Staff Visit Frequency—Not on the Referral Call
Posted by Mike Ferris on Friday, October 17, 2008 and posted in HospiceIn their well-intended desire to tell callers about the wonderful hospice benefit, referral coordinators often automatically say that the nurse will visit 2 - 3 times a week and the aide usually is 3 - 5 times.
While in some cases this may be true, it’s inappropriate for us to say this to a caller when we haven’t even assessed the situation. It can also set a troublesome expectation that this is the standard. Then, at the visit, if the assessment nurse says that nursing visits will be once a week, the family may feel that they’re not getting the full benefit.
If callers ask: Tell them that the nurse will put together a team schedule based upon the needs of the patient and family. If they really push about nurse visit frequency, tell them that at a minimum it’s once every 2 weeks, and usually once a week.
Volunteers and aides: It’s also inappropriate to give away volunteers or aides over the phone. While they certainly are a key benefit, tell callers that “the nurse will talk to you about the support services that we have should your family need assistance with personal care or other help.”