Unpacking The Best Practices for Home Visits

Home visits stand as a cornerstone of home health care and social work. In the United States alone, there are almost 11,500 Medicare-certified home health care agencies, working to serve the millions of patients who require and receive care from their homes. While all workers in the home health care field who visit and care for these patients should do their utmost during home visits to understand and meet the patient’s needs, best practices for home visits don’t begin and end with the appointment.  

Achieving efficiency and patient satisfaction in these visits isn’t just about the actual interaction (although that element is certainly significant!), but also hinges on maintaining meticulous pre-visit preparations and post-visit procedures. In this article, we’ll explore best practices for home visits for home health care providers and social workers in every step of the visit process.

Best Practices for Home Visits

Best practices for home visits begin well before the trip itself! Before workers even begin to step into the client’s space, they can begin setting groundwork that can often dictate the success of the visit.

Confirming Appointments and Setting Expectations

Before the appointment is even held, it’s important to set expectations for what the visit will entail. It’s crucial to ensure both the provider and the client are on the same page. Making confirmations in advance also helps reduce the risk of no-shows or misaligned schedules. Pre-visit procedures and communication also provide an opportunity for any prerequisites required by the visit; For example, if the client needs to make any specific preparations or have any pertinent documentation ready ahead of the home visit. 

Reviewing Client History and Tailoring Approach

Knowledge is power! And in the realm of home healthcare, knowledge also translates to improved services. Before visiting their clients, home healthcare workers should refresh their memories on past interactions, patients’ medical histories, and any other important details that could guide the flow of the visit. Taking the due diligence to familiarize yourself with and address individualized client needs facilitates a more personalized and effective approach to home healthcare.

Organizing Essential Resources and Pre-Visit Checks

Preparation is everything! A provider who knows exactly what to expect and is prepared to meet the needs of their client instills confidence and trust. Ensure that all necessary tools, documentation or equipment are in place before the visit begins, to minimize potential disruptions. Examples of pre-visit checks may include ensuring battery life on electronic devices, verifying documents, and cross-checking any necessary medical aids or tools.

Mastering the Home Visit Interaction

Once the home visit with the client actually begins, the main interaction with the client should be a blend of empathy, active listening, and clear communication. It’s important to recognize the personal space and boundaries of the client! Additionally, taking a structured approach to the visit, from greeting to conclusion, helps to ensure that all critical topics are addressed, without overlooking any details.

Post-Visit Procedures: Not Just an Afterthought

Best practices for home visits don’t just cover preparation and the visit itself! Once concluded, the post-visit phase of home healthcare work holds equal significance, especially in shaping positive future interactions and outcomes. After its conclusion, document any relevant observations, feedback, and any recommendations promptly. Reflecting carefully on and documenting important details of the visit allows workers to zero in on areas for improvement, which can help enhance the quality of any subsequent visits. Regular debriefs with team members or a supervisor can offer additional insights and the opportunity for collaborative solutions to problems that may have come up or been observed by the worker during their visit.

Streamlining the Post-Visit Process

When brainstorming ways to streamline the ins and outs of home health care, consider integrating technology! Workers have a lot to keep track of when it comes to patients and their unique needs. Utilizing software solutions can help them manage the other technical elements of their work, especially the logistics around the high levels of traveling that many health care and social workers who visit patients for work have to do. Some mileage softwares offer tools that can simplify appointment scheduling, route planning, and mileage tracking. 

SureMobile is Always With You

The art of perfecting and maintaining best practices for home visits in health care and social work transcends just focusing on the time spent with the client. With diligent preparation, structured interactions, and thoughtful, reflective post-visit routines, workers in home health care and social work who visit clients at their homes can significantly enhance the quality of their service. To make the process even more effective, consider integrating CompanyMileage as a high-tech, digital solution for route planning, mileage tracking and mileage reimbursement management. Not only will workers save time and energy on the logistical aspect of their jobs, but they and their employers can always be sure that they will end their trips with accurate, well-documented mileage logs so that they remain in compliance with IRS regulations for mobile employees.

SureMileage is the perfect solution for home health and personal care providers. With our Quick Capture and Check-In feature, workers can electronically record the information needed to comply with electronic visit verification (EVV) federal requirements. CompanyMileage also takes security very seriously, and our software solutions all meet or exceed the standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). 

How will your employees use our SureMobile app? They’ll be able to quickly submit GPS location data for starting and ending locations right from their smartphones. From there, our SureMileage software will use the unique point-to-point calculation method to calculate mileage and complete an employee’s travel logs. SureMileage works seamlessly with most major accounting and payroll software, so when mileage reimbursement is ready to be paid, the process is quick and easy. 

Home health care workers have a lot to handle, and CompanyMileage is here to provide a user-friendly way to make the logistics around travel easier. For a free demo, contact us today!