DAY IN THE LIFE: Home Health Physical Therapist

[@renaribeiro]

“I see people shoveling snow...some rotator cuff injuries potentially” hahaha😂

[@gladysbunquin-non816]

Awesome video. I transitioned to home heath from working in outpatient setting for 6 years. I work in NYC & mainly take the subway- ride a bike- take the bus- walk to my patients’ homes. Typically see between 6-8 pts a days. Helps tremendously that I cluster patients within 10 block radius.

[@PTProgress]

Gladys Bunquin-Non wow! That sounds like a lot of planning on your part to make your day go smoothly! I‘m sure a vlog about your day would be pretty awesome from NYC :)

[@Gladys971]

Do you work self employed or at a company? How much can i expect to make in NY?

[@jo69817]

Hypothetically...if you had a car....and not in Manhattan, but in long island or the boroughs.....and were able to schedule patients even at 630am.....can't you schedule 10+ patients a day? That way if people cancel you have a cushion?

[@deidresmith23]

I'm a PTA with 7 years of home health experience and this is great! It's always interesting. I hate the cancellations though!

[@abdelrahmanhamdy9560]

Does physiotherapy pay a good salary?

[@rahulshyam4752]

Just awesome content, you have such a positive energy Tim, you're patients must be loving time spent with you, Keep up the great work , Kudos

[@earlhaymon4139]

Im a undergrad freshman at UCA and your videos have been helpful, keep informing people about becoming a PT

[@amishadalal2623]

Really helpful! I just started home health and still struggling with documentation. I bought the home health documentation from PT Progress and is helping. Can you pls do some videos on home health documentation? Thank you!

[@SOLOHeyman]

I love your channels dedication to Home Health. When I graduate I'm going to become a full-time home health therapist. I would find it extremely helpful if you upload a video on how you avoid low utilization payment period (LUPA).

[@Archer-nc3lg]

Awesome vid man! I'm gonna be a new grad soon leaning towards home health. Thanks!

[@PTProgress]

John Doe Thanks! Glad you found it to be helpful!

[@acidicjizz]

thank you, for everything!!

[@deboraholamiko1614]

Lovely video. More needed

[@morganmeese7590]

I love this video so much! I am currently considering home health as my next position and I've been looking for more information on what it is actually like. Thank you so much for posting this. If you have any good resources on home health, please let me know!

[@PTProgress]

Thanks Morgan! I hope to do more like this and answer other questions. If you think of any specific questions, leave them here and I’ll answer them as best as I can!

[@morganmeese7590]

@@PTProgress Hi Tim! So I am going to meet with a couple home health agencies in the next week & I know a little bit about it, you based on your video and also my friend who works in home health, but I was wondering if you have any suggestions for things I should ask the agencies about the position I would be taking. And then my other question is in starting HH, when I go to do evals & plan treatments, what should I be looking for to work on? I worked in a SNF before, so I'm kind of assuming it will be more along the lines of functional mobility than things I look for in my outpt ortho position right now with most people. I know you have the templates on your website for documentation, so I'll definitely be looking into those! Oh, and how long do you usually see patients before discharge? Thanks!

[@PTProgress]

Morgan Meese Ask them how the census has been in that area. What region will you be covering - radius of area or communities covered. Is there a weekend call requirement? What is the orientation process like? Do you have to perform starts of cares? Or do the nurses do the start of care visits normally? My treatments focus is usually on functional mobility, strength, and balance. Of course gait training as well. For total joint replacements, the visits are usually straightforward (often 3-5 visits) For a home bound adult who needs PT for strength balance and functional mobility, I usually start with two visits a week for three weeks and reassess accordingly. Not everyone gets 2WK3 though. Many times I will grade down the frequency based on their status. 3wk1, 2wk2, 1wk1 for example.

[@lvc4565]

Oh what a dream if you want to go home early you are able

[@abad-enoughdude._.3919]

What kind of treatment do you find yourself doing with them? Do you have to do max assist transfers? Like can they all mobilize on their own?

