To ensure the company’s viability in an ever-changing healthcare system, Clear Choice Health Care, LLC focuses heavily on preventing hospitalizations and closing the loop for hospital readmissions. We aim to accomplish these objectives through providing state-of-the-art rehab equipment flanked by a healthy marketing plan to create community awareness and interest in our services.
The tools we need
We made the decision to invest in a robust aquatics program. Many of our facilities offer therapy pools with integrated underwater treadmills and resistance jets. Patients recovering from any type of knee, ankle, neurological, spine or shoulder surgery benefit from water’s properties of weightlessness.
These pools help improve balance to reduce resident falls within our communities. They also allow active residents the opportunity to continue to exercise with less pain, leading to increased independence. When patients can off-load and begin exercising again, their confidence and motivation to continue rehabilitation increases and they are encouraged to get back to doing the things they love. They also stay clear of the hospital.
Marketing that gets us noticed
These pools look great to potential residents or out-patients as they tour our facilities. Just the fact of having this advanced technology draws very desirable residents and patients to us.
However, they are not just for show. We spend a significant amount of time and energy reaching out to the community at large, physician offices and active senior centers to educate folks about various ailments that are usually signs of worse things to come. We teach them how — with warm water — they might proactively address these health concerns. We collaborate with their doctors to try to prevent many hospitalizations while growing our patient load in the process.
We also invite all populations of our community to benefit from our programs. In one market, we treat young athletes with injuries to use our therapy pools. This brings in their parents, friends and coaches — people who ordinarily wouldn’t have occasion to step foot into a “nursing home” — and allows us to expand our aquatics program dramatically. People begin to see us as a rehabilitation center for all ages and a wonderful community resource.
Investing in high-quality equipment and the associated implementation costs may seem daunting but when these state-of-the-art tools help build our business, brand us as the facility of choice in our communities and increase the scope of our operations, they are investments worthy of a deep dive.
Geoff Fraser is senior vice president of operations at Clear Choice Health Care, a healthcare management company whose goal is to maximize physical wellness, promote independence and healing, and enhance personal dignity.
