Length of stay seems to be dropping Drastically!

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Specializes in Nursery,OB-GYN,Dr. Office pulmonologist.

Are you finding the same thing? Seems to have been isn the last 2 years. So we have more admits, faster turnover of pt's. What are your feelings about this? :(

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Specializes in Home Health, MedSurg, Post Partum, SCU.

I have noticed the same thing. It's frustrating d/t the fact that there is just so much paperwork (and we seem to have a new paper/form added to our work weekly) to do an admit and then the next thing you know the client is wanting to be discharged the next week - and the discharge oasis can be time consuming as well. The majority of the client's are not wanting to be homebound - understandable - and they refuse self-pay services d/t financial issues. So we discharge. Losing money left and right because of Lupa's. I'm not sure what the solution is. Before I go out to admit I make sure the potential client understands the homebound status because too many times I have got to the home and started to explain this and they decline services. What can an angency do to keep client's on longer?

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.

Intersting... OUR clients are only too willing to stay on... and on... and on... :chuckle

In fact, when we go out to admit, we have to make sure we explain to them, that this service is only TEMPORARY.. not long term. They really hate to lose us. But the Medicare requirements are making it more and more difficult to keep them any length of time. Very sad, in many cases. :o

We do have some we've had for years.. literally. But the average stay has indeed been noticably shorter this past year due to Medicare stipulations.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, OB, Home Health/Hospice.

The Nurses I work with have just mentioned this turnover and the amount of work it is causing. What can I say? We get them better faster?

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