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Putting It All Together
In addition to the factors
already noted, our triage
department manages the
majority of weekday calls
from patients cared for
by our HHC teams. This
supported our determination
that these teams could carry
larger caseloads than the
agency means by discipline,
as reported in the FY2011
National Summary (Table
14). And this is by design.
Our goal is to limit “the
asks for work” outside of
direct patient care, so these
teams can focus almost
exclusively on providing
interdisciplinary care that is
true to the core principles of
hospice.
The one exception is our
Central team. The multitude
of complex psychosocial
issues and very real safety
concerns associated with the
patients they serve suggests
smaller caseloads are
necessary in order to deliver
quality care and a positive
patient and family experience.
Travel time for both our
Harford and Howard County
teams is also acknowledged
as a potential issue since each
covers a broad geography.
The distribution of patients
is occasionally problematic
and must be conscientiously
assessed.
In Closing
The key to staffing success
is the commitment to
thoroughly understanding all
of the factors which impact
the day-to-day operations
of the clinical program and
a commitment to re-assess
those factors regularly. As I
hope this article illustrates,
NHPCO’s Staffing Guidelines
can help you get there.
Regina Shannon Bodnar is
a registered nurse with more
than 35 years of clinical and
leadership experience. She
currently serves as the director
of clinical services for Gilchrist
Hospice Care in Hunt Valley,
MD, a position she has held
since 1993. She is also an
active member of NHPCO,
including service as both a
member of the Quality and
Standards Committee and
the Task Force charged with
development of the NHPCO
Staffing Guidelines.
Staffing Guidelines: Available in PDF and Print
NHPCO’s Staffing Guidelines for Hospice Home Care Teams can be
downloaded by members, free of charge, from the NHPCO website.
Printed copies ($14.99 for members) are also available for purchase from the
NHPCO Marketplace—and can be ordered online or by calling the NHPCO
Solutions Center at 800-646-6460 (M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., ET/EDT)
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