[AnnemRN]

I was wondering how many home health nurses are hearing that agencies are leaning towards paying per visit instead of hourly in order to save money.
I definitely prefer an hourly rate, but all the agencies I've have contacted only pay per visit. I am hearing that even agencies that are currently paying hourly are probably going to switch to per visit.
For the first time in many years, I am considering going back to the hospital because of the inadequate wages in home health.

[kitty=^..^=cat]

I very briefly worked in home health as the director of an office. I was salaried - everyone else was pay per visit.

Hated it...

[Cattitude]

I work in the metro NY area (actually just outside of the city borders). Here and in NYC, the hospitals do NOT pay as well as homecare. For example. I left the hospital setting, nights SICU, 7yrs exp. making 65,000. I then went straight into homecare and jumped up to 75,000. I now make about 84,000 with weekends and holidays off! No way would I get that in a hospital. What about everybody else?

Beez

[Raven5496]

where I work the home care pay is less then what I would make in a hospital. I prefer hourly rate pay because it is a steady paycheck, when I worked per diem I never knew what my checks would be like

[AnnemRN]

I prefer hourly too, I like being paid for completing paperwork after visits are made. It can be very time consuming and it really benefits a home health agency if they can get away with paying per visit. That way, no matter how much time it actually takes the nurse the agency only has to pay one flat rate.

[erroridiot]

I will not work salary in home health. I have worked for a couple of agencies on salary and they will send your hundreds of miles out of your way and work you until your car is destroyed, you go insane or drop dead. I just turned down 2 salaried positions offered by not one but 2 administrators with "shifty eyes" - real live con artists who will just sit in their office and work you until you drop. Every person needs to do what is in their best interest. Be very careful about where you work, some agencies can be evil. Just look at the numbers, the time and the miles and make sure you are not being abused.

[kitty=^..^=cat]

Originally Posted by erroridiot

I will not work salary in home health. I have worked for a couple of agencies on salary and they will send your hundreds of miles out of your way and work you until your car is destroyed, you go insane or drop dead. I just turned down 2 salaried positions offered by not one but 2 administrators with "shifty eyes" - real live con artists who will just sit in their office and work you until you drop. Every person needs to do what is in their best interest. Be very careful about where you work, some agencies can be evil. Just look at the numbers, the time and the miles and make sure you are not being abused.

I was in a rural area with a HUGE coverage area. Some of our patients were 80 miles away (one way) with no other patients anywhere nearby. Scheduling was a nightmare, and because I was salaried, it was expected that I do those visits to keep the per visit folks that worked for me in the immediate service area. It KILLED my car, literally, and wore me to the bone. One day it took me 4 hours to get from my last visit for the day back home.

This agency only reimbursed $0.35/mile for mileage too, which was a huge rip-off.

I hear what you're saying about those people with the "shifty eyes"...

[suzanne4]

Many have been paid by the visit for years, this is not anything new at all.

[AmPmRnoncall]

My agency payes all of us nurses by the hour. I make 25.00/ hour with a 0.43$/mile. I am responsible for up to 3 counties but if I am oncall, I'm responsible for up to 10 counties. I get 25$/ night week night for carrying pager and get my hourly rate if I get called out. I get 50$/ day on the weekend for carrying pager plus my hourly rate if I need to go out. If I take charge nurse, I get 50$/weekday night and 75$/ weekend. I can really rack up the bucks with call. I work 32 hours per week and expected to do about 20 visits/ week. I also get paided for all my paperwork time. I try to organized myself, so I'm not spending all my time on my paperwork.

[AnnemRN]

I worked as a salaried employee of a local home health agency and I agree with previous posters in regards to the agency working you to death.I was working 10 - 12 hours a day and only being paid for 8. I complained to the supervisors that my assignments were too heavy and couldn't be completed in 8 hours and they would again load me up like a mule the next day. They sent me all over the county, my mileage was usually 145 miles a day and traffic was terrible.
I eventually left after I realized no one was listening to me. I would never work salaried again.