Premiums

Premiums

Premiums are amounts charged in addition to the hourly bill rate for specific types of service. No one likes added costs. And no one likes unstable, unreliable service. We’re always working to find the balance.

Premiums Charged

are fully paid to the employees in order to maintain stable support for services that are difficult to provide or in limited supply.

There is no added margin for the business.

Weekend Premium

is $6 per-hour for service during the weekend.

For a service with equal hours on each day of the week this is a $1.71 per hour overall cost. (Which can be offset by using a pre-authorized payment method) Weekend premiums discourage clients who want only weekend support. We lose some clients for having this policy, but it also means our distribution of hours throughout the weeks is more balanced.

Short Visit Premium

is $11 per-hour for visits of less than 2 hours in duration. Short-visits are significantly more complex and challenging to staff and maintain continuity for.

• Most home care providers do not offer visits shorter than 2 hours.
• The cost difference between a 1.5 hour visit and a 2 hour visit is $8. In most situations it makes more sense to go to 2 hours. Visits that are whole hour amounts tend to see fewer time changes.

Complex Premium

is $6 per-hour applied to services that pose a high risk to the Caregiver or cause staffing consistency challenges. This fee applies in very few circumstances and would be discussed beforehand. Circumstances include the following: 

• Vigilant overnight care where the Caregiver is required to remain awake by client or family
• High violence risks or behavioural challenges
• Smoking or smokey work-environments