Home Health & Hospice Week

Focus on clinical rather than financial incentives for new hires.

If you have a hard time recruiting enough good therapists, your patient outcomes and financial bottom line may suffer.

Home health agencies face a big task in hiring excellent therapists, acknowledged physical therapist Cindy Krafft, director of rehabilitation services for OSF Home Care based in Peoria, IL. "It is a tremendous challenge," Krafft said in a recent teleconference sponsored by Eli. "We do not have people on street corners looking for jobs."

Resourceful HHAs can use these tips to attract top therapist hires:

1. Delay the application. OSF has had success attracting new therapy employees by holding off on the formal application, Krafft told listeners of the recent teleconference "Find--And Keep--The Best and Brightest Therapists in Home Care."

The most promising inquiries come from therapists who are already employed in other settings and looking to make a change to home care, she related.

If you ask them to fill out an application, they get cold feet because they aren't ready to commit to a job change. But if you invite them in to check out your organization and have a casual conversation, the candidates are much more likely to ask for and fill out an application and ultimately take the job.

"The old model of "I'll talk to you after I see an application" isn't really working in this population," Krafft maintained. Completing the application "can be an intimidating thing if you make it the first step."

2. Promote clinical rather than financial incentives. HHAs that promote the financial incentives of home care--higher pay, travel reimbursement, etc.--shouldn't be shocked when employees quickly jump ship to another higher-paying employer, Krafft cautioned. Agencies have to offer competitive pay. But to attract truly committed employees who will stick it out through thick and thin, emphasize the clinical benefits of home care.

Those include longer visits and more one-on-one interaction than in many other care settings, as well as a focus on functionality and direct access to caregivers, she pointed out. And encourage therapists to explore specialties within home care, such as incontinence or cardiac care.

"We've got to appeal to the clinical side--what we have to offer to them as clinicians in terms of their practice," Krafft urged.

3. Beware the sign-on bonus trap. A sizeable sign-on bonus to attract therapists may be doing you more harm than good, Krafft warned.

Besides appealing to short-term employees who will walk back out the door for the next sign-on bonus down the street, a bonus also sends up a red flag to seasoned therapists looking for a reliable employer. Veteran therapists will wonder why the provider has to offer so much money to attract them and possibly will take the bonus as an indication of trouble.

4. Offer professional perks. Instead of straight-up cash, you can offer potential employees reimbursement for career-enhancing activities such as continuing education and professional association dues, Krafft suggested. Show them you take their professional growth seriously.

5. Stress connections. Therapists from other care settings are often hesitant to get into home care because of the potential isolation. In your interview process, stress the mentoring and networking opportunities within your organization.

Even if your new hire is the only therapist in your organization, give them a mentor from another discipline, Krafft counseled.

6. Contrast with the current setting. Look at where a candidate currently works and then allay their concerns that might arise from a transition. For example, a rehab hospital therapist who is used to colleague interaction may want to hear about your communication systems, while a skilled nursing facility therapist may be swayed by hearing about returning patients to functionality within the home.

Remember: Just because new hires come from another HHA doesn't mean they'll fit in smoothly at first, especially if they last worked in the pre-prospective payment system world, Krafft cautions. "Don't take it for granted."

7. Don't settle. Even though therapist staffing may be extremely tight, don't just settle for a warm body. "We need to change our perspective from 'I need a therapist with a license and a pulse' to 'What kind of therapist do I really want,'" Krafft urged. Talk to therapists and get them excited about the professional opportunities within home health. 

Note: For more ideas on recruiting and retaining therapists, order a transcript or recording of Krafft's teleconference at http://codinginstitute.com/conference/tapes.cgi?detail=374 or by calling 1-800-508-2582.