[@Rosalieburke]

Can you comment on if it is difficult to get a home health job as a new grad? I keep hearing this.... since we are essentially "alone" and "on our own" we aren't getting that mentorship we would in a clinic (is the common argument). Thanks!

[@Dengoid1917]

Hey, I'm a new grad PTA, freshly licensed, and was wondering how you've been doing if you pursued your career in Home Health. I am also pretty concerned about the lack of mentorship. Is there any sort of training given when first starting off?

[@Rosalieburke]

@@Dengoid1917 working in home health for 2 years now. In terms in training, it depends on the company largely. For my personality, it has worked. I do feel alone at times but ive found other ways to reach out to people and ask for guidance

[@dugood70]

I'm a plumber. Mean people and gross homes don't bother me, I don't see why people hate home health so much. Home health saved my grandmother's life. God bless those who do it, it's what I want to do, not because of the pay, but because of the need, and because I'm not bothered by these negatives.

[@dantae666]

What about inpatients? what do hospitals pay for working on the wards for neuro or cardio physio

[@AverageJoePT]

Never go into PT for the pay or any job for that matter.

[@calebmichael8678]

Hi tim. Im gonna be going to college to become a pta and i was wondering how long would it take to see 7 patients a day.

[@PTProgress]

As a PTA I would expect no problem in seeing 7 patients in the home health setting within 6-7 hours depending on the area you're covering. It also depends on the volume or census.

[@darrencamper6727]

I can usually see six to seven patients in a day if my area is local if I have to do some traveling outside of my area depending on traffic it can be a longer day I do suggest getting most of your notes done as best as you can in the driveway that way you don't have to take it home. But I love home health having the flexibility making my own schedule I completely agree with Tim.

[@calebmichael8678]

@@darrencamper6727 thankyou today was my first day of college.

[@yousufaslam5202]

Hey! Very informative video. Is it possible to do a 4 day work week?

[@raghavgera9147]

Is this safe for women going to homes alone?

[@deidresmith23]

Absolutely! We have more things to watch for and you need to trust your team and your gut! If you don't feel safe, leave and send a male clinician in. I've been in some sketchy situations BUT you learn from each situation. Always know your exits and have your phone, car key, and wallet on you in case you have to run out. My husband would feel a little better if I was at a clinic but he knows my free bird soul can't be confined in the same walls day in and day out again! 🦜 Plus it pays well!

[@MRInNate]

Is there no cancelation policy typically? Or is that just with that company

[@shahabhussain7775]

What will be the POS home health physical therapist for billing purposes

[@chewie1355]

Nice video, good tips.

[@lishen274]

Question: Tim, even though said in the video that you don't need to have work experience straight out of school to do Home health, but it seem like there's a lot of place (home health job openings) where they (in their description) wanted at least 1 year of experience in PT- how do you work/ go around that obstacle?

[@PTProgress]

Hi Li - personally I would just tell them you’re a fast learner and that you would be happy to shadow someone for a couple of weeks. That’s all it takes in my opinion. As a PT, you are more than capable of the patient care side. The documentation side will be a learning curve but you’ll get used to it.

[@nemakameli9237]

Hey brother was wondering if i could reach out and ask a few questions.

[@corneliusfrank]

Sup Tim, are you an independent contractor with home health or do you work under W2? I was wondering what the pros and cons were to each. Cool video!

[@akhiltummala1553]

I’m a biomedical engineer thinking of studying physical therapy for my graduate. Do you think it would be a good idea to work in a clinic or start as a home health therapist?

[@PTProgress]

Good news is that you can do both or shadow and see if you prefer one to the other. Do this before PT school if you can!

[@centreoflife]

Sir,what camera is this?Great video.Thank you very much

[@theghostofchillhop]

Lmao right. Beautiful camera

[@BWSeraph]

So I'm a physical therapist assistant looking to working more flexible setting where I can carve out more time for my family and my current schooling the position that I'm applying for is a PRN until I can get experience to move into maybe a full-time home health my question is in outpatient working 40 hours full-time I was making about 55k and that was a very comfortable income for me and my wife who makes around the same my question is can I average around that with little concern of having no work or zero patience if I switch to going to home health PRN and 20 to 25 visits a week. my biggest concern in going into home health was I was always worried that there wouldn't be enough work to go around one day and I'd wake up without any earnings whatsoever.

