EECP Implementation Program Plan

The ultimate success of any EECP Program is boiled down to two things: Outcomes, and Patients throughput. The Clinical Application Specialists team will assist you with the former. This packet will assist you with the latter.

It is important to recognize there is no one magic answer to recruiting patients. You will have to carry out a variety of activities on a steady basis over time to produce a flow of patients. The key to success is to be consistent.

The following is designed to give you some insight as to a variety of activities that you may be able to implement within your EECP Program in order to increase patient volume. It is provided in a checklist format so you can track your progress and check off activities as you complete them.

Getting Started:

This initial section is a list of groundwork activities that will assist you in your EECP Program’s long-term success.

Identify an individual to be Program Coordinator. This person is responsible for patient recruitment and program implementation.

If not already done, identify a physician as the Medical Director who is strongly in favor and supportive of the therapy.

These first two items are the most important steps in order to assure success both clinically and fiscally! Without both of these in place, do not proceed.

Identify Marketing/Patient Recruitment/Public Relations individual if different from the Program Coordinator.

Set up a dedicated telephone number with voice mail for your EECP Program. If you have the ability to put callers on hold, set up the hold time to promote your EECP program with upbeat patient related information.

Decide on the name of your EECP Program. Many sites have chosen to name their programs “EECP Center of/at…”. It is beneficial to use EECP in the name of your center since it is commonly associated with the treatment and will make it easier for patients to locate you.

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o EECP is a registered trademark of Vasomedical and can only be used with the written permission of Vasomedical. Since you purchased a Vasomedical EECP system from Vasomedical, you have been licensed to use the “EECP” name for the promotion of your Center.

Print Business Cards with your centers name, logo, and contact information for each of the staff.

Print stationary and envelopes for your Center.

Print Patient Referral Cards for graduating patients to hand out to friends and family.

Review the Patient Recruitment Kit provided in your Start-Up Kit. This kit contains valuable marketing information including sample referring letters, stationary, graphics, etc. The graphics can be customized using Acrobatic Reader.

Review Vasomedical’s marketing and patient education brochures, videos and reprints found in the Start-Up Kit.

Request additional materials to supplement the initial Start-Up Kit. You can locate the marketing order form in the Start-Up kit.

Print posters from Patient Recruitment kit for the waiting room, back of the doors in patient exam rooms, bulletin boards in office and other locations such as the Cath Lab, Cardiac Rehab, Waiting Rooms, general information boards, etc.

Place patient education brochures in the lobby of your professional building and office labeled with your EECP Centers identification information on the space provided on the back.

Play EECP Patient extended play informational video in the waiting room. You may order this video from the marketing department at Vasomedical.

Include “EECP Therapy” on listings of services available on items such as o Stationaryo Practice/Department brochureso Practice/Department Newsletterso Web Page

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Create a page specific to EECP within your current shell with links from your main page.

Create hyperlink to Vasomedical’s web page Contact Vasomedical’s Marketing Department to provide

them with information on your web page so it can be linked from Vasomedical’s web listing of your site.

International EECP Therapist Associationo Have all therapists join the association. It is an excellent network for

a variety of information. 919-863-9481 www.ietaonline.com to become a member.

Schedule an in-service for:o Physicianso Clinical Support Staffo Administrative staff within the practice/department.

The more individuals within your organization that are familiar with the benefits EECP provide, the more patients you will have referred. Be sure to include:

Patient Benefits Patient Inclusion and Exclusion Criterion Your Centers experience if applicable

Developing Contact and Patient Database

The information gathered in these steps will be valuable in assisting you in long term and on going patient recruitment activities. Collect this data in a usable format that includes:

Type of contact Name Address Phone #’s Other key demographic information

Patientso Review patient charts in your patient base and in other offices linked

to your practice, specifically looking for patients with: Patients taking Ranexa (ranolazine) Prior bypass or PCI (stenting or angioplasty) Persistent angina with co-morbid condition that would

preclude them from surgical interventions including CHF, diabetics, renal, COPD, and elderly patients

Persistent angina despite optimum medical therapy Persistent angina despite revascularization procedure Frequent hospitalization due to chest pain

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Failed stress test Persistent angina and are not candidates for revascularization

procedures Anatomy not ideal or problematic for PCI or CABG

Colleagueso Referring base of physicians including:

