Many PAC providers already consider themselves specialists, but there is still significant space for them to create well-defined, high-quality clinical service lines. To be successful, a specialty must represent a cohesive business venture rather than simply a marketing endeavor.

When a specialty line is built effectively, and is well integrated with a hospital partner, it has the potential to drive volumes to such extent that the facility or unit simply cannot accommodate all referrals. If the facility is unable to capture those volumes fully, they will not see the full benefit of their investment.

Continue reading to learn how Alden Estates at Skokie, part of The Alden Network, has achieved that level of success with their specialty: simplehip and knee replacement. For more tactics to build and support specialty lines, download our research report excerpt: 10 Tactics to Ensure Specialty Return on Investment, Part 1.

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The Skokie facility generatessignificant interest among physiciansand patients because it is an attractiveoption clinically with a full range ofamenities. Due to limited capacity andstrict clinical criteria, however, thefacility cannot accept all interestedpatients.

To ensure that The Alden Network doesn't lose thosevolumes, system's leaders have built aplan to redirect patients unable to go toSkokie to other skilled nursing facilitiesin the Alden system. In other words, they are capitalizing on the spillover success of their facilities, Alden Estates of Skokie.

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Alden's strategy forkeeping patients in-network whilemaintaining patient choice:

1. Physician suggestion: Alden adopts each physicians’ preferred protocols and demonstrates clinical quality at all facilities to further strengthen relationships with referring physicians. When Skokie cannot admit a patient, Alden leaders encourage the patient to go where his physician suggests. Due to the groundwork laid, the physician typically suggests an alternative Alden facility.
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3. Patient interaction: Alden has honed the way they interact with patients unable to be treated at Skokie in the moment. Those patients are informed that all Alden facilities use the same therapy company and offer similar amenities. In addition, if the patient asks, leaders at Skokie will offer to connect the patient directly with administrators at another Alden facility and schedule a tour for the patient. This approach is patient-led, but has resulted in keeping an average of 75% of these referrals within the Alden network.

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To derive benefit from a specialty line’sspillover, an organization mustsuccessfully achieve four goals:

• The organization must obtain sufficient volumes to generate spillover. This requires both the specialty itself to be exceptionally attractive on its own, and the organization’s brand to be strong enough to maintain patients’ interest even if their preferred care site is unavailable.
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• The organization must be correctly structured to accept any spillover that occurs.
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• The system must have geographically proximate facilities; patients will not sacrifice convenience to stay within the system, especially when they have already been turned away from their first choice of care site.
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• Those nearby sites must have capacity to take on the additional volumes coming from the specialty.

For more tactics to build and support specialty lines, download our research report excerpt: 10 Tactics to Ensure Specialty Return on Investment, Part 1

Download the research report