Calling all HH Nurses, roll call

Specialties Home Health

Published

Hi, as a newly appointed moderator, I want to live this forum up a bit. I just resigned my position as a HH supervisor, to go back to the field.

I have been a nurse 20 years, 17 in critical care, mostly cardiac critical care, and the last 2.5 years in HH, or asthma disease management , which I also had to leave because I hated to be in a cube farm all day.

I still love HH, even though PPS is the pits, even though the OASIS would make good kindling for a massive bonfire, and even with all the rest of the paperwork, it is the most rewarding nursing I have ever done!!

PS, I went back to my former VNA who is now paying $30/hr, yes, you read that right, to work 3 out of 4 weekends. Since weekends work well for me, it's a good deal.

Let's hear from all the HH nurses out there. Out of all those registered members, there's got to be plenty of us on this BB!! :D

Specializes in home health, peds, case management.

wow. what a mess. re:cut in pay. i didnt hear anything about cuts in reimbursements this year, but im "only" a field nurse and often miss these things unless they directly affect me. maybe someone in mgt or admin can help. i thought that even though the state reimburses for kids w/o private insurance, it was still part of the medicaid system, and subject to federal regulation. but as i said, i could be wrong. in IL, thry cut a lot of supplies that were avail, and oh boy did that make me maaaad. and just fyi, staffing wouldnt be cut because the agency negotiates a contract with them that stipulates the reimbursement rates, and the senior care is funded thru medicare and private insurance (more contracts) maybe they made the cuts to peds beause these poor little children cant vote! or maybe the agency is just making it up and passing the buck..."its not our fault its THEIRS." or perhaps the agencys pay scale was out of line for LVNs. however, if that were the case, i think the more appropriate remedy would have been to cut the pay for new hires only (but like i said, im "only" a field nurse!!!) i think the only thing you can do at this point is either eat it or hop to another agency that has a higher pay scale.

re personal time while on duty: like i said, there are disadvantages to home care, one of them being that you are always on duty. when youre giving 1:1 care, theres nobody to relieve you, and its unfair to expect the parents to tailor their schedule to meet your needs. thats why they have home care in the first place, so that they can lead a somewhat normal life and go about THEIR business. That being said, i can suggest some solutions. Try talking to the parents and see how they feel about it. I am able to run out for 15 min while on duty, pick up my lunch, and bring it back and eat in their home, while supervising the child. I've never had a problem making phone calls, but i truly keep it to a minimum, and dont have children to look after at home. Again, i suggest discussing it with the parents. Maybe this can be handled during naptime or during some other type of downtime. Make sure you are honest about how much time you think youll need during a shift so that they dont feel taken advantage of. After all, it is THEIR child, and you are taking time away from their care. If they are uncomfortable with these solutions, I must most politely suggest that perhaps homecare is not for you, or perhaps you could find another case that would better meet your needs.

re time off: I agree that everyone needs time off now and again. Whether its 2 days off a year or 20, if you request time off in a timely manner according to policy, thats YOUR business. Its not YOUR problem that THEY cant find a replacement for you on your days off. Dont let them tell you otherwise. You should not have to tell them exactly what you were doing and as for that written note, what are you in grade school??? Next time, just tell them it was for "personal reasons that i do not wish to discuss" If they continue to press, point out that you scheduled the time off according to policy, and that you do not ask what they do on their time off, so you would apprecite the same respect in return. Be professional about it, even though they are not.

re missing credential: they next time they bring you in to the office to renew your file, make sure you get paid. after all, youre missing time from work to take care of it. and when youre done, make a copy of everything thats in your file and keep it at home. Next time they lose it, just fax it over, and save yourself the aggravation. (i learned this one the hard way) and yes, even in private duty, i have found that a fax machine a good investment and can save many trips to the office.

Good luck and let me know how it all turns out, and im sorry to everyone else for such a long post!!!

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Hi, as a newly appointed moderator, I want to live this forum up a bit. I just resigned my position as a HH supervisor, to go back to the field.

I have been a nurse 20 years, 17 in critical care, mostly cardiac critical care, and the last 2.5 years in HH, or asthma disease management , which I also had to leave because I hated to be in a cube farm all day.

I still love HH, even though PPS is the pits, even though the OASIS would make good kindling for a massive bonfire, and even with all the rest of the paperwork, it is the most rewarding nursing I have ever done!!

PS, I went back to my former VNA who is now paying $30/hr, yes, you read that right, to work 3 out of 4 weekends. Since weekends work well for me, it's a good deal.

Let's hear from all the HH nurses out there. Out of all those registered members, there's got to be plenty of us on this BB!! :D

Congratulations!!! Count me in!!!

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thanks for the info ladydi!!!:) what a cool job....

my aunt in la will have her own home health facility...i think it will be opened by next month...

hi there kabayan!!!

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hi! hh rn from south carolina here! i must say hh keeps my life interesting. :chuckle

i've worked in the hospital and in an admin hh position. i prefer doing the visits myself. the flexibility can't be beat and the pay isn't bad either. let's not talk about the paperwork.

nice to meet you all!

hello there from virginia... yeah your right about the flexibility of doing the visit because you can adjust your time to work and to your personal plans and the thing is the pay isn't bad too;) ... but about the paperwork... :bluecry1: !!!