Cardiologists Primary Care Physicians Internal Medicine Physicians General Practitioners Cardiovascular Surgeons Family Practitioners

Medical Organizationso Local Hospital’s department contact and key person in the:

CCU’s Cath Lab Cardiac Step Down Unit Cardiac Rehab Cardiology Residents (list of all) Cardiology Fellows (list of all)

o AHA Find local chapter at http://www.americanheart.org/affili/

o Mended Hearts Locate your local chapter at

http://www.mendedhearts.org/localchapters.htmlo AACN

Locate your local chapter at www.aacn.org. Identify the Chapter president

o AACVPR Locate your local chapter at www.aacvpr.org or call

608.831.6989 Identify the Chapter President

o Bloodless Surgery Centers Locate Centers at http://www.bloodlessprograms.com/ Identify the Director

o EBT Scanner Sites Locate Centers at http://www.imatron.com/customer_usa.htm

Mediao Local Newspaper

Identify the Health/Lifestyle reportero Local Network Television Stations

Identify the Health/Lifestyle reportero Cable Television

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Identify if there are any Health Programso Senior Citizen Newsletters/Publicationso Radio

Identify the Health/Lifestyle reporter If any Health Programs Stations catering to the seniors

o Hospital Publications Focused on Seniors Targeted to geographical area Do they allow inserts into their billing statements to patients Cardiac Rehab Cardiac Patients Staff

o Practice Newsletters/Publications (your practice and/or referring base)

Local Community Organizations can typically be located through the local yellow page directoryo Community Wellness Centerso Health Clubso United Wayo Local American Diabetes Association chapters

Visit http://www.diabetes.org/ and click on Local infoo Religious organizations

Jewish Community Center Jehovah witness

o Senior Centers Locate the nearest by calling 800.348.4886

o Shoppers Guideso Rotary Clubso Shrinerso Knights of Columbuso Elkso Chamber of Commerce

Target Marketing

This section will utilize the contact database you created in the previous section. There are a variety of different activities in this section for you to choose. You may wish to implement several of these at a time. In implementing any of these activities, it is important to measure and track the success of the specific activities undertaken. Some centers have found it quite beneficial to track the cost per lead generated in order to identify the most cost effective and best lead generating activity.

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Have accounting include a small insert into every statement mailed for one to three months announcing the new service offered. This will generate a variety of leads from many unlikely sources.

Letterso Introduction Letters-find samples of various letters in the Patient

Recruitment Kit and Reimbursement Manuals. Colleagues

Include patient selection criterion, patient benefits Referring Base of physicians

Include patient selection criterion, patient benefits and a “Physicians Guide to EECP” found on the marketing order form.

Insurers Inform of your new service Include clinical studies and outcome data found on

your marketing form. Include inclusion criterion Include how much you plan to bill

Potential Patients Include patient information that detail benefits,

brochures and maybe a patient video. Invitation to come and visit for free screening

Media Contacts Send Press Release (see Patient Recruitment Manual

for samples) Include Patient Brochures and video Information specific to your center and experience Follow-up with each by phone to assure receipt of

information and answer questions. Do follow-up Press Release to those who provide

media coverage. Include original story. Medical Organizations

Send information packet and video introducing your new Center

Follow-up with each by phone to assure receipt of information and answer questions.

Request an opportunity to present at an upcoming chapter and/or regional meeting.

Local Community Organizations Send information packet and video introducing your

new Center Follow-up with each by phone to assure receipt of

information and answer questions. Request an opportunity to present at an upcoming

chapter and/or regional meeting.

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Mailingso One time mailing

Include a slip of paper (plain or fancy) into every billing statement. The slip should announce your EECP program. Even though some may not be potential patients, they might know someone. (This is a very inexpensive mailing since you are already paying postage for the statement).

o Do repeat and follow-up mailings to: Target contacts Physicians that are potential referral sources to keep

informed Other sources that produced referrals

o Stager the mailingso Consider sending new Journal Reprints as soon as they are published

found on the marketing order form.

Advertisingo TV

Vasomedical has an already produced 30min infomercial that can be ordered through the marketing department tagged with the specifics for your EECP center for a nominal fee.

You will be surprised how inexpensive cable time for advertising is actually ($200-800 per run)

Have ads run approximately12 times a month at varying times

Inquire about ROS (Run of the Station) time. This is time that becomes available last minute due to cancellation. This could be prime time or very earlier in the morning but is typically the least expensive.