[@calebharris4127]

Depends on where you live obviously. I live in Jax FL and as a new grad PTA in home health, I average 35+ visits/week. There definitely is not low visit fear around here. Hope that helps

[@lillyw.3507]

You work in the public hospital or private sector? And will youl have unstable income if you work in the inpatient , as you might not get that much visit every month so your salary is unstable?

[@PTProgress]

Some home health jobs are salary. Many are paid per visit. My work in home health has always been pay per visit. I did not work an inpatient hospital job.

[@chloeeden1371]

What college/university did you go to?

[@Nicoliolii]

Awesome video! I had a question about the equipment you utilize for home health. Does the company provide all equipment needed or have you found some useful tools that you consider helpful?

[@PTProgress]

The company provides everything but I bought a separate keyboard that works much better on my tablet.

[@yemayemaable]

@@PTProgress What equipment did they provide for you?

[@dkingtrippy804]

I was truly worried about the patient cancellations ? Does this happen frequently , especially with me being a new grad?? #PTA

[@PTProgress]

DK DKING cancellations for home health happen but the % will differ for everyone. I always expected a 10% chance of cancellations when planning my day. Scheduling patients who are nearby and actively looking at ways to rearrange your day or week can help to maximize your schedule. The biggest factor for keeping your sanity is to find a way to streamline your documentation. It’s why I created the home health documentation templates - because I was tired of documentation! The link to the documentation template bundle is in the description if you want to check it out.

[@masterakki4781]

Hi, new sub here. Sorry if this is personal, wondering if you live in Calgary? From the mass amount of snow and the trucks.

[@PTProgress]

Hey there! Nope. Go a bit East a South. I’m in Michigan :)

[@florenceponcardas9086]

The coffee part is really cute...😍😍😍

[@freedomfitness8720]

The dreaded PDGM is coming. How will it affect us in the home health industry, In your opinion. Also, down here in Texas, our visits have to be 50 to 60 minutes long. As far as documentation goes, we are forced to use well Sky. It used to be called Kinnser. I literally hate it

[@PTProgress]

Hi there! Full disclosure: I did not read through the 233 pages of the CMS rules on PDGM but the main takeaways are the change from 60 to 30 day cert periods and classification/reimbursement based on severity and dx. Here’s my opinion: I actually like the 30 day cert period change. I always thought of HH as a shorter term solution (yes there are always exceptions) but the shorter cert period is just fine in my opinion. Basically it means you might be doing more evals because the agency will want to increase the new patients for higher reimbursement. Knowing this, you simply need to find ways to become even more efficient on what you do. I can’t control the agencies but I can control my visit and how I do my documentation. * I’ll place a shameless plug for the home health documentation templates and say the phrases and examples in the templates are still really valuable and useful even with these changes. I’d say the templates are even more valuable because we need to find ways to become more efficient! As for the classifications and dx, we’ll need to be even more specific with how we document impairments and the impact on functional tasks. HH Documentation is definitely the worst of all therapy documentation and it will become more strict with the changes. That’s why it’s so important to know how to quickly and efficiently write skilled documentation that is just as skilled as the treatment we provide. Thanks for your comment! - Tim

[@freedomfitness8720]

PTProgress All agreed. Not sure what they do up there but we are "punished" if our notes are not sent the same day. No grace periods. So I hate the Kinnser/Well Sky templates and thats seems to be all they use down here.

[@geekguyful]

My wife is a pta in a nursing home. They were hit by PDPM in October and it has drastically caused cutbacks in the hours that she can bill Medicare for. She is currently looking for new jobs.

[@deidresmith23]

50- 60 minutes??? My sweet spot is a 43 min visit but my company only required 20 min (which is MUCH too short!).

[@davidj5998]

do you bring your jacket into patient's homes?

[@PTProgress]

No I usually try to wear light jackets and keep them on, leaving large coats in the car.

[@DrShane0019]

Hahaha, words like "challenged" and "adaptable" are too kind.