What's a bed bath worth?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

We've been talking some about nursing as an independent profession, and that if that is ever really to happen, nurses have to be able to charge a fee for service rendered... Well, that got me to thinkin'. If that's ever going to happen, we'll have to agree on a number ($) for everything!

So, for starters...

Just what would you charge for a linen-changing, bottom scrubbing, hair brushing, all-over washing with good mouth care and all?

Can't wait to see what everyone else thinks.

A bed bath is an ideal time to interact with a patient and do a thorough skin assessment. However, when you have a full assignment with high acuity patients it should be assigned to an aide. Abnormal lab results, O2 sats, Cardiac arrythmias, ect, ect, all take priority.

If I had time, I would spend a half hour cleaning them, assessing them, clean between their toesies, shave them. style them and clean the junk out of their room all for $11 (half of my hourly rate) and that would be just peachy with me.

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Specializes in ICU.

One of our private hospitals specializes in giveing patients "Hot towel sponges"

Take a bucket of hot water add capfull of "dermalux" and a couple of drops of lavender. Place two rolled towels in the bucket and then place the towels over the patient and gently rub.

Umm It is less "sensuous" than that description sounds espectially since the clientelle of this hospital averages at 80= years.:)

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Gwenith, I've actually done the "Hot towel sponges" on residents who had showers every second day in a nursing home I used to work in. We did the sponges the day they didn't have a shower, though we called them "Hot Towel Massages". The hot towels felt really good through my gloves.

Someone please sign me up for one.:D

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Specializes in ICU.

Yes I know!! It was just when I came to describe them they sounded slightly "naughty". These were done in ICU on the bedbound patients and were just wonderful as a lovely change. Certainly beat the old luke warm slip, slop slap with a wet chux/daylee wash cloth!

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Yes Raphael, I agree with you. That is my opinion, although I may have been just a tad aggrivated when posting mine;)

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Specializes in pre hospital, ED, Cath Lab, Case Manager.

Tongue in cheek

Charge for nursing services by the hour. Easy enough for all those hospitals that have staff/patient tracking systems. That way the patients who utilize nursing services more get charged more. Add $ for procedures that require more specialized skills, Dressing changes, conscious sedation, education, etc.

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I may be completely wrong but I think the original point of the thread was not necessarily should bed baths be done by nurses. I took it as what would the amounts be if the nurses duties were itemized. Kind of like what would the charge be for each service provided. Hospitals do that so much for ekg so much for ct scan bla bla bla. I think maybe the point was what would the nurses wage actually be if the tasks we perform were charged on an itemized bases. Geez I hope that made sense. Kind of reminds me of when Edith made a list for Archy the charges for making breakfast, ironing, making beds etc. Anyway that is just my thought of what the question was asking. I could be wrong that often happens.

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Yup, Angelbear, that was what I was thinking. I mean, as nurses, we tend to think... "Oh, I couldn't charge for a bed bath, I couldn't charge for mouth care, I couldn't charge for a dressing change, I do it because I care about my patients." Gee, do you think the dr's, and RT's and PT's think that way? We've gotten dr's bills with every minutia itemized, good dr or not they still charge for every (and I mean every!) service! Is nursing so fundamentally different that we can't do the same?

And if the "bed bath" isn't nursing care anymore, then how much would hanging 2 units of fresh frozen with all the monitoring and assessment that goes along with it be worth? $150?

Just wondering...

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Ok angelbear, your right. So I think I would charge $10. This is of course if the hospital provided the linens, and toiletries. In this fee would be included applying any necessary skin protecting lotions, or duoderms, and also include elevating the client's legs on pillows and such things. Do you think this is reasonable?

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That' easy: get the average nurse's pay per hour, determine how much time is involved in the task, charge FIVE TIMES that amount for my education--------------------

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