CHS telecommuters must meet guidelines
In addition to employment qualifications for registrar/patient account representative, staff assigned to telecommuting positions at Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) in Charlotte, NC, must meet the following qualifications before working from home:
1. Be employed by CHS financial services (registration, financial counseling, or patient accounting) for at least 12 months.
2. Receive "meets expectations" or higher on the most recent annual evaluation.
3. Have received no verbal counseling and/or disciplinary action in the previous 12 months.
4. Be approved by the assistant vice president.
5. Commit to a minimum of one year in the telecommuting program.
6. Submit to a 90-day "manager's discretion" probationary period.
Before working from home, the employee must provide the following.
1. A signed copy of the Employee Telecommuting Agreement Form.
2. A permanent workstation consisting of a desk or table at least 24" X 48".
a. The workstation is to be located in an area that will provide privacy (for example, not a kitchen table) such as a guest room or home office.
b. The desk must be in a "ready to install" state before technicians arrive.
c. There must be an ergonomic chair positioned at the workstation.
d. No entertainment center/armoire-style desks will be allowed as they tend to be too small for the required equipment and often require moving to complete the install.
3. A properly grounded 3-prong electrical outlet for the connection of CHS equipment.
4. Adequate lighting.
The employee is responsible for the following when working from home.
1. Cost of electrical service to the employee's home. Loss of electrical service due to disconnection for non-payment is grounds for immediate reassignment of employee's work location to a CHS location specified by management.
2. Disposal of shredded documents containing patient information.
3. Total privacy of all patient information and communications:
- All patient information documents and schedules are to be shredded.
- Patient documents needed for work must be stored in a locked container.
- Headphones must be used when talking on the phone.
- There must be strict adherence to CHS confidentiality and acceptable use policies.
- There must be strict adherence to all CHS HIPAA policies.
4. Ergonomically correct workspace free of safety hazards.
5. Notifying manager of any equipment problems or malfunctions.
- Notifying CHS information systems support of any hardware, software or connectivity problems related to the operation of the PC, or any problems related to telephone operation. (Employee is responsible for transporting hardware [PC, monitor, printer, etc.] to CHS for repair.)
6. Being present at all times while CHS technicians are on-site at the home.
7. Wearing business casual or normal "working" attire at all times when CHS technicians are at the home.
8. Cost of relocating telephone and/or cable service connection within two years of initial installation by CHS or relocation cost paid by CHS.
9. Tax implications and reporting requirements for home office as statutory law may require for IRS and/or state department of revenue.
10. Transportation costs to attend meetings, training, etc.
CHS is responsible for the following.
1. Cost of initial phone and/or cable installation in employee's home.
2. Cost of relocation for phone and/or cable once every two years.
3. Cost of cable and/or phone monthly service and associated charges.
4. Providing PC, software, connectivity, and IS support.
5. Office supplies (paper, printer cartridges, etc.) normally used for work.
In addition to employment qualifications for registrar/patient account representative, staff assigned to telecommuting positions at Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) in Charlotte, NC, must meet the following qualifications before working from home:You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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