Ridiculous for paying for stamps to mail charts q week

[nurse_jess]

I work in a home health agency as a lvn and every week I must mail out my charts which bulk up and need to always put about 4 stamps for an envelope every week. Office is 40 mins from where I live. Not an option for faxing or emailing. I heard a year ago they use to send out prepaid envelopes but that people abused it! What's your guys thoughts?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I have to pay to mail my paperwork in. It's not that big a deal for me. Couple of stamps a week, a dollar or so.

[nurse_jess]

That's for the reply I guess I'm mad since I sent out my charts a few days ago and just got them returned apparently now they want 4 stamps so 2 bucks a week I just feel like they should be covering this not us.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

why no fax?

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

why no fax?

Most places that I worked consider it a risk for a HIPAA breach.

[klone, MSN, RN]

We fax stuff all the time, as well as receive them. As long as the fax is in a secure location (like someone's office) then it's generally considered okay.

OP, are you an employee or a independent contractor? You can write it off as a business expense regardless.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

keep tabs and submit a check request periodically

[smartnurse1982]

My agency flat out told us that they do not have any money and that we should pay for postage ourselves if we want to get paid.

You can not get paid if they do not have you paperwork,and they do not accept faxes.

[Cuddleswithpuddles]

Do you work with another nurse?

When I did private duty, I would sometimes give my paperwork to another nurse (who works with the same patient!) if she was passing by the office. This saved me gas and postage if I ever mailed my paperwork.

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

My agency provides stamped priority envelopes that the last nurse to work on Friday can just drop in a mailbox.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Now there is a professionally run agency!

My agency provides stamped priority envelopes that the last nurse to work on Friday can just drop in a mailbox.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

We provide postage-paid envelopes for our nurses. There are also fax machines in most private duty patients homes and the nurses who do intermittent visits can be given a fax machine for their home if they so choose. I have never heard of faxing being considered a HIPAA violation- that's how the vast majority of our communication with outside providers is done. We fax the 485 to the MD for signature, they fax it back. If there are new orders, the clinic faxes them to us.