For most hospitals and medical centers, grateful patients are an untapped resource for fund raising, according to John H. Glick, an oncologist who serves as vice president of the University of Pennsylvania health system.
“Every time I read in an obituary of someone who received care at Penn that they left money to the American Cancer Society I see a lost opportunity, said Dr. Glick who spoke here at the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy’s annual meeting.
As the system’s senior physician leader, Dr. Glick asks doctors to devote 10-15 hours a year to fund raising and to attend training on how to identify potential donors among their patients.
Penn Medicine also created a “medical concierge program” that expedites appointments with physicians and provides other administrative services for generous donors. For the fiscal year 2006, said Dr. Glick, the 330 patients in the medical concierge program donated a total of $39.7-million. The hospital also created a 10-room hotel-like medical pavilion for in-patient care available to patients for a $350-$450 nightly fee.
The health system increased its development staff to 88, including 39 fund raisers who work one-on-one with donors and focus on establishing relationships with 150 patients a year within three months of their receiving treatment at a University of Pennsylvania hospital or clinic.
Because of those measures, said Dr. Glick, Penn Medicine now brings in $171.9-million annually, including $85-million from patients and their families.
