ryanstum15

1) When you say pay out of order, do you mean this type of situation-- employee works sept 11-sept 17 then sept 18-sept 24 then sept 25-31.. You are basically saying you will receive payment for the week of sept 25-31 before you receive payment for sept 11-17? I assume that's what you mean by out of order. 2) Also, do facilities usually pay 30 days after invoicing and cut it close every time, or do most facilities pay you much quicker? Just wasn't sure if it was safe to expect payment sooner rather than later. thanks Ned

Let's pretend a travel nurse just started at Hospital A on Monday, September 12, 2016. We will say the work week goes Sunday-Saturday. The travel nurse is going to work 36 hours in the work week between Sept 11-Sept 17. So as a travel nurse agency, I would invoice the hospital for 36 hours for Sept 11 - Sept 17. Now let's say the next week Sept 18-Sept 24 it's the same amount of hours and then the next two weeks after that. When the hospital pays the travel agency, they will be paying 30 days from Sept 17 (the end of the first work week) correct? If so, when they pay, are they going to be adding those other weeks onto this payment as well, or will each payment come 30 days after the end of the work week? I just wasn't sure for simplicity if they would try to lump multiple weeks together and pay monthly or they pay 1 week at a time. If someone knows how this payment schedule works between hospital and agency, please let me know. Thank you in advance.

Is there a template you print off the internet to use for an invoice or where do you get your actual invoice forms from?

1 question.. In your experience, what person at the hospital are you usually invoicing? An HR manager or some other specific person/department within the hospital?

Let's say I've worked 48 weeks as a travel nurse this year and received a lodging per diem every week. If the IRS audits me, do I need to produce all 48 weeks worth of lodging receipts, or will a couple weeks worth do or what do they usually ask for? I am aware that travel nurses aren't usually audited as we wouldn't produce a very big amount for the IRS to gain from us, but I just wanted to be sure just in case.

When travel agencies invoice hospitals to get paid, how does this process work? Do they just fax the employee/manager-signed timecard to the hospital along with their own custom invoice, or does the hospital provide the template/rules for invoicing?

I would take the housing stipend and find your own housing on Craigslist. For apartments, Craigslist is pretty safe, at least in my experience. Just get the phone number off their posting and let them know your situation and how you may only be there for 13 weeks or whatever and if they're willing to do no lease or short term lease.

If I had it to spare =)

They do profit A LOT from all their travelers lol.. The shady part is not telling employees who are new to the industry, but agree to disagree. Have they ever been known to lift that "no compete" clause if the traveler just wants to go full time at that facility and not switch agencies, if the traveler asks nicely or talks to them?

Basically, yes. And it isn't stated in my contract. Isn't that something I should have the right to know about before starting anywhere? That's pretty shady if so. I travel somewhere and decide I love it there, so I want to stay full time. They don't even let me know and make a deal behind my back saying I'm not allowed? Yea, that's kind of messed up. And if no one tells the agency that it happened, how would they ever even find out?

I am not cold calling. I am already in good with the manager. I have started my business. Everything is ready to go.. I just want to know who to call now. For example, my recruiter will be calling the hospital I'm at and saying "my traveler is interested in staying at your facility and he stated his manager is interested in keeping him too. So where can I send the contract for our agency to get an agreement with your facility." What specific person would I have my recruiter say the above quotations to? Just a random HR person? What person do you usually initially ask to speak with when trying to earn a contract?

And how would you answer question #2? I was curious about a specific person an agency asks to speak with in order to have the best possible chance to land a deal with a hospital. Would you have the same luck with all HR employees, or do most hospitals have an HR manager or some kind of administrator that begins contract negotiations between agency and hospital?

1) Are bill rates between hospitals and agencies negotiable? For example, if a typical bill rate for Hospital A is $55 per hour for an RN, and $75 per hour OT for an RN, could an agency come in and ask for $60 an hour and $$85 OT or is this rate basically the same for all agencies? 2) If negotiating is possible, who is it you're directly negotiating with at the hospital? An HR manager, regular HR employee, CNO, administrator, or who?

So a rent receipt for $1000 rent per month but I'm receiving $2000-2500 for housing isn't a huge deal, just as long as I have the receipt? and Ned since I haven't heard from you, I'm going to ask here.. Kind of random but when starting my own agency, do I have to buy workers comp for every single state I work in or does buying it in the state of my business cover me? Because insurance agents are acting as if I will need a new policy in each state I work.

Yea I get what you're saying from a standpoint of the agency may not be able to offer the full amount and still make a profit.. I'm just curious if I do take the full amount if I need any extra documentation such as receipts for hotel, rent, etc. I just want to know what is sufficient proof that I need the untaxable money in the case of an audit. Let's say I get $980 per week (max in the area) but truly only spend $500 a week in housing. I'm assuming you can't take the full amount if you aren't using it, correct?

