DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS TO EXPAND YOUR PROGRAMS:
What’s in it for THEM?Betsy Abramson, WIHA and Barbara Michaels, Brown County ADRC
What is a “partner”?
part·nernoun
1. One that is united or associated with another or others in an activity or a sphere of common interest.
2. a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others, especially in a business or company with shared risks and profits.
3. a person who shares or is associated with another in some action or endeavor; sharer; associate.
4. one of two or more people, businesses, etc., that work together or do business together.
5. a person or organization you are closely involved with in some way.
Your Current Partners?
Types of Organizations?What’s in it for them?What’s in it for you?
Value Proposition:
a statement that explains what problem is being solved
what benefit is being provided for whom
and why the provider of the benefit can do it uniquely well and at an acceptable cost to them.
Let’s break it down: …what problem is being solved:
the problem that the potential partner cares about
…what benefit is being provided for who:
the who that the potential partner cares about and that the potential partner believes is valuable
…the provider of the benefit can do it uniquely well –
…at an acceptable cost to THEM (the potential partner). Cost?
You.Your Team.Deliver the workshop’s benefits.
Staff Time, Money, Reputation, Space, Other resources.
How to start?Consider:
What can you get from them?
What’s IN IT for THEM?
Research
What motivates them?
What projects are they involved with INSIDE organization?
What projects are they involved with OUTSIDE organization?
What are their pocketbook issues?
Do they have relevant regulatory/compliance issues?
To whom/what are they accountable?
Do they have an interest in public/marketing
How to find out about your partner?Their website
Annual reports
Newsletter
Past charitable giving
Data
-Needs-Where they’re
invested-Points of Pain?
How to approach?
Individual / Semi-personal Email
Mass / Generic Emails
Warm introduction by someone close to them, then your phone call
The First Meeting
AGENDA ITEMS
• Informational / Awareness
• Exploratory: what are their interests?
• Goal: A second meeting, with more of the right people in the room.
TIPS
• Adequate lead time prior to your needs
Short agenda to respect time
• More listening than talking
WRONG
Talk only about your organization
“What we need is…”
Make an ‘ask’ early on
“We’re poor and don’t have staff to do it on our own.”
Tell them what you want them to do, and without context. “Can you… …advertise our flyer in your window/
on your bulletin board? …put our flyers here? …give us your space? …put this in your email blast? …give us your contact list?”
Demand a ‘worker-bee’ from their organization (i.e. schedule meetings, scribe, promote, recruit, etc.)
RIGHT
Listen to them, their interests
“What we can offer YOU…”
LISTEN! Then offer them an opportunity
“We want to offer a mutually beneficial partnership because we know this is important to you”
Provide context to your asks and offer: …so that together we can help more
people…we’d like to offer YOU an in-service, connection to your other partners and key individuals whose interests align with yours, promote your agency, data, personal follow-up, extra incentives…..
Develop a champion (with power and influence
THINK TIME!
EXAMPLE: Brown County ADRC’s Approach to Partnerships
Sustaining Stepping On in the Community
Potential Partners
4 hospitals among 3 systems Two, Level II Trauma Centers Orthopedic Departments
Physical and Occupational Therapy Departments
Sustaining Stepping On in Brown County Problem TO THEM:
High rate and cost of falls in Brown County
A program resource with high interest yet limited resources to sustain it
Benefit TO THEM:
A resource with proven success
Popular, positive customer ‘word of mouth’
Prevents top identified injury of our emergency rooms
Visibility and opportunity for medical professionals to be involved in a classroom setting
Unreimbursed hospital medical charges from falls
Pre-work Prior to Approach
Who else has done this? Ideas from Hebrew Senior
Life Business Plans for Healthy Aging Programs
Discussed Names of Stakeholders
Known, established relationship, strong reputation of working together
New individuals, but may have common interest and decision making authority
Other partners WIHA
Local Health DepartmentDepartment of Health ServicesAnother local, long-time, community partner
Approach
Formal Invitation: “opportunity for you to share your expertise and knowledge…ways to help your falls costs…looking for creative solutions”
Set expectations & commitment - 4 meeting dates @ 2 hours each over a 2-3 month window of time
Independent moderator
Agendas for Four Meetings:
#1: background, current state and local perspectives, future predictions, explore common interests
#2: sharing of goals, issues, priorities, provider focus group information, customer input
#3: explore working together, commitment, identify strengths
#4: outline roles, responsibilities, goals, how to assess partnerships
Document – Partner Strengths Compared to Resources Needed
Charting rolesand responsibilities
OUTCOMES
Shared partnership among ADRC and Green Bay hospitals
5th year of this specific partnershipMeet annually face to face to review,
adjust, and plan for following yearFeedback loop – set and review outcomesVision of collaboration for a new
Coalition also began and in its 5th year
Approach to EMS & Brown County ADRC Partnerships Gathering EMS providers, and NEW RTAC to
discuss: --Common issues with falls --Goals among falls prevention (injury
prevention) --Reducing numbers & cost of EMS fall calls--Opportunity: prevent repeat falls--Opportunity: connect faller to community
resources--Plan a pilot referral process
Visually Flowchart the EMS process
Created Electronic Referral Notification to ADRC
RESULT: EMS-ADRC Referral Partnership
Setting pilot goals, timeframe, evaluation
200 Green Bay Metro Fire Dept staff trained on referral process of a faller to ADRC
Meeting to review pilot results with stakeholders and adopt as normal practice
Feedack loop - continue to track outcomes
Schedule future meetings to discuss outcomes, just ‘check in,’ discuss cases, keep it in front of us
Another Partnership - the Emergency Room Problem: High faller ER admissions
Problem: No process in place for fallers discharged from ER without services
Problem: Readmission of faller to ER
Opportunity: Demonstrate fall prevention supporting ER certification
Opportunity: Linking faller to community resources
Partners: Hospital Case Management Leadership, and ER staff
Flowcharting the ER Process
Preparation of Tools: ER Fax for Referral
Partnership - Supporting Diabetes
Problem: Prevalence of diabetes in county
Problem: Prevalence of prediabetes Opportunity: Improve patient outcomes Opportunity: Implement effective low-cost
community program with + customer feedback
Approach: Business side of health system Approach: Certified Diabetes Educators in
the community
Tool - Clinic Fax Form
Tool - Provider Letter to Patients
Commitment and Follow-up
Trial and error to determine most effective methods to inform diabetes patients
Capturing results Feedback loop - follow-up with scheduled
meetings to check in, review outcomes, what is or isn’t working, and next steps
Another Approach: Roundtable Discussion with Certified Diabetes Educators
How to reach more people with diabetes and connect them to resources
How to connect ADRC program customers to CDE services?
Is the Healthy Living with Diabetes program a tool for their patients ?
Formal invitation
Outcomes
A forum to connect on:
What patients are struggling with How to better connect patients to resourcesHLWD as a great resource, especially for:
prediabetes patients; caregivers for those with diabetes/prediabetes; patients with high deductible plans who can’t afford provider appointments
Valued; thus, consensus to meet again
QUESTIONS?
Betsy Abramson
Wisconsin Institute for Healthy [email protected]
Barb MichaelsADRC of Brown County [email protected]
920-448-4333