Jack
2004-12-02 16:06:50 UTC
Please help me. I am seeking wisdom from your experiences. My wife is an RN
with a BSN degree. She took time off to finish after we moved to another
city because of my job transfer. After finishing her BSN, about 1998, she
looked at the jobs available and decided that she wanted to try home
healthcare. She had a pick from many wonderful sounding opportunities,
selected one and started work. It seemed very good at the time, one weekend
out of 10, benefits, respectable salary, company (local hospital) treated
the employees good, etc. But then the hospital group was purchased by
Ardent. The benefits were somewhat less, the respect was noticeably less,
and the paperwork became much greater. Within a few months Ardent sold or
gave the home healthcare operation to Heritage Healthcare. My wife does get
some type of heath care policy, no paid holidays, less mileage reimbursement
for her personal car use and unbelievable amounts of paperwork. The
dispatching of patients which is supposed to be by geographical area seems
to be done in a "get it off of my desk" mode and is usually not done until
the last minute. Paperwork requests for insurance approval are not processed
by the office staff for several days after they are submitted. Doctors and
labs do not return phone calls requesting test results or prescription
changes. Often she must call several times for a couple of days to get the
information. The company wants to send LPNs (excuse me for ignorance but I
think LPNs do not have a state license) out to my wife's patients on my
wife's days off or when on vacation (unpaid) and hold my wife's license
responsible for the activities of the LPN. Some of the LPNs are responsible
and competent but there are some who absolutely are not. This company has
held meetings and told the nurses to always put urinary or bowel
incontinence on medicare applications/claims as they receive extra funding
from medicare.
I had the pleasure of working many years for a very professional, ethical
company that treated it's customers and employees well. I am apalled in how
the nursing job has deteriorated during the last 2 company changes. Perhaps
I am trying to hold the nursing profession to higher standards by comparing
it to what I am used to. So I am asking if, in your opinion, this is typical
of today's employers are has my wife ended up a substandard organization?
Thanks,
Jack
Not using my real name or location for fear of retribution against my wife
with a BSN degree. She took time off to finish after we moved to another
city because of my job transfer. After finishing her BSN, about 1998, she
looked at the jobs available and decided that she wanted to try home
healthcare. She had a pick from many wonderful sounding opportunities,
selected one and started work. It seemed very good at the time, one weekend
out of 10, benefits, respectable salary, company (local hospital) treated
the employees good, etc. But then the hospital group was purchased by
Ardent. The benefits were somewhat less, the respect was noticeably less,
and the paperwork became much greater. Within a few months Ardent sold or
gave the home healthcare operation to Heritage Healthcare. My wife does get
some type of heath care policy, no paid holidays, less mileage reimbursement
for her personal car use and unbelievable amounts of paperwork. The
dispatching of patients which is supposed to be by geographical area seems
to be done in a "get it off of my desk" mode and is usually not done until
the last minute. Paperwork requests for insurance approval are not processed
by the office staff for several days after they are submitted. Doctors and
labs do not return phone calls requesting test results or prescription
changes. Often she must call several times for a couple of days to get the
information. The company wants to send LPNs (excuse me for ignorance but I
think LPNs do not have a state license) out to my wife's patients on my
wife's days off or when on vacation (unpaid) and hold my wife's license
responsible for the activities of the LPN. Some of the LPNs are responsible
and competent but there are some who absolutely are not. This company has
held meetings and told the nurses to always put urinary or bowel
incontinence on medicare applications/claims as they receive extra funding
from medicare.
I had the pleasure of working many years for a very professional, ethical
company that treated it's customers and employees well. I am apalled in how
the nursing job has deteriorated during the last 2 company changes. Perhaps
I am trying to hold the nursing profession to higher standards by comparing
it to what I am used to. So I am asking if, in your opinion, this is typical
of today's employers are has my wife ended up a substandard organization?
Thanks,
Jack
Not using my real name or location for fear of retribution against my wife