Is home health profitable?

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how come some home health agencies urge people to travel far distances but are reluctant to provide compensation for gas mileage, and car maintenance. You have to admit giving $25.00 per visit when the patient is 30 miles a way doesnt really reward as much.

A nurse who does extended care can not deduct for business use of their car to go back and forth to their client's house and many people got out of the itemizing business when the tax laws changed, making it harder to do.

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Specializes in hospital, pain management, home health.
Home Health is NOT profitable, unless you are the type to see 10+ patients a day. I've known some to do that - I don't think they were doing nursing, I do think they were visiting and getting signatures. After being in home health for 8+ years, my salary has gone down, from the first HH job I had. I currently average an hourly wage that is comprable to what I made as a new grad 24 years ago and sometimes less.

Remember Home Health is a for profit business. The less $ spent on staff, the more $ the owner's have to be sunning on a beach.

I'm new to home health, but I do know that not all agencies are for profit. There may be fewer, but they are out there! In fact, I just applied to one in Portland,OR. Luckily Oregon has a nurses' union that is involved with some of the home health agencies in Oregon.:)

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Regardless if an organization is set up as a for profit or non-profit, they still have to have more money coming in than going out. Leveling of the field occurs when there is a shortage of people to do the work at a certain wage. If the non-profit org is paying a higher wage, then the better hh nurses will go to work there until the other organizations determine that to recruit quality nurses they better pay a higher wage. I would be curious to see what the difference in per visit rates are between the for profit and the non profit in your area. In Tucson, we pay $45 per visit plus trip fees and and after hour rates.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Case Mgt, Home health.

Wow, I can't complain about my HH job anymore after reading these posts! I live in N Cali (bay area); make fifty bucks an hr with IRS mileage, full benefits, a couple nights call per week (my choice). I could make more if I choose to go back to the hospitals but this works for me after almost 30 years on the job.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Developmental Disablities.

Nope its not. I work for a company that only pays per visit, no benefits or mileage. When I first was working there it was great I had enough clients about 20 a week. Now our census is low that I only have 8 people a week. I am looking for work elsewhere. Love the work but it cost me to work.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I'm mostlly on the private-duty side of my agency, but I've done a few visits. We're paid $40 for Super visits and ROCs, more for SOCs, plus mileage one-way.

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Specializes in home health.

It was for me, I made $52K/yr, plus 0.55 for mileage, but I was also a case manager and worked 60+ hours each week. To me, it really isn't worth it. I could just get one full time job and when I want extra money, just pick up an extra shift somewhere.

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Specializes in Trauma-Surgical, Case Management, Clinic.

I will be starting as a home health infusion nurse soon on a per diem basis. It's $40/hr (southern Cali). I was told that the pts' infusions are usually 4-8 hrs. All I have to do is start an IV and monitor the infusion. I think I may get bored :yawn: sitting at a pt's house for 4-8 hours! It's .50 a mile for anything over 20 miles. This will be my first HH job. It's just for supplemental income, but I hope I like it :D.

Anyone ever done infusion home health similar to this? How was it?

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Specializes in Home Health.
I will be starting as a home health infusion nurse soon on a per diem basis. It's $40/hr (southern Cali). I was told that the pts' infusions are usually 4-8 hrs. All I have to do is start an IV and monitor the infusion. I think I may get bored :yawn: sitting at a pt's house for 4-8 hours! It's .50 a mile for anything over 20 miles. This will be my first HH job. It's just for supplemental income, but I hope I like it :D.

Anyone ever done infusion home health similar to this? How was it?

I worked some cases that were IV infusions up to 6 hours and they were not bad. Got to know the patient and family, watched movies with them, it was fun. You really build a relationship with these people and it can be very gratifying. It's a lot better than running all over the place all day long. Good Luck.

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Specializes in Trauma-Surgical, Case Management, Clinic.
I worked some cases that were IV infusions up to 6 hours and they were not bad. Got to know the patient and family, watched movies with them, it was fun. You really build a relationship with these people and it can be very gratifying. It's a lot better than running all over the place all day long. Good Luck.

Thanks, hopefully it will be a great new exp for me!

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