Home health physical therapists

[1FutureDPT]

Hi guys,

I am interested in finding out more about home health physical therapy. I have read many of the previous threads, but I hope that those in the setting or who have previously been in the setting might be able to provide some updated information. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am currently considering taking a position in the setting.

1. Are you paid per visit? If so how much?

2. How long on average do you stay in each patients home? Is there a required minimum amount of time?

3. How much time on average do you spending doing documentation? Are we legally/ethically allowed to do our documentation in the pts. home as part of the visit?

4. Any ethical challenges that you have run into with the company you work for?

And any other information you might have to offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

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[wrennywren]

I just got licensed in May and started with a home health company in June. I love it! I get to make my own schedule and I like going to different people's homes. Here's how it works for me in pediatrics home health.

1. We are paid first with a base salary (20 points... 1 point is a treatment visit, an eval or re eval counts as 2 points) and then any point above 20, we get paid per point. I am averaging around 29-31 points per week.

2. Each treatment visit is 30 minutes. An eval can last up to 1 hour, but most are way less. 30 mins is the required minimum

3. I do all of my documentation in between sessions, or at home. I never do them as part of the visit as that is the time to work with your patient. I would say documentation takes 2-4 hours a week depending on how many evals you have to write up.

4. no ethical challenges that I have encountered.

Like I said, I love it. My typical schedule is monday through thursday. I do some notes each morning and my first visit isn't until 11 or 12. I then work until 6:30 or so (5:30 on thursdays). I pack my sessions in tight, so I don't really have time for breaks, but I like it that way. Get the work done and go home and spend long weekend with my wife and kids.

 

[1FutureDPT]

Thanks for the reply!

 

[starrsgirl]

Great information! Thank you for sharing. I'm very interested in doing home health pediatrics too. Does your company specialize only in pediatrics or as a therapist, do you simply focus on pediatrics within the company? Is there a driving limit (roughly speaking) for your patients that the company imposes or do you set that?

 

[wrennywren]

My company is pediatrics only. As far as driving, it depends on the company. Some bigger cities have smaller service areas. I'm in a more rural area (live in a big city, but all of my kids are outside city limits) and I drive a lot. It's nice, though because you get paid mileage at a good rate. Mileage reimbursement basically pays for all of my gas and the payment on my car (plus some extra leftover to cover the gas in my wife's van. )

 

[NewTestament]

Do you learn anything in home health? Several PT's have dissuaded me from pursuing HH because "you don't learn anything."

 

[DesertPT]

Do you learn anything in home health? Several PT's have dissuaded me from pursuing HH because "you don't learn anything."

Why? Lack of mentorship/time spent with other PTs?

 

[NewTestament]

I'm assuming that's the problem. There's also no collaboration with other clinicians. Otherwise I don't see the difference between HH and acute care. You just drive from one home to another instead of going from one room to another.

 

[wrennywren]

Yeah, I'd say that's the biggest downside to home health is lack of collaboration with other therapists.

 

[DesertPT]

But do you think you've kept learning/growing as a therapist since starting in home health or just maintaining the knowledge/"status quo" you came out of school with, so to speak?

 

[starrsgirl]

Thank you (again) for sharing! I'm really excited about what you do and feel like I needed this boost to keep my focus on the future (as I'm drowning in my first semester of school).

 

[wrennywren]

But do you think you've kept learning/growing as a therapist since starting in home health or just maintaining the knowledge/"status quo" you came out of school with, so to speak?

Hard to say, as I've only been doing this for 4 months.

I will say, that I do have other therapists that I can talk with and get advice from, just don't see them every day. My company does offer me money each year for CEU's, so I am going to take advantage of that and get some good, up to date information specific to pediatrics.