Bookerton

Consider these sources: social workers/case managers, members of associations like the MDA, ads in church bulletins. Does anybody else have any other ideas? B

Hey Arwen, My name is Bob and I am an LPN private provider based on Long Island, NY, who gives care to a terminally ill young man. To give you a quick overview, I rec'd this case working weekends and odd hours through a registry when I first joined them. My other hours were filled by taking care of end-stage renal pts through another agency. Two years later I learned about becoming a Medicaid/Medicare Private Provider and was informed by the family that they would prefer to have me provide care to their son a private provider. By this time I was the only nurse on this case, my other people had passed, I had the available hours and they were pleased with my care. A "Win-Win" situation....well except for the registry. They weren't pleased but they knew it was the family's wishes. My pt. was expected to be gone by this time. Ten years later I can say this, "One of the best things I ever did was becoming a Private Provider!" PRO's: 1) More Money; 2) Autonomy; 3) Ease of Care. CON's: 1) Many Hours/Lack of Additional Coverage (for me); 2) Ease of Care; 3) Tax Issues(initially); 4) Slow Payment. Net Result: A) I make significantly more as my counterpart would, say, in a local nursing home; B) My only real boss is my client and he is easily pleased as a result of our many hours together each week over the years; C) I am self-employed so I had set up a business structure which best suits my lifestyle*. The ugly part of it....my situation at least...is that my skill set has diminished. That's the CON perspective of "Ease of Care." With respect to my client those skills couldn't be any sharper but throw me in a med-surg situation, I'd flounder. Just the idea of dealing with so many other para-medicals seems foreign. As a Private Provider your role in your client's wellness takes on a whole new significance. Anyhow, I hope you found this helpful. By the way, insurance companies pay more than Medicaid/Medicare. Bob *C ended up being a nice perk. It got to the point where half of my income was taxes (single, no write-offs) so I sat down with my CPA buddy, griped, and in one month I was incorporated. My company makes this, pays out that, the cashflow is still the same but my tax liability is lessened. Anything remotely related to my nursing business is a write-off....this computer and other home office items, the car and its expenses, my health coverage (any plan I choose), my retirement (a $10k contribution for 2005 SIMPLE IRA), a professional lunch, so on and so forth. By being incorporated I am not strictly limited to uniforms, stethoscopes, and other directly work-related items.