Home Health & Hospice Week

Reader Question:

Don't Look The Other Way On Sexual Harassment From Patients, Families

Recent lawsuit, shooting show why this touchy issue should be a priority. Question: At the home health agency where I work, one of our employees has started complaining about a patient she sees weekly in his home, alleging that he is saying inappropriate things and attempting to touch her in a way that makes her uncomfortable. He is old and frail, and she says she feels bad for him, too. We don't want to lose him as a patient, but we are concerned because our worker is making a fuss, and other employees want to know what's going on. What should our agency do? Answer: Sexual harassment is a serious issue, and your HHA has a legal obligation to protect your employees from it. Last September, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Nurse One/ Team One, a McMinnville, Tenn.-based provi-der of home care services, alleging that the company violated [...]
You’ve reached your limit of free articles. Already a subscriber? Log in.
Not a subscriber? Subscribe today to continue reading this article. Plus, you’ll get:
  • Simple explanations of current healthcare regulations and payer programs
  • Real-world reporting scenarios solved by our expert coders
  • Industry news, such as MAC and RAC activities, the OIG Work Plan, and CERT reports
  • Instant access to every article ever published in Revenue Cycle Insider
  • 6 annual AAPC-approved CEUs
  • The latest updates for CPT®, ICD-10-CM, HCPCS Level II, NCCI edits, modifiers, compliance, technology, practice management, and more