Best Practices For Home Healthcare Clinicians And Agencies Follow To Stay Competitive

Updated on July 15, 2022

When it comes to sustenance in this competitive segment of the healthcare industry, all home healthcare clinicians and agencies must follow a few best practices of this trade. This will also ensure that they provide the best care services and produce the best results as desired by them and as expected by their clients.

For any home health care agency, nurses are an essential part of the care team. They constantly interact with the patients and convey the progress report or any symptoms to the primary physician. Increasingly, this is being done through home care software, which allows more patient information to be passed on to the necessary colleagues in a timely manner, improving levels of care.

  • This ensures that at all stages the best and most appropriate care is provided to the patient according to the current physical and medical needs. 
  • In addition to that, all these interactions are also very helpful for the agencies to grow and get more business. 

Since the nurses and clinicians represent the home care agency in every interaction, the home care agencies should now work with them using the best scheduling and staffing solution. This is the first thing that they should do to stay competitive.

Best practices during visits

Apart from that, it is also important for the home health care agencies to ensure that their clinicians and nurses follow the best practices during their visits to their clients. Client satisfaction is the most important thing in any type of business to succeed but it is all the more important in providing home health care services. According to survey it is revealed that client satisfaction ensures that:

  • There is an increasing prominence on patient engagement and 
  • It also impacts value-based reimbursement.

If followed properly, these best practices will help the nurses, clinician,s and even the home health aides to develop a close and strong relationship with the patient. This will eventually and invariably help in providing the best care and ensure that their patients are satisfied with the type of care they receive.

Warm greeting and conversation

There is nothing good like a warm greeting to create a better first impression. Tell them who you are and what is your work. Such warm interaction will allow the patients to:

  • Know who they will be with and 
  • Help them to avoid the chances of any unnecessary confusion and anxiety in the future.

You must also make proper, intelligent and acceptable conversations with the patients to build an instant connection and relationship. 

  • Do not be too personal or ask too many questions. 
  • Be professional and state only the facts, this will prevent the patient from being angry or irritated.
  • Do not be impulsive.
  • Never use foul language. 

Make sure that you always address the person courteously and appropriately using their first name only along with a “Mr.” or “Mrs.” that too if they allow you to do so. Avoid using friendly terms like ‘dear,’ ‘honey,’ or ‘sweetie.’

Other best practices to follow

In addition to the above, there are also a few other important best practices to follow that will help nurses to produce an exquisite experience to their clients. However, these best practices do not only comprise good manners and the set standards of medical practices that all such agencies should follow. These are much more complex.

Your body language should also be appropriate especially when you are making nonverbal communication to reveal your thoughts and feelings. However, you must know about the different cultures so that you do not use any gestures or body language that is culturally offensive. If you are not fluent with it, avoid using sign language as that may lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

There are a few small things that will matter much in your communication and establishment of a relation with the patients. These are:

  • Putting on your brightest and best smile
  • Making eye contact but not staring at the patient
  • Showing your sincerity and knowledge of the care process
  • Standing tall and confident with no slouch of frequent shifting of stance
  • Avoid crossing hands on your chest, putting in the pocket or on your hips or making a fist and 
  • Dressing appropriately s that shows good manners. 

Make an appointment before you meet the patient so that they are well prepared for the meeting and always carry your ID badge. Make yourself look like a pro because you are there to work and not to spend time in the homes of the patients with your friends, family or children.

The care processes

When you get the job, make sure that you provide the best care services. There should not be any distractions or hindrances in the process due to personal matters. You must ensure standard precautions always along with good hand hygiene to prevent infections. 

Respecting the property of the patient and their privacy should also be your prime concern so much so that it does not gets in the way of providing the desired level of care. do not use their furniture to keep your nursing bag, do not ask for any favor, use their towel or hand soap or even their restrooms. Accepting monetary benefits of any sorts is an absolute no-no.

Role of the care agencies 

Remember, if you respect, you too will be respected and it will help in building a stronger relationship with the patient. This is beneficial for everyone:

  • The nurse, to provide the best care
  • The patient, to receive exceptional care and 
  • The agency, to have a greater likelihood of getting more positive referrals to grow their business.

For this the agencies should play their part well. They must choose and use the best home care software vendor to make the best use of technology in their care process. The agencies must also train and prepare their staffs to ensure smooth implementation of technology. They must follow the home care software purchasing checklist to choose the right software and vendor.

Last but surely not the least, all home care agencies should work with the most professional and commercial payers. This will not only ensure best practices followed and care provided, but it will also help them to expand their business beyond Medicare and private insurance payers. 

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.