[Sample] Why minimum visit lengths are creeping up, and what it costs clients
More agencies now require four-hour visits. The math explains why, but families notice.
Sample article for testing the newsroom layout. The agencies, people and figures below are fictional.
Three years ago, a two-hour visit was common. Today many agencies in our fictional sample of 50 operators set minimum visit lengths of three or four hours. The reason is simple: short visits cost more to staff than they bring in.
The cost of a short visit
A caregiver who drives 30 minutes each way for a two-hour visit is paid for three hours to deliver two. Add mileage and the margin on that visit disappears.
What agencies are doing
- Raising the minimum to three or four hours.
- Charging a higher hourly rate for visits under four hours.
- Grouping short-visit clients by neighborhood so one caregiver can see several.
The client side
Families who only need help with a morning routine feel pushed to buy hours they do not need. Some leave for independent caregivers, who often charge less and carry none of the agency's protections.
Our take
Clustering short visits by neighborhood keeps the most clients while protecting margin. It takes more scheduling work, but it turns the short-visit client from a loss into a route.