Hospice Community Liaison

POSITION SUMMARY

The Hospice Marketer / Community Liaison is responsible for developing and maintaining professional referral relationships within the agency’s service area and generating appropriate hospice referrals through ethical, compliant business-development activities.

The position serves as a liaison between the hospice agency and hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, residential care facilities, physician offices, clinics, case managers, social workers, discharge planners, and other community healthcare partners.

The Hospice Marketer does not determine hospice eligibility or make clinical admission decisions. Eligibility and admission decisions remain the responsibility of the hospice’s qualified clinical and medical personnel in accordance with Medicare requirements and agency policy.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Referral Development
• Develop new hospice referral sources within the assigned territory.
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with existing referral partners.
• Conduct regular in-person visits to hospitals, SNFs, assisted living/RCFE communities, physician offices, clinics, and other healthcare organizations.
• Identify patients who may benefit from a hospice evaluation and appropriately facilitate referrals to the hospice intake/clinical team.
• Educate referral partners regarding hospice philosophy, services, levels of care, eligibility considerations, and the referral process.
• Respond promptly to referral-source inquiries and coordinate communication with the intake and clinical teams.
• Maintain professional follow-up with referral sources regarding service concerns and opportunities for improvement.
• Territory Management
• Develop and maintain an organized territory plan.
• Categorize referral accounts based on referral potential, relationship status, and strategic importance.
• Maintain an active pipeline of prospective and existing referral sources.
• Establish weekly priorities for high-potential accounts.
• Identify underserved facilities, physicians, hospitals, and community organizations within the assigned territory.
• Develop account-specific strategies to increase appropriate hospice awareness and referrals.
• Daily Marketing Activity

The Hospice Marketer is expected to maintain consistent field activity. Unless otherwise directed by management, the expected target is approximately 7–10 meaningful professional contacts per business day.

Activities may include

• In-person facility visits
• Physician-office visits
• Meetings with case managers and discharge planners
• Meetings with social workers
• Hospital relationship development
• Educational presentations
• Community outreach
• Referral follow-up
• Relationship-development meetings

Activity alone does not constitute satisfactory performance. The employee is expected to demonstrate measurable development of referral relationships and appropriate hospice referral opportunities.

• Referral and Admission Coordination
• Communicate new referrals promptly to the hospice intake team.
• Obtain or facilitate collection of available referral documentation.
• Communicate anticipated discharge dates and discharge plans to the appropriate hospice personnel.
• Assist with coordination between the referral source, patient/family, intake department, and clinical team.
• Escalate urgent or time-sensitive referrals immediately.
• Maintain appropriate communication throughout the referral-to-admission process.
• Follow up professionally when a referred patient is not admitted to understand barriers and identify opportunities for improvement.

Key performance indicators may include

• Meaningful referral-source contacts
• New accounts developed
• Active referral sources
• Qualified referrals generated
• Hospice admissions resulting from assigned territory
• Referral-to-admission conversion
• Growth of existing accounts
• Development of previously inactive accounts
• Accuracy and timeliness of marketing documentation
• Responsiveness to referral partners and internal teams
• Achievement of agency-established business-development goals

Referral and admission goals may be established periodically by management based on territory potential, census objectives, payer mix, market conditions, and organizational needs.

COMPLIANCE AND ETHICAL MARKETING

The Hospice Marketer must conduct all business-development activities in accordance with applicable federal and state requirements and agency policies.

The employee must

• Never offer cash, gifts, compensation, or anything of value in exchange for patient referrals.
• Never represent that a patient is hospice eligible without appropriate clinical determination.
• Never pressure patients, families, physicians, facilities, or referral sources to select the agency.
• Respect patient freedom of choice.
• Protect patient information and comply with HIPAA requirements.
• Avoid misleading representations regarding hospice coverage, services, or eligibility.
• Follow applicable Medicare, Medicaid/Medi-Cal, Anti-Kickback Statute, and agency compliance requirements.
• Immediately report suspected compliance concerns to management or the designated compliance representative.

Marketing activities must be based on education, service quality, responsiveness, professional relationships, and appropriate patient access—not improper referral inducements.

The Hospice Marketer works closely with

• Intake/Admissions
• Administrator
• Director of Nursing/Clinical Director
• Medical Director and physicians
• RN Case Managers
• Social Workers
• Spiritual Care
• Business Development leadership
• Billing/Authorization personnel
• Quality and Compliance personnel

The marketer is expected to communicate relevant referral information promptly so the clinical team can evaluate and respond without unnecessary delay.

DOCUMENTATION AND REPORTING

The employee is responsible for maintaining accurate records of marketing activities and referral development.

Required reporting may include

• Daily activity/contact log
• Referral tracking
• Account visit documentation
• Weekly pipeline report
• New account development
• Referral and admission outcomes
• Lost-referral analysis
• Territory development plan
• Competitor and market observations

Marketing documentation must be accurate and submitted according to agency-established deadlines.

The Hospice Marketer may provide educational presentations regarding

• Hospice philosophy
• Hospice eligibility
• Medicare hospice benefit
• Routine Home Care
• Continuous Home Care
• General Inpatient Care
• Inpatient Respite Care
• Hospice services in SNF, RCFE/assisted living, and home settings
• Advance care planning
• End-of-life support
• Caregiver resources
• Hospice referral procedures

Preferred Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare, business, marketing, communications, or related field preferred.
• Previous hospice, home health, post-acute, hospital, SNF, healthcare sales, or business-development experience preferred.
• Existing relationships with healthcare referral sources within the assigned territory are highly desirable.
• Knowledge of hospice services and the Medicare hospice benefit preferred.

Skills

• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Professional communication and presentation skills
• Ability to develop and manage a healthcare sales territory
• Strong organizational and follow-up skills
• Ability to work independently in the field
• Ability to analyze referral patterns and account opportunities
• Basic understanding of healthcare privacy and compliance requirements
• Ability to collaborate effectively with clinical and operational teams
• Proficiency with CRM, spreadsheets, email, and electronic reporting systems as required by the agency

TRANSPORTATION REQUIREMENTS

• Valid driver’s license
• Reliable transportation
• Current automobile insurance as required by law
• Ability to travel regularly throughout the assigned territory
• Ability to attend occasional meetings or community events outside normal business hours

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The employee must be able to travel between healthcare facilities and community locations, operate a motor vehicle, use standard office equipment, and perform the routine physical activities associated with field-based healthcare business development, with reasonable accommodation where required by law.

Benefits

• Health Benefits
• PTO
• FSA
• 401K