What's your caseload number and daily quota?

AmPmRnoncall · May 9, 2004

Hi Patti, I work for a hospital based pediatric homecare agency and drive about 15-200 miles a day with 5-7 visits per day. I cover rural/urban areas. I'm an hourly employee so I get paid for my travel time. As far as paperwork, I usually end up taking 1 night a week and working late at home. And I do charge for my time. Overtime was an issue and I got called for charting at home. I told my boss that I can't chart while driving and my case-load was so intense that I would be working 12 hour days if I didn't have an evening to chart. That issue was then put aside. My case load is from 20-40 patients. Depends on the season. I've been doing home-care for about 9 years and love what I do. I couldn't think about doing anything else right now in my career. I hope this helps! Please let me know if I can offer you any more suggestions.

Lois.... RN:balloons:

lroche · May 24, 2004

I am the Director of Nursing for a rural home health agency. Our case loads are between 20 and 25, but they seem to be going up. The RN's see between 5 and 6 patients per day and let me tell you - that's too many. We have had a recent flurry of activity which has pushed the number of patients seen to 5-6. Our LPN's see 6-8 patients per day. This is done with high mileage as well. The average used to be 4 patients a day and that was a good/manageambe day. But - you are right. When do you get your paper work done and when do you do case management activities? Unfortunately for you it sounds like administration is forcing you to see 5 patients per day. What happens to patient care? What happens to all the little things you must do in order to be a good case manager? I am in an admin position, but due to high case loads and many patients needed to be seen in a day - I am making visits myself to help out the nurses. Our intake patient care coordinator is also completing visits to help out. It is more important for me to keep my staff and provide good patient care - than to mandate nurses seeing a certain number of patients in a day. My nurses are busy - I know that and they don't have to prove it with seeing 5 patients per day. I think sometimes admin gets pressure from above - because profits are necessary to survive as well. The productivity goal I set for my nurses is 4 patients/day. If they don't make 4 ever day - oh well. I feel bad about your situation. I hope there's some resolve to it soon - or your agency's nurses (including you) will get burned out.

riern · Jun 26, 2004

My case load varies but they try to keep us at around 25. My visits can be as many as 8 or as few as 4 a day. The assist admin does the schedule and then I can make the changes accordingly. Yes the paperwork is brutal and I spend a good bit of time at home doing it and I don't get paid for that additional time. The IDEAL situation is do complete the visit note and Oasis documentation in the home and then you don't have any paperwork to do at home. I prefer not to do mine that way. My paperwork time is included in the $30 visit rate and I get milage as well. I make as much acutally more now than I did in the hospital and don't have to be confined to the building for 12-14 hours.

Every job has it's bad and good..... for me at this time the good outweighs the bad.

Marie

nursesearl, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2004

I am the Director of Nursing for a rural home health agency. Our case loads are between 20 and 25, but they seem to be going up. The RN's see between 5 and 6 patients per day and let me tell you - that's too many. We have had a recent flurry of activity which has pushed the number of patients seen to 5-6. Our LPN's see 6-8 patients per day. This is done with high mileage as well. The average used to be 4 patients a day and that was a good/manageambe day. But - you are right. When do you get your paper work done and when do you do case management activities? Unfortunately for you it sounds like administration is forcing you to see 5 patients per day. What happens to patient care? What happens to all the little things you must do in order to be a good case manager? I am in an admin position, but due to high case loads and many patients needed to be seen in a day - I am making visits myself to help out the nurses. Our intake patient care coordinator is also completing visits to help out. It is more important for me to keep my staff and provide good patient care - than to mandate nurses seeing a certain number of patients in a day. My nurses are busy - I know that and they don't have to prove it with seeing 5 patients per day. I think sometimes admin gets pressure from above - because profits are necessary to survive as well. The productivity goal I set for my nurses is 4 patients/day. If they don't make 4 ever day - oh well. I feel bad about your situation. I hope there's some resolve to it soon - or your agency's nurses (including you) will get burned out.

lroche- can I come work for you? Where are you located? You sound like a nice boss!

PattiRN · Jul 16, 2004

lroche...we are all coming to work for you....a DON making visits!!!! WOW!