Help! PPV versus Houly HH visits

[lpn954]

I am an LPN and have done PPV for 5 years. No millage, or benefits at all but liked the flexibility of it and getting PPV. It was nice to get paid $15 that took me 10 minutes or so to do. Now I have lost patients and need work. I just had an interview with a company that pays not per visit, but hourly. I have never heard of this for HH and not sure how it works exactly with home health visits. I want to know more what to expect, and how it is VS the PPV I am used to. They say the do pay millage and have great benefits PTO, 401k, health insurance . Its a full time position so they must have a lot of work.

I was used to making $15 to $20 a visit which where I live is standard for LPN. Yes I know some will say its low or whatever but worked fine for me. Anyway this agency pays $24 per hour plus the above mentioned benefits. I am wondering if that is worth it when all is said and done, (travel time and visits time) when I am used to getting paid 15 or $20 for visits that typically take me 10 to 20 minutes or so to do? Another thing they said was its 30 visits a week and they pay hourly so not sure how that is considered to be full time?

[KJ87, BSN, RN]

I’m curious as to what you’re doing during these visits that only take you 10-20 minutes to complete.

From my own experience, and reading others’ experience, 30-40 visits a week is full-time work. We are usually in the home for 30+ minutes per visit (regular visits). Unless the RN is doing a HHA supervisory visit only, for those we were only required to be in the home for 15 minutes.

$24/hr sounds good. Mileage reimbursement is a plus, and helps boost paychecks. I have not worked for an agency that didn’t reimburse mileage, and wouldn’t.

Bottom line: I think this company expects your visits to take more time to complete than the 10-20 minutes you say you’re accustomed to.

[lpn954]

thanks for the reply. Glad it sounds good. I am an LPN so most of my visits take that long. Mainly insulin injections, vitals check, or wound care but nothing too complicated.

[Zippy83]

Even if your visits only take 10-20 minutes, which is hard to believe even for the most stable patient (what about teaching on management of diabetes, wound healing and infection control,etc?), what about your documentation and drive time?

I don’t know where you live, but it’s hard to imagine 10 minute visits or $15 visit rate being ethical.

I am in a city with a high cost of living, but I get paid triple what you are getting per visit. It’s rare that I’d be there less than 30 minutes, plus travel time makes it about an hour per visit more or less. And then finishing documentation, phone calls, etc.

How many visits per week are you currently doing per diem, and what is your travel and charting like?

[Matikins RN, BSN]

Most interesting.

Regular visits should take a minimum of 30 minutes even with teachings. Home Health bills in 15 minute increments but visits regulation wise usually reflect 30minutes.

In this day and age , LVNs/ LPNs are being compensated in

-hourly -salary- and PPV structures.

If an agency has a lot of traditional MCR referrals , rates can be much higher-If an agency has a lot of insurance patients MCR advantage, rates will be lower. Here in South Texas, I see most LVNs compensated in PPV structure and rates vary between $24-35 per visit.

30 visits in most agencies is considered full time because visits will typically be worth 1 productivity point a piece. When you factor in driving time, labs, etc. It definitely will meet the FTE requirement for most employers.

[Kaisu]

The agency I worked for started everyone on an hourly rate because they wanted quality over quantity, especially when the employee was new. Within months, employees were offered a PPV option. I think that was very fair.

Productivity was very rarely emphasized or even brought up for that matter.