Strange Tony,
Last August I gathered comments on Curo Health's hospice staffing model. Their words ended up as accurate predictions for changes at our hospice over the last year. Over 50% of staff left, voluntarily or involuntarily.
A former executive shared Curo's staffing model. It is sparse and not capable of delivering good customer service, at least that has been my experience.
Kindred at Home home health locations are undergoing the same decimation process as our hospice. They are converting to Homecare Homebase which was supposed to save our hospice lots of work. It did not. Homecare Homebase added significant busy work and it underpaid my co-workers for time worked and miles driven.
My vision was to work for a company that could accurately pay employees and staffed for outstanding customer service. That is not Kindred at Home/Curo Health Services under the ownership of Humana and two financial rapscallions. That is a tragic development.
Anonymous
Kindred Hospice under Humana/Curo: Our Care Used to Matter
ReplyDeleteAt our hospice, also Kindred, it's Our Profits Matter
Delete"Our Care No Longer Matters"
DeleteCuro's sparse staffing model and crappy technology shattered our care. At one point we achieved Deyta Hospice Honors Elite status.
DeleteThe designation of “Elite” signifies a special recognition to honor hospices scoring above the National Average on one hundred percent of the evaluated questions.
The last customer service scores I saw were way down from this level, far below state and national averages.
No company provided flu shots for staff this year at our hospice.
Delete"Bumpy year for employees"
ReplyDeletehttps://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-At-Home/reviews?id=bd1c3d931655591c
Another employee experience with the Curo model:
ReplyDelete"Too many changes since curo takeover resulting in cutbacks, poor leadership, mismanagement, unhappy, anxious and overworked staff (clinical and non-clinical) which sadly and obviously impacts clientele. Work culture has drastically changed over a 3-6 month period to a very impersonal, corporate, non compassionate place."
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-At-Home/reviews?id=32167e7f39030059
Curo model in action in Arizona:
ReplyDeleteA typical day at work begins in the middle of the night, because the stress keeps you awake. The day rarely ends after working 8 hours, but after 10-12 hours for salaried employees.... You will self train, and will not shadow anyone to learn your job. There isn’t a office organizer, manager, or phone receptionist.
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-Hospice/reviews?id=10a5de57a96f3351
Even some Curo people think things have gotten worse since Humana foisted us into majority private equity ownership:
ReplyDelete"Well, it wasn’t good when it was Curo by themselves. The merger just made things worse. This place - my word what a mess. Understaffed, underpaid, overworked, corporate bologna that clearly doesn’t care about patient care or their employees. The corporate attitude is clear that they’re just trying to raise their net worth by swelling the number of offices and patients to make top dollar."
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-At-Home/reviews?id=75b41d31ba1ceee4
"Merger made things worse" came from majority private equity ownership & Humana's desire to make home health & hospice cost reduction centers for Medicate Advantage patients. Actual care delivery took a back seat to positioning WCAS, TPG and KAH/Curo executives for their monster payday in year three or year four. Employees have nearly two years left to suffer before David Causby and Larry Graham get their lottery like earnings.
ReplyDeleteAnother testimony on the Curo curse, this one from Illinois:
ReplyDelete"Curo bought out kindred hospice and has totally ruined the culture and attitude of our office. Pay checks are messed up, mileage isn't being reimbursed. They are expecting every minute of our day to be counted and reported to management.
Homecare homebase EMR system is a total disaster. It is the downfall of what used to be a great hospice team."
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-CURO-Health-Services-RVW29242935.htm
It took a year but Humana/Curo's changes dropped our census 20%. Customer service scores went down as well.
ReplyDeleteChaplain says:
ReplyDelete"Used to be a great company, but since purchased by Curo, no longer patient oriented." "Can we get out of Curo?"
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Kindred-Hospice-RVW29317427.htm
Is RN Caseload average really 12?
ReplyDeleteWho covers off-hours?
Who does admissions and liaison?
So many questions...
Our site has an average RNCM with 20 patients. On call staff cover evenings and weekends. That same RN with 20 or more patients gets to do admissions, which can take six hours or more.
DeleteWith turnover we've had nurses overworked with as many as 28 patients. By far the worst I've seen in my ten years with our hospice.
The 1 RN to 12 patients is for overall nurse staffing. On call nursing staff or an admissions nurse take up nurse spots within the 1:12 ratio, so the number grows to 1:18 or 1:20.
ReplyDeleteIn our time under Curo staffing they reduced nurse management to the point facilities and families couldn't get their questions or concerns addressed.
Turnover went through the roof and new nurses (salaried) were hired in at greater pay than experienced staff.
Curo's sparse staffing and bad technology destroyed customer service at our once great hospice.
