Let me give you some basics about my job. I work as a floor nurse at a 150 bed assisted living facility. CNA/caregivers do all simple dressing changes and meds, the LN (we have LPN's and RN's one per shift on floor!) do all orders, MAR's, treatments, communication, diabetes care, and acute situations just to name a few of the things!
Anyway...I guess a family called our management and was upset about a charge to their bill about their family member getting tx with Duoderm and the charge billed to them. It was an MD ordered treatment for a pressure area (not open but about to).
So in their wisdom they decided that all LN's will call family memebers and let them know of the charges for all treatments and supplies! Okay we don't know what the 'charges' or 'supply costs' are...we treat patients not money! Now on top of a full run day with 150 pts, we get to spend time away from pts calling families to let them know they are being charged for that darn 'clean with NS and use a bandaid daily till resolved"!!!!!
What do you guys think? Is this as outragous as I feel it is!?!?! Did I all the sudden get a new job discription as a billing clerk/customer service rep???
Should nurses have to call family members to OKAY what a doc already ordered??? What if they say no...do I NOT do the tx? What about pt confidentialty (not all residents have their family members as their medical rep..they are able to choose on their own). And am I wrong in thinking that these items should be charged to insurance as part of pt care????
We call family for everything. At least we should. I can't tell you how many times families are unaware of condition changes. Even a tiny 1 cm bruise that the resident know how it got there or a hang nail needs to be reported.
I think its obsurd that with all of your other nursing duties you have to review a price list with them.
Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.
Thank you..I do too..and yep..we do the old hang nail thing also!
I guess on top of all the duties they throw at us..this is more of a matter of nursing standing up and saying "hi ya...we are professionals...want to go ahead and consult us first???". They aready have us on baby sitting duty for CNA's and we have fine CNA's that dont' need it! But we must report any and all probelms or we are as guilty as those that do the probelm! Nice tactics huh???
WOW...I am starting to think the old high school BS is better than my career choice BS??!!!
I will not take on a second job on top of my nursing one at this facility! I am a RN...and I do my best with what time I have as is...
I just wanted to help patients, especially elderly who get so little. Why can't we just do our jobs and leave the billing to those that picked THAT career!
CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN
3,734 Posts
That sounds like a business office duty?
We call family for everything. At least we should. I can't tell you how many times families are unaware of condition changes. Even a tiny 1 cm bruise that the resident know how it got there or a hang nail needs to be reported.
I think its obsurd that with all of your other nursing duties you have to review a price list with them.