Where I work we still do paper charting, and don't see computers entering the picture for another couple of years. I can understand that, with the shape the economy is in, hospitals need to make sure they bill for everything they can. HOWEVER, to what extent should they go? We mark charge sheets for everything we do that can be billed...injections, IV fluids, etc. Lately we've been getting e-mails pointing out who missed what charges and how much that adds up to. The e-mail is sent to the entire staff. Night shift audits the charges and 'turns us in,' so to speak. If I catch a charge that night shift didn't mark, I just mark it and go on. This is part of 'that's why we're here 24 hours.' Not once have I seen anyone from night shift be fronted out for missing charges. I think this is affecting morale for some people...I know of one nurse who is interviewing elsewhere. My point...don't you think they should just send out a general e-mail listing the total missed instead of pointing fingers? I know they want to make us accountable, but come on! I think a general e-mail would foster an attitude of teamwork more than finger-pointing! And for the record, I'm not 'whining' just because I've been pointed at...this affects a lot of us here. No matter how hard we work, we're not perfect and can't catch everything. And I REFUSE to be so petty as to keep track of who on night shift missed what charges so they can be pointed out.
I had no idea this was a nurse's job. What do the admin people do? Or the people in the billing department? Or the management people in general? Sit on the orifices and send stupid emails out?
As a night shifter, we get told to double check everything dayshift does -- meds, orders, everything. I had someone jump me one morning about xeroxing the orders they had given but never signed off on and giving them to the boss, and I told them the truth -- we're told we'll be written up if we don't, and they spot check behind US. So, your choices are to do an end of shift chart check, every shift, or deal with the occassional management fuss.
Believe me, I'd rather be trying to keep my psycho off his meds in the bed and out of the floor, or actually doing nursing stuff rather than going to check on whether Nurse N properly signed off all her orders...to me, that's what management's for, it shouldn't be my job to evaluate other nurses (in terms of their charting).
as a fellow night nurse i agree. we do those kinds of audits because we are told we HAVE to. not because we have nothing else to do, or are just mean and spiteful...i hate it when the management makes nurses police other nurses.....
DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN
1,565 Posts
Clearly!