Not Excited About Policies And Procedures? When Your Business Road Map Works, It Makes For A Much Smoother Ride.
Kenyon HomeCare Consulting • March 3, 2021
In consulting throughout different agencies within the US, we have seen so many different ways home health and hospice agencies operate. The thing that remains consistent and clear in all of them is that when policies and procedures do not match operations, there is always an issue. Let’s look at common things we see and where they can be landmines for agencies on a day-to-day basis.
7 Operational Landmines:
When we talk about landmines, we could mean with personnel issues, financial success, clinical practice, legal compliance, or at survey time. Having solid policy and procedures and operating manuals should be a sure guide to running your agency. In some cases, policies are not even considered as a tool. Here are 7 of the big landmines we see in agencies:
Complaint Follow Up: When the state or accrediting body follow up on a complaint, will you be able to show adequate follow up and follow thru? Does your agency all agree on what is written up as a complaint? Do staff know and understand your complaint policy. Do they follow it?
Personnel Issues: The biggest landmine here is if you don’t follow your own policy. You can’t provide 2 different kinds of disciplinary action to employees for the same offense in your manual. You may be on the hook for a lot more unemployment if you do.
Reimbursement/ Compensation: Same applies here. Wages and compensation must follow the same pattern for the employees. Your policies need to be clear as to what you will and won’t pay an employee for or you will end up paying for it all.
Labor Disputes: You have to know and follow labor laws. Make sure your policies match what is required on the federal and state levels.
Withholding Wages: This is a very slippery slope for us in the industry. In institutional settings, the employee finishes the shifts documentation before clocking out for the day. In home health, this may be best practice and what you want as a business owner, but it doesn’t always happen. Frustrated administration can say that if documentation isn’t turned in, then you don’t get paid. Be careful though, depending upon where you are, you may not be allowed to do so.
Continuity In Branches: Regardless the size of your agency, the way they run needs to match. You can’t have discrepancies between how office managers or nursing supervisors handle operating issues.
Hiring Practices: This one is huge. Not only are there legal components but also retention and financial implications as well. Your processes need to be swift and have continuity in the process of interviewing and onboarding. You already have to spend so much time and money to recruit and retain employees, but have you looked to see if you miss the mark from the minute you receive the application?
Keep Your Manuals Updated Routinely:
At Kenyon Homecare Consulting, we want to help you see policies and procedure as a tool and not a hindrance to smooth operations within your agency. We have fully customizable online manuals for all business lines and accrediting bodies. Call us today at 206-721-5091 or contact us online with any questions you may have about our services or online manuals. Please also consider joining us February 24th for our free webinar “Are You Afraid To Ask Who’s Minding The Store? Ensure Operational Efficiencies by Making Sure All Arms Of The Business are Efficient and in Compliance” at 10 am PST. Register today!
Results Based Consulting
Did you find value in this blog post? Imagine what we can do for your home care or hospice agency. Fill out the form below to see how we're leading the industry with innovation, affordability, and experience.
Contact Us
For a Plan of Correction to be effective, it must address the "Who, What, Where, When, and How" of the correction. It is the formal response to regulatory error.
Preparing for a CMS survey in home health or hospice requires shifting from "crisis mode" to a culture of continuous compliance. Preparation prevents surprise!
CMS survey readiness is about compliance with the Conditions of Participation (CoPs). Surveyors evaluate care in home visits, record review, and staff interviews.
Home care agencies are finding it more difficult to secure and maintain licenses. Administrative backlogs to new federal mandates threaten viability to small providers.
The home health industry is highly regulated, competitive, and constantly evolving. A qualified consultant can save time, reduce mistakes, and accelerate success.
OASIS and ICD-10 coding influence decision-making, reimbursement, quality reporting, and agency performance. Ensuring accuracy is essential for every home health.
Chronic diseases account for the majority of healthcare utilization and spending with a disproportionate share of hospital admissions, ER visits & long term costs
An experienced interim manager can provide stability, expertise, and momentum- if the right individual is selected during your time of need and transition.
OASIS plays a critical role in care planning, quality, reimbursement, and regulatory compliance and is also key to success and integrity of Medicare Home Health.
Policies and procedures serve as the foundation for consistent, fair, and effective operations. Your manual should be a living breathing guide for your agency.