Whether you have an existing rehab facility or are building a new one, you want to develop a center that is focused on meaningful change for your patients. Ideally, you would like to help every patient in need while also keeping your beds consistently filled. Additionally, you hope that every patient that completes addiction treatment will never have to return to you for relapse.
The knowledge, resources, and network connections you gained as a social work student are important to reaching your goals, not just while you are in school but on the job. Refer back to books or colleagues for a refresher course as new challenges arise, and take full advantage of your educational opportunities, career groups, and colleagues.
Tip #1: Get your patients involved in their treatment decisions.
Patient-centric care is becoming the standard for alcohol and drug rehab treatment centers. When patients participate in their own recovery and are involved in deciding what treatments are ideal for them—based on patient education and how the treatments could benefit them—they are more likely to be successful at gaining control over their addictions.
Tip #2: Offer patients custom-tailored modalities.
In the past, before patient-centric care, alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs were standardized for every patient. Every patient entering the program received the same treatment without any regard for the patients’ individual needs. The result was often a revolving door, with patients leaving rehab only to return later—often multiple times.
Today, the objective should be to focus on what types of treatment will best fit with the patient. For example, some patients a dual diagnosis, where their mental health condition could fuel their addiction or vice versa. Treating both the addiction and the mental health condition is essential for a successful patient outcome.
Tip #3: Use technology to generate qualified leads.
Finding qualified patients who require your services can be challenging. Not every patient is the right fit for your facility and the programs you offer. You need to expand your horizons and focus to attract patients elsewhere in your state and across the United States. Moreover, you want to make it crystal clear the types of needs you specialize in and paint a clear picture on your website of your ideal candidate for your program.
Your facility could benefit from using RecoverWell, a platform that matches qualified patients to your treatment center. By streamlining patients in need directly to your facilities, you can help more people than ever before. RecoverWell is the ideal solution for providing care to those who need it most.
Some other common technology tools rehabilitation facilities may use include:
- Websites – Having a website where people can go to find information about different types of addiction, types of treatment programs, and other details is beneficial.
- Social Media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms are great ways to educate people about addiction and their treatment options.
Tip #4: Invest in your staff.
One of the challenges of substance abuse facilities is attracting and retaining the best staff. Without exceptional staff to help your patients, you will not be able to produce the results you desire.
Develop a business plan to determine how to meet the budgetary requirements to recruit, hire, and retain staff. The more years of experience your staff members have, the higher quality of care you can deliver. Yet, do not overlook hiring staff members with less experience if they recently graduated from training programs.
Tip #5: Track your patients’ outcomes.
Even after a patient leaves your facility, it does not mean you cannot continue to help support them through outreach programs. By being able to track your patients’ outcomes, you can gain insight into which patients are adjusting to their new sober lifestyles and which ones are more likely to relapse.
When you can help prevent a former patient from relapsing, you are continuing to provide quality care and potentially improving that patient’s outcome. Even if you cannot, you are still able to use that data to determine your overall success rate to make continued improvements at your facility.
Tip #6: Invest in ongoing training and education.
Addiction treatment methods and techniques are always changing and evolving. If you do not invest in ongoing training and education for you and your staff, you could find yourself wondering why your patient numbers are dropping.
There are different methods for learning, including:
- Reading research studies and professional journals.
- Requiring your staff to participate in annual training programs related to their positions and job duties.
- Participating in seminars, conferences, and tradeshows, either as an attendee or a presenter.
Tip #7: Get involved in your community.
An effective marketing strategy includes giving back to the local community in some manner. You could develop community outreach programs to educate your community about substance use disorders, for example. You might also participate in removing trash from local areas or host a community fundraiser. The possibilities are endless. When you are more involved in your community, they will know which people to turn to when they need help with addiction.
How RecoverWell Can Help Build Your Facility’s Brand
RecoverWell provides direct access to your rehab facility for patients who are actively seeking rehab treatment. The patients could be in crisis centers, looking for alternative sentencing to avoid jail, or needing help from patient advocates or other healthcare providers to find a treatment facility.
We take the time to pre-vet the leads and match the patients’ needs to the treatment services you provide. As a result, your facility benefits from increased occupancy and revenue, as well as boosted patient outcomes.
A subscription to RecoverWell includes access to our case management features, which can help you promote meaningful change and achieve success with your patients. For further information about a RecoverWell subscription and how to get your rehabilitation center listed, please feel free to contact us directly today!
