THE HOME HEALTH PROFESSIONAL

TRUE FACTS

• Anyone can be a leader in the industry 
• Leadership is about possibilities-seeing opportunity and hope, where many believe this does not exist.
• Leaders have clear and focused visions, goals and objectives
• Effective leaders earn respect; they do not demand it by wielding power or using force. They admit their failures and mistake and strive to learn from them
• Leadership requires some element of risk taking which can sometimes be frightening or disorienting.
• Leadership requires self-knowledge and accountability, self-awareness, the ability to listen and compassion for others 

“A good leader inspires others to have confidence in him/her. A great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves”


Anonymous

SOME “PRESCRIBED” NAMES ASSOCIATED WITH HOME HEALTH AGENCIES

Provider Agency

Therapy Agency

Place for the Sick

Non-Custodian

Out-Patient facility

Nursing Agency

Home Care

Medicare Company

Medicaid Company

Health Insurance

Rehab

PROPER DEFINITION

Home health agency (HHA) means a public or private agency or organization that offers home care services including skilled nursing services and at least one other therapeutic service in the residence of the client through physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, and homemakers whom they recruit and supervise.

Home Health Operation and Administration goes far beyond just visiting and providing the necessary support and care for outpatients in their homes.

DISCOVERING OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL

The United States congress has continuously passed legislation to regulate the Healthcare industry with a focus on Social Security and Medicare. Regulations have brought about innovations to track fraud and abuse of tax payers’ dollars and this has opened opportunities for non-medical professionals to venture into healthcare. Some areas are as follows:

• Information Technology and Software Development
• Accounting and Book-Keeping
• Consultancy and Training Services
• Billing Services

Medical personnel like Registered Nurses and Physicians are continuously equipping themselves with business and management skills to enable them cope in this fast paced industry that is continuously audited by various government contractors hereby forcing business owners to focus on “paper work” more than administration of care.

As you start your journey in this new career path, some fundamental questions you would continue to ask..

• Why is the Doctor/Physician not familiar with the policies?
• Why is the nurse so focused on making visits and not profits?
• Why are you more bothered with the implication of the actions of the healthcare professionals in the dissemination of care?
• Why are the variances in your budget adversely outrageous?
• Why do you need to be involved with your heart and soul?

The questions you will continue to ask are numerous and the answers and solutions will only be received if you keep an open mind.

THE PROFESSIONAL YOU!

• Assume you know nothing for the first 6 months
• Mingle with home health professionals and administrators and not just Registered Nurses and Doctors
• Ensure you have a diary with you at all times, or make the best use of your smart phone
• Understand your agency policy as it affects your operations, it’s sometimes different from that of other agencies
• Don’t get involved in any form of training within the first 3 months of starting, observe and learn on the job so you do not get more confused than you already are
• Respect people you meet in the industry despite their qualification

 TIME MANAGEMENT

To be an effective leader in this industry, you need to use their time efficiently. This requires that you master the art of effective time management. A broad range of people or activities can make demands on your time, but they cannot control it.

You are responsible for managing your time!

How do you spend your time?

In managing your time, concentrate on results, not on being busy - Many people spend their days in a frenzy of activity, but achieve very little because they are not concentrating on the right things. 

       STEPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR ABILITY TO MANAGE YOUR TIME

Learn how to control the demands on your time:

a)    Create to-do lists – keep a diary or planner; be realistic about how much time it will take you to accomplish a task. Remember the 80:20 rule: 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort

b)    Prioritize effectively – what makes your big list? Is it family, society, health and well being, wealth, career growth, intellectual growth or spiritual growth? Attach specific, action-oriented goals and tasks, with timelines to each of your priorities.

c)    Delegate, when possible

How to delegate:

·        Consider gradually increasing authority and responsibility.

·        Set clear, realistic goals for the task to be delegated.

·        Communicate the assignment clearly.

·        Give your support person complete information on organizational policy and procedure as it relates to the assignment.

·        Define the limits of responsibility as it relates to the assignment.

·        After the delegate thoroughly understands the limits of authority, allow him/her to go ahead.

·        Give the delegate the authority needed for carrying out the assignment, and inform others that s/he has this authority.

d)   Minimize interruptions

e)    Improve the effectiveness and efficiency of meetings

f)     Set limits 

g)    Learn to say No – you cannot be all things to all people

h)    Learn to multitask – you can often do multiple things at the same time e.g. answering phone calls and arranging client charts

i)     Create an efficient system of decision-making: Determine what is important after carefully considering the goals you set for yourself. Always look at the bigger picture, what task or activities do I need to undertake that will enable me meet deadlines? Do not waste time agonizing over spilled milk, like why did the DON did not submit her visit notes for billing? Instead focus on developing a system that would enable Nurses submit their visit logs on-time.
  
j)  Organize your environment –A messy working or living environment can take a significant amount of your time from a typical day. Investing 45 minutes of your day in cleaning and arranging your space can save you a significant amount of time and frustration. Create effective filing systems and remove anything from your immediate environment that you will not need to use or encounter for weeks or months

WORKING WITH OTHERS

Staff turnover in this industry is pretty high, some people work for a year and for some reason they believe they should be consultants J When selecting personnel to work on your team there are certain things you need to look out for:

High Skill/Low Will	High Skill/High Will
Low Skill/Low Will	Low Skill/High Will

 

Understanding this matrix enables you to sift through the number of individuals you will work with during the course of you career, enabling you to identify, motivate, and retain great potential who will support you in achieving your long-term goals.

Because team work is the key to success in this industry, you will need to have dependable and knowledgeable team mates.