Missed visits can cost you BIG $$
An Alabama jury awarded a home health patient $2.65 million dollars. The patient, who suffers from cerebral palsy, was left unattended for four days when his home health workers failed to show. As a result of the no-shows, the plaintiff was left in bed for four days. The article states that he was only able to get help, when he made enough noise for a neighbor to hear him. The patient suffered dehydration and injuries to his hip, shoulder and leg. The article does not explain how the patient was injured, just that the injuries were due to the neglect by the agency.
Missed visits are an issue in home care. They are a bigger issue for your patients who are dependent upon your services to stay in their homes and who live alone. These patients have no one to care for them but your staff. If your staff fails to do its job, your patient (and you) are at risk. If you do not consider how to identify missed visits quickly for patients who cannot call you to tell you themselves, you may find yourself the next defendant in a suit such as this. (Source: Home Care Law)