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Specializes in Home Health.

Welcome folks!!

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Specializes in LTC, Medicare visits.
Congratulations!!! Count me in!!!
Hi Ive been in home care 5 years, previous 15 years in nursing homes. I work in a life care facility of 1000 residents on campus. I only do medicare visits and get paid per case. The nice thing is I drive a golf cart on campus the the residents villas/apartments, the visit/paperwork take about 45 mins, and I pick how many residents I want to see. I have 2 school age children and like to be home in time for them. Most of us are perdiem- no benefits, but its really a fantansic place and all of us work together to provide the proper care. We have a case manager but we are responsible for calling MD's, scheduling freq. of visits, ordering supplies, etc. Pay in our home health agency is higher than most for south Florida and if I see off campus residents, they pay an extra 10. case.
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:nurse: Hello, I'm new to the board.

LVN of 34 years, last 14 years HH, currently QA/Coder. I review all Oasis and Diagnosis coding. Got too old for the field work, took night courses in medical coding and love it, every case is different and a great challenge to keep

everyone in compliance.

Joella

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:nurse: Hello, I'm new to the board.

LVN of 34 years, last 14 years HH, currently QA/Coder. I review all Oasis and Diagnosis coding. Got too old for the field work, took night courses in medical coding and love it, every case is different and a great challenge to keep

everyone in compliance.

Joella

Hello, I'm new here also. I was just moseying along looking for the correct way to assess pitting edema........(still no one seems to know, all the answers are prefaced with 'As far as I can remember...')

Anyway, I stumbled on this site and it looks real interesting. I've been in HH for 2 years, 16 years before that as an OR nurse.

Funny that I should read your first letter, Joella, as I'm VERY interested in coding also. (Got me a real bad back that won't be lasting long:rolleyes: )

Could you tell me about the course you took, how much, where, how long it took, etc? I was just talking to my husband about looking into that field.

Thanks in advance for the info,

Joanie aka Missboot

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Hello, I'm new here also. I was just moseying along looking for the correct way to assess pitting edema........(still no one seems to know, all the answers are prefaced with 'As far as I can remember...')

Anyway, I stumbled on this site and it looks real interesting. I've been in HH for 2 years, 16 years before that as an OR nurse.

Funny that I should read your first letter, Joella, as I'm VERY interested in coding also. (Got me a real bad back that won't be lasting long:rolleyes: )

Could you tell me about the course you took, how much, where, how long it took, etc? I was just talking to my husband about looking into that field.

Thanks in advance for the info,

Joanie aka Missboot

Hello Joanie;

Be glad to;

I took night courses at local junior college, ICD-9-CM coding it took about

15weeks at 2xwk, then I took CPT coding (mostly for physician's offices), then

I took medical insurance billing. But for Home Health you will only need the

ICD-9-CM coding. Online is not the same, you need that experienced teacher

taking you through it. I had been to several seminars and thought I knew how to code buy just looking up in the code book, wronge double wronge.

Taking the college course I learned right off the bat I didn't know anything.

Get enrolled now for fall classes, you will never regret it, it takes all your

nursing skills and experiences. After you have your IDC-9-CM you can

specialize in Home Health or Hospital Coding. Give me a fax number and

I'll send my address to keep in touch, I'm going for Coding Credential Exam

in two weeks, keep me in your prayers.

Joella

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Hello, I'm new here also. I was just moseying along looking for the correct way to assess pitting edema........(still no one seems to know, all the answers are prefaced with 'As far as I can remember...')

Anyway, I stumbled on this site and it looks real interesting. I've been in HH for 2 years, 16 years before that as an OR nurse.

Funny that I should read your first letter, Joella, as I'm VERY interested in coding also. (Got me a real bad back that won't be lasting long:rolleyes: )

Could you tell me about the course you took, how much, where, how long it took, etc? I was just talking to my husband about looking into that field.

Thanks in advance for the info,

Joanie aka Missboot

I found the way to assess pitting edema today. Mosby's assessment guide.

Press your thumb tip firmly for 5 seconds, then measure the depression as

2mm=1+, 4MM=2+, 6mm=3+, and 8mm=4+.

Joella

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I found the way to assess pitting edema today. Mosby's assessment guide.

Press your thumb tip firmly for 5 seconds, then measure the depression as

2mm=1+, 4MM=2+, 6mm=3+, and 8mm=4+.

Joella

Joella: I just responded to your e mail...thanks for writing...then came here and found more good information!! Thank you Again!

I finally did find the same info, but not the part about depressing the thumb for 5 seconds. I really appreciate that because I always feel unsure of myself if I don't have good concrete assessment tools that are measurable. I'm going to be pressing every foot and ankle I see for the next month just to get good experience!

Joanie

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Hello All,

Joanie AKA Miss Boots and her family experienced Hurrican Charley today,

please keep her, her family and all the victims in Florida in your prayers.

Hopefully we will hear from Miss Boots very soon. Many nurses are working

very hard tonight, our hearts are with them.

Joella

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