it themselves.  Let us know if we can help ... just reach out via our Contact Us page.  Thanks to Jeff Bullas for his meaningful blog statistics - more are available at:    http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/07/24/72-fascinating-social-media-marketing-facts-and-statistics-for-2012/ Client News New Clients Essential Healthcare Management recently joined forced with the following companies: Pulmodyne, Inc. SunClean, LLC Northern Digital, Inc. Tidi Products, LLC Compression Therapy Concepts CTC participates as a sponsor at the AHRMM12 16th Annual Golf Tournament in San Antonio. The Optime Group Ed Hisscock, President, of The Optime Group co-leads the panel for "A CMO Discussion on Achieving Supply Chain Success" at AHRMM12 EHM News: Melinda McDonald Joins EHM Team We are proud to announce that healthcare industry veteran Melinda McDonald has joined EHM as Senior Vice President.  McDonald's knowledge and success will help our clients to achieve their sales goals and expand market share dramatically.  Welcome ABOARD! Upcoming Conferences: EHM Official Fall 2012 IDN Summit Sponsor AHRMM12 Annual Conference and Exhibition August 5th - 8th, 2012 in San Antonio, TX Health Connect Partners Hospital O.R. and Surgery Center Conference August 13th - 15th, 2012 in Saint Louis, MO 2012 Fall IDN Summit & Expo September 11th - 13th, 2012 in Phoenix, AZ 2012 Healthcare Supply Chain Expo October 22nd - 24th, 2012 in Orlando, FL We hope to see you soon! You can always find us at www.essentialhm.net

Essential Healthcare Management Dallas, TX This email was sent to jessica@essentialhm.net by www.essentialhm.net.

Referrals

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We all know how important and valuable referrals are to our business, both short and long term. Several industries survive on referrals, and they almost always help separate average performers from those at the top of the list in selling success. They will help you get over that quota and earn more.

Like many aspects in selling, the length and depth of your relationships with your customers will likely have an impact on the number of referrals you are getting. If they trust you and believe in your credibility – the risk is minimized in their mind.
 
However, in today’s fast paced selling environment, the most successful sales people are the ones who are actively asking for referrals from as many of their customers as they can. We have all run into situations where we get contact information and give them a call and they say “We just went with a competitor. If only you would have called us last week.”
 
In further developing your own sense of urgency, you need to put asking for referrals on your TO ACCOMPLISH list as an activity that you routinely engage in with your customers. But you will find more success if you sell them on giving your referrals versus simply asking.
 
Answer the question for them of WHY should they give you a referral? Remind them of the positive results and experiences that they have had and get them emotionally involved. I believe people buy on emotion and justify it logically – which is why it is always critical to recreate a portion of that emotion before you ask for something.
 
Kathy, from our conversations it appears that you have been happy with the service that Resuscitation International has provided, and you have told me that our pricing has been very competitive. Is that a fair statement? Great - I am glad to hear that. Do you know of any other departments/services in your area that could benefit from our outstanding prices and service - I am sure they will thank you for it....
 
John, I am glad to hear about the great results you have seen from using the Weil Mini Chest Compressor. You mentioned that the ease of implementation, and consistently providing compressions at the adequate rate and depth, without interruption have resulted in some very positive outcomes. Do you have any colleagues at other departments in the area that you feel might benefit from this device to help them experience similar results in their communities?
 
Sandy, thank you for sharing your experience with the Weil Mini Chest Compressor and how it has helped you streamline your protocols and your training. Obviously, quality CPR sustained over time is a critical link in trying to save these patients, and I am glad you have found the MCC a valuable tool to help accomplish this. Can you think of any other departments or colleagues who you feel would benefit from this great new device?

You may never know exactly why they will give you a referral (maybe they are interviewing at that facility and they want to show how up to date they are on industry trends…). But you won’t get very many if you don’t sell them on it. We all know we should ask for referrals. Like everything in sales – it is not what YOU KNOW, it is WHAT YOU DO that matters.

 
Rob Bahna 
Vice President of Sales
Resuscitation International

Committee Meetings

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If you are fortunate enough to sell in the medical field, particularly in the acute care setting, one of the things you deal with are committee meetings.
 
