Thinking About Discharging A Client For Cause? Sometimes The Only Answer Is To Do It Now.
June 9, 2023
As a home care agency, you work so hard for clients. Your goal is to get the referral, provide the requested care, and then have a satisfied customer for years, right? Realistically, you normally spend more time on those who are not satisfied than the ones who are. If you are at wit's end, then you need to consider if it is time for the client to go somewhere else. Ultimately, it may be the best thing for your agency as well as the client.
Reasons To Discharge A Client For Cause:
- Abuse of Caregivers: We have all had these clients. There is certainly a difference between the client who can be grumpy at times versus those clients that have caused your agency to lose good staff. Now your abusive client has caused you staffing issues across the board because caregivers resigned. There is no question that we cannot afford to lose good staff because they are treated poorly in client homes. Caregivers do not have to endure physical or verbal/ emotional abuse and agencies should not tolerate it.
- Client Needs do not fit agency expertise: If you determine the client has needs your staff does not have the skill set to provide, don't take the client. If you already have, then work with the client to find an agency able to provide the services that meet their. There is nothing wrong with communicating to your client that your specific specialty is different and that the client would be better served elsewhere.
- You do everything as asked, but it is never enough: All of you are currently picturing a particular client, aren't you? These individuals take up a ton of staff time without a true resolution to "problems". As soon as you fix one thing, it is something else. Ultimately, you have to ask yourself if you actually lose dollars by continuing to serve the client. You may have a lot of time invested versus the reimbursement you receive. Plus, you have to ask what kind of complaining this individual does in the community and whether servicing them hurts your business.
- Accusations against staff: Of course, any accusation against a caregiver needs investigated. In working with agencies, we have seen those clients who accuse multiple caregivers of the same infraction such as theft of medication or items of value. These same caregivers may be in many homes with never a complaint from anyone. One wrong accusation throughout the communities you serve can hurt your businesses.
- Expect Discounted Services: We have found that agencies offering discounts for services often have the clients who are never satisfied. If the client has gotten discounts related to complaints, then the client is potentially incentivized to complain. We understand the client may have financial concerns, but discounting your services minimizes your value.
We understand your agency wants to keep as many current clients as possible, but not all clients help you build your business, retain employees, and have a positive profit margin. For these clients, there may be an agency that is a better fit or the client may need to have different and realistic expectations from the caregivers in the agency.
At Kenyon Homecare Consulting, we help agencies achieve clinical, operational, and financial goals while providing high quality care. Call us today at 206-721-5091 or contact us online to see how we can help you get there.
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Today, this article will look at little different than out typical articles. We all know the costs of losing employees and trying to hire and train new ones. It is exhausting and expensive. So, we think about our wages and benefit packages all the time. What can we do differently that makes people stay? We can’t change the job and we don’t want to keep people that don’t like the work itself. So, how do we acknowledge employees in a way that is valuable to them and that our businesses can afford to do? 5 Things To Consider About Employee Recognition At Your Christmas Party: 1. Years of Service: These can be based on milestone work anniversaries (5, 10, 15 yrs, etc.). If a person has been at your agency 11 years, you pull them up and acknowledge them in the group of employees who have been there at least 10 years up until the time they hit the 15 years landmark. This way longevity is recognized yearly. 2. Special Employee awards: Now, this may be difficult if your staff is very small, but acknowledge the employee who has gone the extra mile in the job they do. Tell the story. The employee needs to know when the employer is proud of the work that has been done. Consider a plaque or certificate. Don’t minimize the value of the employee having them to display. 3. Acknowledge all employees in the mix: Because we are a clinical industry, the administrative staff is often overlooked on day-to-day operations. Ultimately, don’t miss the chance to acknowledge the employee who was able to catch billing errors or collect on a large account. Staff doesn’t like to hear about money, but those types of collections keep Christmas bonuses in place! So, make sure the other staff knows the accomplishments of the finance department or the office manager that every caller loves to speak to. Don't ever forget the IT staff that is on call more than any clinical person in your agency! 4. Letters from the administration: Add a personal note to your staff either collectively or individually depending on the size of your agency. If you are larger, there are employees you don’t often see or get to talk to on a regular basis, so take the time so send a note with that Christmas bonus. 5. Consider the Christmas bonus: Listen, some of you can afford to do substantial monetary bonuses and that is fantastic. However, if you are not in that position, consider something in its place. Maybe small gas cards go with the letter from administration. With the cost of groceries, consider something that helps with the costs of daily living for employees. Big box gift cards in your area will always be used. You may do a lot of these things on a yearly basis to employees. All this being said, it doesn’t mean there aren’t reasons for acknowledgement throughout the year. However, your annual Christmas party is a good way to do it collectively. Between your annual party, write the individual cards to employees when you hear a patient interaction worthy of praise. Or, maybe you buy a gas card for the employee who has picked up extra shifts and always shows up on time. Ultimately, employees will feel valued. You will not regret the time, effort, and energy put into these efforts. Merry Christmas! If you want help with recruitment and retention strategies for your agency, please call Kenyon Homecare Consulting at 206-721-5091 or contact us online today.