Love your nurse

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Eric Kline says referral sources are hungry for CEUs, not lunch.

That's why the long-time industry consultant launched an online service in March, called Love Your Nurse, that allows HME providers to offer referral sources free continuing education to meet licensure requirements.

“Referral sources are more loyal when you give something back,” said Kline, founder of Love Your Nurse and CEO of HME SalesPro.

For an annual subscription fee of $499, Love Your Nurse will create a portal on a provider's website where referral sources can log in to access courses on everything from heart failure to diabetes in children to acid reflux. Love Your Nurse, which has an RN on staff, adds at least one new course each month. The content is approved in 49 states.

Kline says using Love Your Nurse gives providers a number of advantages. First, it drives repeated traffic to their websites—Love Your Nurse sends email notifications to referral sources when a new course is available. Second, it provides them with competitive intelligence—Love Your Nurse keeps track of who's taken what course and whether or not they've passed, and collects contact information.

“It can all be exported into a spreadsheet,” he said.

Provider Dan Howard says he has noticed an uptick in referrals since his company started offering CEUs through Love Your Nurse, especially from one hospital that no longer pays for continuing education.

“I did an in-service there and when I mentioned it, eyes lit up,” said Howard, director of marketing for Louisville, Ky.-based Bluegrass Oxygen. “We try to offer our case managers not just great service and products, but when we can, a helping hand.”

Howard says Bluegrass Oxygen also offers Love Your Nurse to its RTs to keep their licenses current.

“We're paying for the service and we pay for their continuing education, so we might as well,” he said.