How clinicians use FeldCare Connects communication policies and tools
Professional, empathetic, and precise communication is vital when providing care to any patient. This critical skill is rarely focused upon, but it is essential to providing excellent care. When PTs, OTs, and SLPs use FeldCare Connects to accept patient referrals, they have the opportunity to improve their communication skills with patients and home health agencies.
Communication is used by therapists every day in just about every circumstance. These circumstances include when a PT, OT, or SLP is:
- Communicating care needs.
- Documenting an evaluation and providing the next steps.
- Staying on track with patient care.
- Discussing exercises with patients.
- Sharing scheduling information with the home health agency.
- Advocating for patients.
Five Elements of Effective Communication
A therapist communicates with several people when providing treatment. They will talk with the home health agency, the patient, the FeldCare team, and any assistants or other caregivers on the case. This means that effective communication is vital for effective care.
Here are five elements of effective communication that every therapist can hone as they work in home health:
1. Listening
The first step of any communication process is to listen. This may take reading up on the case, listening to the home health agency policies, and listening to the patient during appointments.
2. Studying
When one is talking with a friend or relative, they do not need to do research before the conversation. However, when treating a PT, OT, or speech patient, you will likely need to study what is happening beforehand.
Working with various home health agencies through FeldCare Connects adds an additional element to this. One not only needs to study the case in front of them but also study the home health agency’s policies about scheduling, evaluations, hospitalization, and more. Having a grasp on what to do and how to go about helping the patient before the visit will go far in providing the best care possible.
3. Understanding
It is common to “listen” for a gap in conversation so that you can insert your own two cents. This removes the element of understanding. Highly trained clinicians know the importance of understanding both what is going on with the patient and how best to treat the issue. They also know that understanding the patient’s current situation will go far in rehabilitation.
4. Provide a Clear Response
The next step is communicating clearly and concisely so that the patient, home health agency, case manager, assistant, or other healthcare professional will understand the next steps. It can be difficult to clearly communicate when one is right in the middle of treatment or has not had time to get their thoughts together. So, sometimes providing a clear response requires a clinician to step back, gather their thoughts, and then communicate. The result of thoughtful communication is always well worth the wait.
5. Initiate Professional Communication
Finally, clinicians also must initiate communication. Because clinicians using FeldCare Connects are independent contractors, they must add an additional layer of professionalism to their communication. Fortunately, there are many ways to communicate, and each can be utilized professionally.
For example, if a clinician has something to say to others working on the case, they may prefer to communicate through charting. This can be done conveniently through the app that all clinicians utilizing FeldCare Connects can access. Communication through charting allows therapists and assistants to discuss patient care, communicate about reassessment, and share information about scheduling and upcoming evaluations.
At FeldCare Connects, we make it easy for independent SLPs, OTs, and PTs to communicate with home health agencies, patients, and anyone else working on the case. This provides a better experience for everyone involved.
Are you a clinician wanting to learn more about FeldCare Connects? Submit your information here. We would be happy to provide you with more details so you can see if our network is a good fit for you.
Reach out to FeldCare Connects to kickstart your journey in home health now! Either call us at (818) 926-9057, or go to feldcareconnects.com/clinicians