Vasomedical also has a 30 sec commercial pre-produced and can also be customized with your EECP Centers specific information.

o Radio Health Programs

Contact director/producer and offer to do live broadcast discussing EECP

Call in programs are best 30 Sec spots

Create your own and make sure you give motivation for the individual to call such as free screening

Target stations with mature audiences. If you locate Paul Harvey’s news, try to buy airtime before, during or after his program. He has a large following of your target patient population.

Try different times and stationso Newspaper

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Ads These are only good if you are consistent. Try different sections on different days

Flyers Stay away from Sunday, as there are too many flyers

already. Monday is usually the best to make your flyer stand out.

Choose specific zip codes to target at a time Motivate the reader to an action

o Staying away from strictly informational. o Invite to Free lectureo Invite for free screening

Open Houseo Plan open house and invite specific targets from contact data baseo Choose an early evening mid to late weeko Provide hors d’oeuvres and beverages.o Call key individuals and invite personallyo The day before and day of, call as many invitees as possible to

remind/confirm

Presentationso Grand Rounds

Choose facilities that you have privileges Choose high profile facilities Determine the time, date, location If possible, request registration to gauge audience size Assemble needed items

EECP handout packets EECP Center brochures EECP clinical presentation on slides or PowerPoint

can be ordered through the marketing department. When applicable, provide Vasomedical’s CME or

CEU packet to entice attendance (Contact Kasia Smigielska at 800.455.EECP ext 152)

o Journal Clubs Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Family Practice.

o In-Services Cardiac Cath Labs CCU Cardiac Step-Down Units Cardiac Rehab Cardiology Residents and Fellows

o Schedule Presentations with identified: Medical Organizations Local Community Organizations

o Patient Lecture

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Advertise and make sure they realize it is Free Choose an easily accessible well know location and target

those zip codes in your advertising Determine a time and date that would be suitable for the

target audience. Mid week and mid morning with continental breakfast is usually the best time.

Request registration to gauge audience size Assemble needed items

EECP patient slide presentation can be ordered through the marketing department.

EECP handout packets EECP Center brochures

Avoid extensive A/V presentations because this always puts them to sleep.

Make the presentation conversational and allow the attendees to interrupt with questions.

Provide free screening to attendees Follow up with each attendee after the presentation to

personally invite for a screening, those who may be candidates. Also ask if they know and would be willing to recommend anyone as a potential candidate.

Maintain a Clipping Fileo Reprintso Newspaper articles about you Centero Videos of News broadcasts about your Centero Place copies in your waiting roomo Post copies in key locations

On Going ActivitiesMonthly activities in patient recruitment will assure a constant flow of patients throughout the year. Here are some different ideas that may be one time activities or activities that are repeatable several times a year.

Updating your referring physician on medication changes and progress of patient. This should be done at the time of the consideration of the medication change and bimonthly on the progress of the EECP therapy via telephone. Have your medical director dictate a follow up report to the referring physician at the completion of treatment. You are developing a relationship with your referring physician, which will promote a continued flow of patients.

EECP patient parking o Create one or two spots if space permits.

Radio Advertisingo Repeat activities in Target Marketing section

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Giveaways for graduates. These are advertising for your center. Make sure you include Centers name, logo and contact information Graphics may be used from the CD ROM in the Patient Recruitment Kit.o T-Shirtso Coffee mugso Water Bottles

Sponsorship of youth, seniors or hospital sports team. Choose one with a lot of contact in the community.o Softballo Soccero Basketballo Bowling

Newslettero Do updates on your Centers outcomes and distribute to:

Patients Referral Sources Media Contacts, etc.

o Include patient success stories.

Health Fairso Participate in local Community and Hospital Health Fairs.o Provide free screeningo If able, have a give-away specific to heart disease and tagged with

your EECP Centers name and contact information.

Follow-up Cards to graduates to let them know you are thinking of them. This reminds them to tell others and gives you additional stories to share with prospective patients. Consider sending on:o Birthdayso Anniversary of their graduation

Bulletin Boardo Create a bulletin board to post pictures of graduates doing various

activities after their successful treatment.

Make sure that whatever activity you choose to implement, you keep a record of which activity has brought in leads. Track your lead conversion rate. Both of these will assist you in assuring that when you do an activity, it is the most productive for the time and money invested.

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