I think you guys are missing my point or I'm asking wrong, who knows. Lol I have had agencies tell me that they CAN'T give the maximum GSA allowed amount because either it looks "bad" or they just are not allowed. My simple question is, if the housing and MI stipends equal to $980 a week maximum per GSA, is it against any kind of IRS law to take this full amount and are there any special receipts/proof I need to save and keep back for this full amount? That's all I want to know. People act like the max amount of GSA is a no-no but then some agencies offer the full amount. So I'm just curious what I need as proof if I take this full amount (will a contract stating where I'm at suffice or do I need specific hotel/apartment receipts?) and what standards do I need to meet (can I drive home on the weekends to my tax home or do I actually have to live in this city every day of the week and never see my family to receive the full amount?)

Ok, so if I find an agency that offers me maximum housing and maximum meals and incidentals, does that set me up for audit or anything. What I'm trying to say is if someone pays me like $12 hourly and maxes out the stipend, am I allowed to receive max lodging and M&I stipend without needing receipts? It sounds like you're saying it is ok to max out M&I BUT not housing. This is where my confusion keeps coming. I'm not really curious if I'm entitled to it, I'm curious if I can have it if offered. If someone offers the full amount, is that going to put me at any type of IRS risk to take it? I don't want to go over or take extra. Just use this example .. I have $89 lodging per GSA and $51 M&I per GSA. This averages out to $140x7 = $980 per week. Can I have THE FULL $980 without any extra IRS scrutiny?

Yes I agree, I have definitely learned recently that you need someone specializing in travel nurses. Well if he does over the phone consultations, I would gladly check into him if you want to tell me what his name is so I can google him.

Hey I will pay the money to save more in the long run. I will look into traveltax .. So your guy isn't a CPA?

Are there any tax consultants that are well known online that specialize specifically in travel nursing? I am looking to go to someone who knows every little IRS rule with travel nurses, including questions involving your GSA.gov max allowed amount for per diem. For example, in the city I work in now, GSA.gov says $89 per day for lodging and $51 per day for meals and incidentals. So I add these two together = $140 per day x 7 days per week = $980 per week maximum. Why do we very rarely see the maximum amount given out by larger agencies, and if I meet all tax home requirements, do I not automatically qualify for this $980 per week or no? If anyone knows these answers FOR SURE or has a known travel nurse tax consultant, feel free to respond. I definitely expect multiple different answers on these rules since I always get multiple answers when I ask about the untaxable per diem. Thanks in advance.

LLC and being taxed as an S-Corp

Hello, I am looking to pick the brain of anyone who has worked in HR of a hospital or is a former administrator of some sort in a hospital. My questions: 1) If a nurse travel agency was calling to get a contract with a hospital where a travel employee has already interviewed and manager approves of this employee, who would the agency call first to say "hey so and so interviewed with your manager, and she wants so and so to work for you all, but we don't currently have a contract with your hospital." I'm assuming this is how the conversation goes, and if so, who would the travel agency be saying those things to? An administrator, any person who works in HR, a specified person in the hospital, or is there usually a manager over HR that handles all new contracts? 2) As far as billing a hospital, I'm assuming when the contract is set up, they will tell you where to invoice/bill and give you a fax number and what not or do you just ask them where to send invoices to? Also, when is the bill rate usually mentioned? As soon as the process starts? If so is the agency able to say "well you offered us $55 hourly bill rate, would you be willing to come up to $58?" I just need someone very knowledgeable with this process and feel free to correct me anywhere that I was not correct and give any information you have. Thank you

Thank you. I will look into all of this. What if in the near future I don't see myself hiring anyone else other than myself. In this case, would it be pointless to get any other type of insurance other than malpractice and workers comp? My business is based out of my home and I won't be meeting anyone there, so it isn't like I will have a meeting and someone slip and fall on the premises and sue me. So just strictly from this situation, what insurance do you think I need: I'm a business owner. Business based out of my home and no one will be coming to my home for business purposes. I plan to hire myself initially and no other employees for at least 6-8 months. I will be working inside of hospitals and driving to and from assignments when necessary. Just let me know with that situation what insurance you think I absolutely need. From talking to other people in the industry, all they ever mention for single contractors is workers comp and malpractice/professional liability. Thanks for all of your input.

Also, what is considered reasonable Workers Comp coverage/policy? I want what any average agency would get.. 100,000 , 500,000, 1 million? What sounds normal.

Risk Manager, kind of a tricky situation. I am an owner of an agency, but I also work for that travel nurse agency and do contracts in the hospitals as well. So, in order to get contracts with hospitals, you have to have the workers comp and malpractice insurance. So, to answer your question, I assume I am getting it for a business to cover my employees (which also covers me since I am one of my own employees). So what I took away from both of you is to get the NSO coverage under business and all of those little subsections come with the plan. It doesn't seem very expensive either, which is good. As far as workers compensation for my employees (me as well haha) what do you all suggest? Any certain company with good rates? For my final question -- if I get the Malpractice/Professional Liability insurance (these are interchangeable correct?), then all I need from Insureon and somewhere else is workers comp, and I can ignore those other things such as "general liability and business property, umbrella" etc. sorry for all the questions. I'm new to the buying workers comp and insurance and just want to make sure my agency has everything that any hospital would require. Thanks in advance for all your help.