Whether it is a new products committee, value analysis committee, code committee - sometimes they seem endless. However, you know you need to deal with them and attempt to stack the deck in your favor so the outcome is what you want it to be.
 
Having been in the medical field for over 20 years (I remember when HMO and PPO and GPO were just letters.....) I have seen many successful sales people handle committee meetings well.
 
As you know, the key is to have a strong internal champion who is sold and on your side. And of course you need to understand why they are going to be your champion (they do things for their reasons – not ours).

It might be that they are true patient advocates that are always looking for the best sources to elevate standards of care. But, there is probably a secondary reason as well – like they are trying to impress their boss, or they are looking to be promoted in the future, or they know that improving patient satisfaction is a key initiative for the quarter. The most successful sales people will understand those reasons most of the time.
 
The first rule is to be in the meeting whenever possible. You will most likely hear that they don’t allow sales people in the meeting. Have they ever? And if you can’t be there – then you need to turn your champion into the best sales person you can in your place.
 
Here are some questions to make sure you ask your champion:

 
I understand this is an important decision. How can I help?
What can we do to convince the rest of the committee?
What will you do if your supervisor or someone else on the committee objects to our proposal?
How do you think the product will benefit your specific environment?
I have helped bring this in at other facilities. Would you like to know what they did to ensure success?
Has there ever been a situation in which a sales consultant was allowed into the meeting?
Have you ever had a chance to drive a new solution like this through the committee?
 
A few other thoughts:
 
1) Find out who is on the committee and attempt to see them before the official meeting. It is always better to stack the deck in your favor and know the votes going in (like a political vote). People always act differently if they have ownership in the idea.
 
2) If it is a big enough decision to warrant it, let them know that you will be in the area if they have any questions during the meeting. Hang out in the cafeteria or clear your schedule and be available by phone. Many of you have been brought in when a technical question comes up if they know you are available (and you have set it up correctly).

3) Make sure you know the next steps after the meeting and have that set up assuming a positive outcome. Get the next steps going as quickly as possible.

 
4) Think of the committees as a way to keep other salespeople out. Most won’t do the work necessary or put in the time appropriately to do all these things. They rely on a champion and go from there.
 
I had an infection control nurse champion tell me one time that I needed to find someone else to bring the product through committee because she had sponsored my last 2 products successfully and they would “vote it down” just because it was her again. I wish I could tell you I was good enough to have figured that out myself – but I certainly learned to look at each account as an individual puzzle.
 
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
John Wooden

Rob Bahna 
Vice President of Sales
Resuscitation International

Steps of the Sales Call

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Those of you who have worked with me know that I am a huge believer in becoming a student of the Steps of the Sales Call process. I believe it is the best way to make sure you understand your process so that you can control it (without seeming like you are in control) and improve upon it. If you just wing it - how do you know why you were successful or what you need to do to win the next time?

I have developed my own version of the Steps of the Sales Call - and I believe every call should follow them - no matter how many times you have dealt with that person before. After all -someone else is calling them for the first time...
 
Each step has a purpose - and I know it is important to understand them if you are truly going to commit to using them. Most are designed to build trust and credibility in you and your company, uncover needs and wants, be professional and not miss anything, do a thorough presentation that uses more benefits than features - and ultimately close for commitment.

STEPS OF THE CALL
 
Pre-call Planning ACTION WE WANT THE CUSTOMER TO TAKE
Exhaust all possibilities
Be flexible
Ask for Help
Get something done on every call

Primary Objective Established ______
Pricing Available _________
Customer Profile Information _______
Website ________
 

Opening

Good morning _____, this is Rob Bahna with _____. _____ is the company that has supplied you with many of your everyday medical supplies in the past.

I have been working with other ________ departments (or title you are talking to), discussing some ideas that have helped them deal with some of the unique challenges they are facing today. We have seen some outstanding customer satisfaction and positively affected budgets and outcomes.
 
I would like to ask you a few questions to see if some of our solutions might make sense for your department.

Introduction -Establishing Rapport
3-5 Questions about them/qualify decision making
 
I would like verify some of the information I have been able to learn about your facility and make sure I understand them from your perspective as the ____________(title)?

