Last week, discussions in the Home Health Nursing community revolved around practical tools and strategies to enhance our daily practice. Members delved into continuing education topics that align with the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model, shared resources for managing tense home visits, and exchanged tips for optimizing morning visits. The focus was on practical applications and improving communication during patient handoffs.
This Week’s Hot Topics
CE topics that align with HHVBP
This discussion covers continuing education topics that can help us align with the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing model. It’s essential for those looking to enhance their practice and meet new standards. Read more here
Quick check-in sheet for tense visits
An engaging thread about using a check-in sheet to ease tension during visits, which can be particularly useful for maintaining a calm and professional atmosphere. Read more here
Handoff checklist for smoother home visits
Colleagues are sharing a checklist to ensure nothing is overlooked during handoffs, making transitions between caregivers more seamless. Read more here
SBAR handoff template for home visits
The SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) template is being adapted for home health visits to improve clarity and communication. Read more here
Morning visit flow tips
This conversation offers practical tips to streamline your morning visits, setting a positive tone for the rest of the day. Read more here
Looking forward to another week of shared learning and support. Let’s continue to make our work in home health nursing as effective and compassionate as possible.
I started packing a “first‑visit mini‑kit” the night before — like laying out school clothes for your day — and I text my 8 a.m. patient a 15‑minute window to cut the scramble. For tense homes, I open with a quick agenda: “Vitals, meds, one goal — still good?” @Renee if texting isn’t allowed, our EMR’s auto‑reminders do the trick, and the HHVBP refresher here is an easy skim: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality-initiatives-patient-assessment-instruments/value-based-programs/hhvbp/hhvbp.
Piggybacking on @hmclean89, I do a quick 2‑minute pre‑drive huddle: check traffic, confirm door code, and fire off a text macro — “ETA 8:10–8:20; any parking or pets I should know about?” — which saves me surprises before coffee. If texting isn’t appropriate, I leave a 10‑second voicemail the night before.
Quick win that saved me a few minutes per stop: I built a “first five minutes” checklist in my EMR favorites aligned to HHVBP measures (https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality-initiatives-patient-assessment-instruments/value-based-programs/hhvbp/hhvbp) and paste it in before I knock, which keeps education and fall-risk items consistent and trims charting later. If connectivity’s spotty, I save the plan offline so I’m not stuck on the porch waiting for the EMR to load — faster than any extra shot of espresso.
I pre-sync charts on home Wi‑Fi before leaving and set my EMR to open straight to a custom ‘doorstep sequence’ — vitals, med rec, safety, goals — so the first minute runs on rails; it’s like preheating the oven. @david_75_m if connectivity’s flaky, a small hotspot backup or a one-page printed snapshot is a safer bet.
I keep a tiny doorstep card per patient with the one HHVBP capture and a 10‑second teach‑back line — “today we’ll confirm meds and one safety goal” — so the first minute stays on script. If I’m slammed, I swap the card for a quick voice memo cue between houses. Quick primer on phrasing: https://www.ahrq.gov/health-literacy/improve/precautions/tool2b.html.
I start a silent 2‑minute watch timer as I step in and say, “I’ll get us set up, then we’ll pick one goal for today,” which keeps me moving through setup without small‑talk detours. If the vibe’s off or someone’s hurting, I skip the timer and slow down.
I do a 30-second pre-arrival call about 10 minutes out and ask, “Could you set out your meds and BP log so we can jump right into the med rec?” It trims the initial setup on morning visits and helps me cleanly capture the HHVBP med reconciliation without feeling rushed; if a patient dislikes calls, I leave a brief voicemail instead.
I switch my phone into a 25‑minute Focus scene before morning visits so only the EMR and office can ping me — cuts the side chatter and I’m more consistent with the HHVBP capture; iOS steps here: Set up a Focus on iPhone - Apple Support. If the home’s communication-heavy, I allow the primary caregiver through so it doesn’t feel sealed off.