Curo's staffing model does not allow staff to take paid time off without shifting that person's work to others who have more than their hands full.
ReplyDeleteLack of management time and preparation turned IDG/IDT into a broken shell of its former self. Our Medical Director hosts IDG/IDT with no nurses in attendance. It makes it difficult to recertify patients with no current visit notes and no update from the clinician who is supposed to know the patient. More than one license is on the line.
Compliance is now as strategic as HR. It only does what executives want and that means burying the corporate head in the sand on bad management and ineffective systems.
They do try to keep up with billing, also hampered by bad management and ineffective systems.
Over 50% turnover in six month period. Overload of position responsibility. These is the Curo experience at Kindred Hospice sites.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-Hospice/reviews?id=d2d9b3e48680e605
Mark Reid has joined the company as its new chief human resources officer. Reid’s responsibilities will include continuing the integration of business functions and overseeing "employee experience" for Kindred at Home’s 50,000 employees.
ReplyDeleteThe company could add back Vasoline as an employee benefit to make the experience with management a bit less painful. Minus two holidays and time and a half on holidays. Minus health insurance coverage. Minus cell phones. Minus IPADS that had working, functional software. Piddling raise.
I worked at kindred for almost 4 years. In that time we have changed our name 3 times, and the last buy out was by humanna. we became curo, no support from upper management, poor pay, case load ranges, oncall and admits on top of normal work day is expected. little to no communication. Very disappointing, loved working for Kindred up until the new curo system.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-Hospice/reviews?id=25fad1edca4bdeae
They throw patients on you without any report. You are expected to drive many many miles a day and see too many patients daily. Management does not help.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-At-Home/reviews?id=d22e46d0381df63c
Bakersfield California's Kindred Hospice weighed in on the problems created by Humana/Curo:
ReplyDelete"I worked at kindred for almost 4 years. In that time we have changed our name 3 times, and the last buy out was by humana. we became curo from what we were told, no support from upper management, poor pay, case load ranges depending on nursing staff and staff was slim so your patient load was high, oncall and admits on top of normal work day is expected. Little to no communication from VP for resolution and when he did come to down, all we got was lip service. Very disappointing, wonderful medical director resigned as well as DOO, MCP and Nurses. All about numbers and they do not value Employees, every one is replaceable. loved working for Kindred up until the new curo system or from the VP's lips is we are using the national hospice model!! It doesnt work and they should have recognized that, but again, all about the numbers, quantity over quality."
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-Hospice/reviews?id=65c338ac3d619efc
Mississippi RN's experience under Curo management:
ReplyDelete"Ever since Curo bought Kindred this place has been falling apart. Seasoned, compassionate hospice nurses are leaving due to the mismanagement by corporate. Turning all hourly nurses to salaried so you can work them harder and longer without having to pay them? Management does NOT CARE. You say you’re going to leave and they just wave goodbye. There used to be a family atmosphere and everyone used to work together as a team, but no more."
https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Kindred-Hospice/reviews?id=56f3a2be9bf4ee43
Senior VP just visited and more jobs disappeared. It is so sad what Curo had done to our hospice. I can't even look at our Senior VP. That person is rude, condescending and most unpleasant. Business is not a reason to treat anybody badly. Yet, that's all our new owners and hospice executives do. Visit, cause trauma, leave. They don't have the decency to stick around and help with the extra work they just dumped on already overworked staff. Jerks.
ReplyDelete"Once great, but no longer"
ReplyDeleteThis is in regard to Kindred Hospice, who was bought out by Curo, and not Kindred Home Health.. Since Kindred Hospice's buyout by Curo, this wonderful company has gone downhill by leaps and bounds. As Kindred, our Hospice team was first in the state with positive reviews by patients and families. It was a wonderful place to work with conscientious, capable management and co-workers who put their patients first. We won awards, were written up in the paper, and felt valued by the company. Our census nearly tripled within two years. Curo bought it out and the numbers speak for themselves. People quit right and left, management was only concerned about the bottom line, and no one in upper management listened. I had already planned on retiring, so I was grateful to get out when I did. It does not have the same atmosphere, the same concern for patients, and the employees that are left are asked to go above and beyond without the compensation they're due. They went from hourly to salary, and anyone in the medical field knows what that means. I wish I could say I would recommend them as an employer, but if you're thinking of applying, check first to see if they are part of Curo.
Advice to Management
Look around you. Look at the ridiculous amount of good employees who have left. I understand why you want your bottom line to look good, but the reputation that Kindred Hospice built has been destroyed with your takeover.
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-CURO-Health-Services-RVW30343790.htm
You are not alone.