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What exactly does Hospice rep do? Help!

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Anonymous

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I am meeting VP next week. Made the cut to 2 people. One has hospice sales- I have B2b for 9 years- 2 years pharma. They told me I better know everything about hospice to get job. I am iv'ing against person with experience with hospice- good track record- I have many President's awards, etc, just not with hospice. This company appears to be way above the other hospice. I got laid off from pharma job (divison dissolved) and I am single dad trying to take care of 3 kids. So, hospice is very appealing, as my grandmother had hospice care and it was great for her. Great respect for hospice. They will match my pay if hired. Before you start negativity-I love the potential DM (have friend that knows her personally and she really is as great as she appears) and I know about referrals that are impossible, bitchy nurses, etc. I actually worked with a company that dealt with hospice so I know about hospice, just not how to sell hospice. I was asked today the "4 levels of Hospice care?" didn't know. I was asked how to differentiate my hospice vs. the one they are using already= we are all the same...... Please no negativity- you don't know the company or situation . I really really want this job, and I need some advice about what this job is really about. I have called on SNF's, LTC, Hospitals, Assisted Living,and I worked with hospice nurses for pain management. But no clue about Hospice Sales. Please help, and understand, I am in dire straits, this is best job of all I have interviewed for- in very least I will stay until I get better job. I just need job! Went through savings, borrowed from Roth, and havent' paid mortgage this month. havent' had car payment in years and will have to go buy another car. I have a loaner right now. thanks so much!
 




Can someone please help? I have to know 4 levels of care- who I will be calling on, (discharge planners, case workers, DON?) I was asked where I would start. Hospitals? SNF? ALf? I was asked what am I going to do to differentiate myself from other Hospice, and as I called on Hospice in a different capacity, I don't know about the referral Part. I know they have to have Medicare part A, and the Medicare stuff. Just need to know the other stuff.

thanks so much. Please don't tell me how Hospice sales sucks..... I need a job.

Thanks@
 




I left pharma last year and moved to pharma sales. I think I can help you. Regardless of the hospice company that you work for, they are all required by Medicare to have the following team members:

RN-Manage and assess pain. They usually visit the patients 2x a week and report changes back to the team Dr.
Team Dr.- Assess pain and make make medication changes if needed. They will also make housecalls.
Chaplain for spiritual needs
Social Worker for emotional support and financial assistance
Hospice Aide for bathing and light housekeeping
Volunteers to help with light errands if needed.

The 4 levels of care are:
Home Care-Patient can go either go home or to a nursing home and still receive hospice care from the team
Respite care- Medicare allows families to get a "break" up to 5 days. Patients are moved to another facility until the caregivers return
Inpatient care-Hospital or Inpatient unit will provide 24 hour care for seriously ill patients
Continous Care-patients will receive up to 24 hours of care in their homes if symptoms can't be managed

Referrals are gathered in the hospitals from Case Managers, Hospitalists, Oncologists, Neurologists and Pulmonologists.
Office based physicians can also refer patients to hospice. (your call will be similar to a pharma call)
DON can also refer patients at nursing home facilities(Beware, emphasize that patients will remain in theri facility, but will go to hospice care- they don't want them to leave)

Use CEU programs(if available) to gain access or schedule lunches if needed. There are no pharma codes, so pens and premium items can still be used.

Medicare pays for 100% of the services, but private insurance can be used for those not eligible for Medicare just yet.

You will do fine and I will be praying for you and your family. God Bless.
 




Thanks so much for your help and kind reply. I had hospice in my home as my Dad had cancer my Sr. year in HS. It made an impact. Pharma is dead, and while pay may not be as good, this may be my calling. What do you like about hospice vs. pharma? I know pay is less, i know it is totally different. I did a similar job (not home health) but I called on Hospice, LTC, SNF,ALF in a different capacity. So at least I am familiar.

just wondering how hard it is to get these referrals and if you like better than micromanaging, can't give out pens and pads, and multiple paper work (but free car) pharma?

Thanks@@ And God Bless you!
 




I am struggling as I write this because there are some things I miss about pharma. The salary was matched(60K and $1,000 avg. in bonus)
Pros- Job stability, easier access to Drs on the hospital floor and most offices will talk to you. I usually inform them of the deaths of pts, thank them for their referrals and discuss the types of services that we provide. Very little micromanagement and paperwork. We use CRM software, but it is not too bad.