Make sure I have done my homework. The more information I know up front the less invasive my questions are and the higher their confidence level in our professionalism. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

 
Ask about them…..

 
I understand you have been a _________ for 5 years. What are the biggest changes you have seen in that time as it relates to how your responsibilities have evolved? Where do you find yourself spending a lot of time where you didn’t use to?
 
Besides yourself, who else do you involve in the important process of purchasing medical supplies and equipment?
 
Sell Your company on every customer contact...
 
Jane, we know it is important for you to know who you are doing business with. ___ has been servicing the emergency medical supply and equipment needs of pre-hospital professionals for ___ years. We have a proven track record of being an industry leader. We are proud to have more than 100,000 agencies and professionals rely on _____.
 
OR  

______, as you are well aware, over the last 10 years we have seen a shift in acuity levels. You are being asked to do higher levels of care in many situations with fewer resources, especially in today’s economy. _____ has been in business for over __ years – and we can help you deal with these challenging times.

 
Determine Your Customer’s Objectives
3-5 Questions About the goals/objectives/qualify product need

Make them stop and think – ask high gain questions that differentiate you and are not only situational. 

1) What Criteria do you use to evaluate your potential suppliers (business partners)?

2) How do you prefer to place your orders?
 
3) Which company do you currently order your supplies from today?
 
Do you order from more than one company?
 
4) Could you please share with me what your experience has been with _____?

If they do not volunteer it – ask them
 
5) It looks like you have not ordered from us in the last ______, could you share with me some of the reasons?
 
 
Engineer Agreement to Demonstrate Product-Program

Lead with 3 Major Benefits
 
________, I appreciate you taking the time to share this information with me. Based on your feedback, and some recent changes we have made(whatever areas kept them from ordering from us – or things they like about others) we believe we can make your job of ordering easier and be very competitive from a price perspective.
 
When do you normally place your supply orders? What do we need to do to earn a shot at your next order?
 
If my pricing is competitive, would there be any other reason that would prevent us from doing business together?

 
3-5 Questions in the Presentation – keep them involved
 
 
Validate & Propose Action
Repeat 3 Major Benefits
 
Trial Close – “In your opinion do you feel…."
 
Close for a Commitment
“The next step is…”

Post-call Planning (Customer Commitment scheduled)
 
Send e-mail with next steps (outline actions they should take)
 
Know your process and become an expert in each phase. After all, it is not what you know, but what you do that is really what is important.

Rob Bahna
Vice President of Sales
Resuscitation International

EHM continues extensive growth this summer

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Since 2007, EHM has served the marketing and sales support needs of clients, combining corporate account strategy and operational infrastructure. As new federal regulations continue to change the healthcare industry, EHM is growing into a thought leader and educating clients on how these changes affect their business development prospects. EHM guides clients through the contracting/sourcing process and helps companies position and present their offerings to key decision-makers and target audiences.

EHM has recently added many new clients, including Customed USA. Customed is the mainland U.S. division of Puerto Rico Hospital Supply Inc., producing medical kits and trays for virtually all hospital procedures and forms of treatment. To help healthcare providers avoid purchasing unnecessary supplies, the medical kits are customized to fit the needs of each ward or department. EHM will help Customed secure contracts with integrated delivery networks and group purchasing organizations across the United States.

This summer, EHM has added a Senior Sales VP, three Executive Directors, a new Director of Business Development and 56 trained and qualified sales professionals ready to help medical suppliers connect with key-decision makers and drive new business. The firm has the expertise to handle contracts within integrated delivery networks and group purchasing organizations. For more on how EHM is helping Customed, please read our announcement.

EHM leading Uresil in corporate accounts strategy efforts

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Recently, EHM was tapped by Uresil, LLC to lead the company's national corporate accounts strategy.  Uresil is a medical supplier developing, manufacturing and distributing products that serve the needs of physicians who perform minimally invasive procedures.  Since 1986, the company has produced high-quality, unique, medical products for use in interventional radiology and vascular procedures.

