Pay for home health RN?

[bubblesbanks]

I am reaching out to the allnurses community to try to figure out wages for HHC pay? I recently started in HHC, and am really confused/frustrated with how I get paid for the work I do. It seems the work out ways the pay. So, I am looking for clarification or verification that this is really how HHC works.

I get an hourly wage for regular home visits, and re-certifications. Two hours of pay for an admission, and 1.5 hrs. of pay for a resumption. I either really suck at this job, or the pay for the work is not equivalent.

I do a lot of charting from home for free, because my company will only pay 1 hr. of office time per day for what they call "case management". The company states I should be able to finish my charting in the hour visit I have with my client (2 hrs. of admission, 1.5 hrs. for resumption). That hour is also suppose to include your drive time to the pt's home, assessment, calling dr's if needed, and charting. Our charting is done on computers, and it is often a struggle to even get the darn things started up, and connected to the web, so that we can chart on our web based charting system.

Is this how HHC works?

[uRNmyway, ASN, RN]

Depends on the company. I work HH, and I am mostly in the office. I get paid hourly wage for office, no matter if I am there or if I am doing a patient visit. If I have patient visits, I get paid mileage (0.50$ per mile) for anything that does not connect to my home. If I get called to do an actual shift, then I get the same hourly wage as office. I don't have a time limit for my evaluations, whether they are initial evaluations, or supervisory visits, or wellness checks if client is not feeling well.

I am sure how much you are paid also depends on where you are located. Hope that helps.

Oh, and my hours are 8a-5p, M-F, whether or not there are visits. With no visits, I do office work.

[rksgray13]

The company I worked for was very unorganized to say the least. However, I got per visit pay, mileage, office time, and hrly time in pt home past the first hr. Initial= 75/60, reg= 30, recert= 45, sup= 30, office and in home= 25/hr. mileage started at .50/mile and changed twice 4 mths after I started to .36 then to .32/mile. I was always checking to make sure I got paid for my work. the payroll guy missed things constantly and every time I asked any questions, I got run-a-round or different stories. Not to mention, home charting (paper OASIS) NOT PAID FOR AT HOME WORK, dr calls, new or pt problems throughout the day that would throw me off. I was one of two field nurses with the company having around 200 patients. I am 100% sure I was not paid for quite few things.

I did like home health nursing and plan to return because it may ultimately be the happiest job I've had as a nurse. Just need a over the top company. This was my first job as a field nurse and had ZERO orientation. First visit was SOLO.

[AdkNurse]

I work in Home Health Care, but I work for the county, it's the home care division of Public Health.

So, I am paid a salary, and I have access to a county vehicle to make home visits.

Our electronic charting system is extremely complex and while we are given the same basic time frames for home visits and charting (2 hours for admission), it's almost impossible to actually do the charting in that time frame.

The last time I worked a weekend, I had a patient who was just discharged from hospital for an amputated toe.

Prior to this incident, this man was on no medications at all.

He was new to testing his blood glucose, new to insulin administration, and new to his HTN meds.

He couldn't even figure out how to put the needle on the insulin pen.

There was also a discrepency on insulin dosages on his discharge papers (there were 2 different sliding scales indicated), so I had to clarify that.

With all the teaching, and the wound care, I was in the home for 2 hours. Complete charting time between what I did in the home and what I did back at the office was a total of 4 hours.

I'm not new at this, I've been doing home care for 7 years, and we've had our electronic charting for oh, maybe 3 yrs now, and I'm quite proficient.

But like you describe, I'm told I should have been able to do that admission in 2 hours.

There are times admissions can be done in 2 hours, but not usually!

[paradiseboundRN]

Currently I get paid by the visit. $50 per revisit, $85 for SOC, $55 for d/c oasis and $65 for recert.The idea is that its supposed to balance out, you spend less time with some patients and more time with others. Well, it doesn't! I figure that some days I'm making only $10 per hour. But in home health there are various ways you can get paid. Some companies pay per hour, per visit, or salary. Having worked all of the above, I think hourly works best because it paid for my travel time and time at home documenting, $29.81 per hr. It was rare to find a place that offers that. I quit because there was a horrible weekend requirement. A salary position in Metro Detroit pays about $63,000 and you are expected to manage about 25 patients in a 40 hr week. You have to love home care to stay in it because you are not going to make a lot of money per hour.

[bubblesbanks]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I have figured it out. You have to love HHC. As paradiseboundRN states. I have always had good paying jobs, so the rat race of HHC is new to me. Being in New Mexico makes it a little rougher I believe also. Sounds like Jeweles26 has the best set-up. I might need to go in, & talk to my boss about pay. It really stinks to work 8 hrs., and only get paid for 5 because I olny had 5 pts. to see that day.

[Valora]

I work in Georgia. I get paid $30 per visit, admission, recert at Company # 1. $40 per visit, $50 per admission at Company # 2. No mileage, No benefits. It takes an hour to do just the paperwork.

[ILveNursing]

I just started HH early this year. I'm in Northern Cali - SOC $100, ROC $90, Eval $70, Routine $55; Mileage $0.55; $40/hr for meeting every month. Kinnser web base charting. Excel time sheet turn in via e.mail and on pay stub break they break down each category. I don't usually visit patients on weekends however I end up catching up charting (no pay).