Cons-Some dysfunction between nurses and sales reps. It can be a you vs. them situation.
Service failures. Hospice aide can be rude to a family and you can loose your relationships with your referral source.
Lack of perks- no co. car, no corp. card(this was a challenge with required sales meetings to attend). If you have a big budget like I do, it can be hard to pay up front for everything and then wait for reimbursements.

Hunter mentality-this might not be a problem for you, but I enjoy developing my accounts. Hospice mgrs want you to constantly look for additional business. Some cold calling involved.
There is usually a monthly quota that most be met. Avg. can be 4 to 20(depending on the area) I can say that God has been faithful on this!!!!

Referrals are not too hard to get. SNF/ALF will be a challenge. They feel that you are taking revenue/patient out of their facility. However, hospitals are always looking for a way to get patients out quickly. If you have a budget, conduct CEU programs or just do a general lunch with the Case Management staff. Depending on your location, there will probably be more competition than pharma. Also, make a lot of Dr. calls and get to know the staff as well.

We have tons of premium items, so I can use pens, pads, etc. to win over the staff. I would also suggest that you learn some things about oncology and dementia. It really helps to sell from a clinical standpoint as well. If you have any more questions, just write back and I will help.
 








I lost my job in medical equipment sales in 09 and could NOT find a job in that arena to save my life....I finally (reluctantly) took a job with a small Hospice Company. I have found that this is def my calling. It feeds the competitive spirit that is in me but also is extremely rewarding. I think it take a particular personality type....no slick sales people in this world. You need to be personable, sincere and very professional. I have loved meeting with the families and helping them through this phase of life. If you do the right things over and over, the referrals will come. Just make sure that the service of your company is top notch....or you will never be able to overcome that. Best of luck to you!!!!
 




Hi 3 quick questions please.

Which are the more reputable hospice companies?

What is VITAS?

One post said there was no company car in hospice, so do you get an allowance plus gas card?

Thanks
 




no car allowance, just gas reimbursement. Vitas is one of the largest Hospice companies in the U.S, about 30 years strong. Lots of turnover in sales, especially in the northeast.
 








Anonymous said:
Can someone please help? I have to know 4 levels of care- who I will be calling on, (discharge planners, case workers, DON?) I was asked where I would start. Hospitals? SNF? ALf? I was asked what am I going to do to differentiate myself from other Hospice, and as I called on Hospice in a different capacity, I don't know about the referral Part. I know they have to have Medicare part A, and the Medicare stuff. Just need to know the other stuff.

thanks so much. Please don't tell me how Hospice sales sucks..... I need a job.

Thanks@
Click to expand...

The 4 levels of hospice care are:

Routine level of care - routine visitations at home, facility, or hospital. Symptoms are generally well-managed.

Respite Care - patients whose families will be unavailable for a certain period of time (14 days or less usually) will be transported to a SNF to be cared for. Still on routine level of care but now in a SNF to give family's a break. After the set amount of days are over pt will be transported back to wherever home is.

General Inpatient level of care - hospice in a hospital to manage out of control symptoms that are not managed at home no matter the intervention (or if continuous level of care/crisis care. Generally as a last resort to transport pt's to the hospital to keep them palliated/comfortable. Or can be already admitted in hospital prior to hospice referral and with unmanaged symptoms, so then once hospice is started will need to be GIP. Can be put on routine level of care once symptoms are well-managed. Active dying symptoms do not count towards GIP, this is part of the normal dying process.

Continuous level of care/crisis care - from routine level, if a symptom is out of control and needs 24h nursing intervention to be well-managed, then pt can be placed in continuous level of care. Not to be done in SNFs/hospitals since there is 24h nursing care already. This is usually in ALFs, Independent living, homes. Not to be confused with continuous medication administration, which is the responsibility of the primary caregivers of the patient.

source: i am a hospice nurse who does intake, routine visits, urgent needs visits.
 




PLs a non-BS response....HH/Hospice there are way fewer topics and post...but the comments seem even more negative vs Pharma....is it that bad how can it be...is it (just/maybe) hard to get thru the first year in order to learn all the ins and outs and make "true" connections that you can rely on to get you good solid referrals? Then if you take out the top 20% of companies that are small, have few resources, managers with no experience trying to lead those with no experience themselves or only other sales background...then we are at a "regular' medical sales/marketing job?
 








I hired a home health/hospice rep into pharma. Pluses of pharma include better pay and benefits and more predictable/structured hours. In their previous position they were in essence on call all the time and often had to work at times during evenings or weekends to facilitate an admit.
 




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