“As healthcare treatments continue to trend toward cost efficiency, Uresil will continue to lead competitors with breakthrough products and a centralized production model,” said EHM founder and managing partner Frank Ripullo.  “At EHM, we share the same innovative spirit that drives Uresil. We look forward to continuing to work with Uresil on their national accounts strategy.”

With new federal regulations changing the healthcare landscape, EHM is growing into a thought leader and educating clients on how the changes affect their business development prospects. EHM guides clients through the procurement process and helps companies present their offerings to key decision-makers and target audiences.

For more information on how EHM is helping Uresil, please read our press release.

New Executive Directors expand EHM expertise

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The medical supply industry is growing and a wave of companies are acting quickly to claim a share of the market.  The most successful suppliers are aligning with seasoned professionals who can spur demand for their products and services with key healthcare decision makers.  We know working within integrated delivery networks and group purchasing organizations is a delicate process.  At EHM, we use our expertise in business development and marketing to help our clients maneuver through the healthcare maze.

We have recently expanded our diverse business development expertise by adding two highly experienced, results-driven executive directors to our leadership team.  Espen Kateraas brings 16 years of experience in the global medical supply industry.  He has developed, launched, and marketed medical devices in markets around the world, including Europe, South America, and the Middle East.

Joining Kateraas is George M. Mathew Jr., a marketing expert in the medical supply industry.  Before joining EHM, Mathew was a product manager, responsible for the launch and growth of several major branded and generic drugs, diagnostic tests, and medical devices.  Mathew brings valuable experience in a variety of functions including brand management, strategic marketing, operations, sales, business development, market research and forecasting.

We are excited to introduce Kateraas and Mathew to the EHM leadership team.  Please read our press announcement to learn more about our new executive directors.  Vistit: www.essentialhm.net/media/ehm-news/

NuBone Growing Stronger with EHM

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Recently, EHM was selected by medical supplier, NuBone, to launch a national contract with Premier, Inc., a prominent group purchasing organization based in Charlotte, N.C.  NuBone manufactures the groundbreaking Stemvie product line, including an innovative bone graft solution that costs only a fraction of the most popular alternatives on the market.  Stemvie products offer healthcare providers dramatic savings, without the clinical contraindications of other bone graft options.

NuBone will be offering its groundbreaking products and services to nearly 2,500 Premier acute care facilities in a competitive $1B market segment.  EHM is creating and implementing a sales infrastructure for Nubone, customized to support Premier members. The consulting firm will continue to manage corporate accounts and negotiate agreements with integrated delivery networks.  Additionally, EHM plans to schedule regular meetings and webinars with Premier members.

As new healthcare reform policies are phased in, EHM is committed to educating clients on how the new changes affect their business development prospects.  The firm is helping NuBone reach the right decision makers through unique industry insight and a strong sales infrastructure, including the addition of 56 trained and qualified sales professions.  Since the launch of the Premier agreement four months ago, EHM has used its sales expertise to negotiate several IDN agreements within Premier.

What is Value-Based Purchasing?

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In January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed policies for implementing a value-based purchasing (VBP) program for Medicare hospitals in accordance with the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress in 2010. Last month, the CMS solidified the VBP program by releasing a final rule that requires performance metrics. The VPB program will go into effect beginning in fiscal year 2013.

Value-based purchasing is a new concept that focuses on increasing the value that comes from purchasing medical supplies in a tangible way that can be assessed through metrics. CMS has helped identify certain aspects of hospital service that can be measured and improved, including everything from product costs and payment expediency to improving patient outcomes and customer service scores.

If the metrics indicate that a Medicare hospital has been demonstrating high levels of performance in these areas by purchasing these products, then the hospital becomes eligible to receive higher reimbursement levels, which translates directly into more money for purchasing. Payments made for hospital performance and quality measures will begin in fiscal year 2013.

So what does the implementation of value-based purchasing mean for hospitals and healthcare service providers? How will it affect healthcare suppliers? As an industry leader in connecting healthcare service providers with purchasers in hospitals, we will be examining the effects of value-based purchasing in respect to quality and cost in the coming weeks.


Next week: How Value-Based Purchasing Will Affect Hospitals and Healthcare Service Providers

Following week: How Value-Based Purchasing Will Affect Healthcare Suppliers