Charting until midnight?

Specialties Hospice

Published

I am a nurse for over 9 years and will be starting hospice nursing. I am hearing about nurses in Home Health going home and charting until all hours of the night. Is this the same in Hospice Nursing? I heard it was not because Hospice Nursing does not involve the oasis requirements.

Also does your company schedule you for office or documentation time during the week so you can catch up on paperwork?

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I've done home health and hospice and I find the documentation equal. Hospice requires more frequent family phone calls, documentation for IDT, documentation for care plan meetings for facilities. Not to mention constant med changes!

I find hospice more challenging but more rewarding... Never going back to skilled home care!

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

I did a short stint in homecare. Definitely like hospice much better. I thought the charting in home health was worse (OASIS) and more repetitive.

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It really is what you make it and what the requirements are. A visit note according to auditors should be in within 48 hours. With self discipline and a reasonable caseload and territory you should only have to chart 15 min per patient though our admissions take over an hour of charting sometimes. There is other stuff though. Updating family, drs, calling pharmacy, etc. the biggest time killer imo is driving. My patients are spread out. In the time it takes to drive from one pt to another I could have seen 3 facility patients. So make sure to check territory! 10 pts in one town is different than 10 pts across the state.

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I think a lot of the time after work spent charting is dependent on your software program. I have had two horrible charting systems and now on a better one and I am able most of the time to get about 90% of my charting done in the home which I could never do before. I have not worked for a company that gives designated office time or down time, you just fit charting in where you can. I personally HATE to go to bed at night with undone charting, but many nurses I know get up early the next day to chart rather than staying up late.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Administration, ER, OR, SCU,.

Previous computer program ( allscripts) could be completed in the home. Now using hchb and it is ridiculous! One pain assessment where pt had multiple pain sites had 60 questions that had to be answered in order to address and complete. If the pt denies pain, there are still 7 questions. Trying to learn how to circumvent this craziness and still document accurately!

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Specializes in Hospice.

I agree about the HCHB program. My company just started this program and I hate that you have to answer a question even if it doesn't apply. For example an Alzheimer patient who is independent with toileting. I do not know when she had a BM nor does she, but I have to put in a date even though I chart last BM unknown. UUGGHHH

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