Private-Pay New-Hire Guide
Welcome to the team. Read this guide first — it explains the private-pay world you're joining, the people you'll serve, and how to be great from day one. Then follow your learning path at the end.
★Welcome to ATN Private Pay
You've joined the part of ATN that families choose — and pay for — directly, because they want the best for someone they love.
Most of ATN's private-pay work begins with a phone call from a worried family member: a daughter whose father just came home from the hospital, a son whose mother can no longer manage the stairs, a wife caring for a husband with dementia who is running out of strength. They are not filling a benefit or checking a box. They are trusting us with a person they love, and paying us out of their own pocket to do it well.
That's what makes this work special, and it's what makes your role matter. Whether you answer the phone, arrange the schedule, respond to a proposal, or coordinate the care, you are the reason a family feels they made the right choice. This guide will help you understand the whole picture so you can do that with confidence.
1What "private pay" is
Private pay simply means the client or their family arranges and pays ATN directly — not through Medicaid, Medicare, or insurance.
Because the family is arranging the care themselves, they have a lot of say in what help they receive, when, and how often. That flexibility is the biggest advantage of private pay, and one of the strongest, truest things we offer.
Why families choose private pay
- No insurance approvals or eligibility gate — care isn't held up waiting on a payer to authorize it
- The family chooses the services, the schedule, and the hours
- Care can usually start within days, not weeks
- Transparent pricing is provided up front, with no obligation
People come to private pay for different reasons: some don't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare for the help they need; some have used up a covered benefit; some want more hours or a different kind of help than a public benefit allows; and some simply prefer to arrange care privately. Private pay can also fill the gaps — adding hours or continuing care beyond what a public benefit covers.
What we help with
Hands-on help with bathing, dressing, grooming, mobility, and daily routines.
Light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, groceries, and errands.
Friendly company, conversation, activities, and a watchful, caring presence.
Medication reminders, vitals and wellness checks, hydration and nutrition support.
Care is built around each client and adjusted as their needs change — and the client and family are always part of the conversation. That's what "personalized" really means here.
2The people you serve
Three groups of people make up the private-pay world. Knowing who's who — and what each one needs from us — is the foundation of everything.
The private-pay client
The client is the person who receives care — usually an older adult who wants to stay safe and independent in their own home. The client is at the center of everything we do. But in private pay, the client is often not the person who calls, arranges, or pays.
The person in charge — the loved one
The person in charge (you'll also hear "responsible party," "point of contact," or "decision-maker") is the family member who arranges and often pays for the care. Overwhelmingly, this is a loved one: an adult son or daughter calling on behalf of a parent, or a spouse arranging care for a partner. Sometimes it's a person with legal authority — a power of attorney (POA) or a court-appointed guardian.
The loved one is often frightened, guilty, exhausted, or arranging care for the first time and unsure what to ask. Meeting that emotion with patience and warmth is as much a part of the job as any form. When you make a worried daughter feel heard, you've done something that matters — and you've earned her trust in ATN.
Referral sources — the professionals who send us clients
A referral source (or "referrer") is a professional who, while helping an older adult, recommends a home-care agency. In private pay, much of our business grows through these trusted relationships. Referral sources include:
- Hospital discharge planners & case managers — getting patients home safely and preventing readmissions
- Physicians & nurse practitioners — wanting a reliable extra set of eyes on a patient
- Assisted-living & senior communities — needing extra one-on-one support so a resident can stay in place
- Elder-law attorneys & geriatric care managers — coordinating care plans for their clients
- Rehab facilities — handing off patients who still need help after discharge
Referral sources don't want gifts or perks (and, as you'll see in section 5, giving them for referrals is illegal). They want trust, responsiveness, and good outcomes — an agency that shows up, follows through, and never embarrasses them in front of a family. Give them that, and referrals follow naturally.
3How a client reaches us
Every private-pay client travels the same path from first contact to care. Knowing the steps helps you set expectations and know where you fit.
A family calls, or a referral source sends someone our way. We capture who the client is, who the person in charge is, what help is needed, and how soon.
We confirm the details, make sure the client consents to being contacted, set up private pay, and reach out to the client or their representative.
A team member meets with the client (and family) to understand their needs, home, routine, safety, and goals. There are no wrong answers — it's how we get to know them.
We build an individualized plan — the services, schedule, and preferences — and the family reviews the Service Agreement that spells out services, rates, and terms.
We match a caregiver suited to the client and set a dependable schedule. Care begins, with the office as the family's single point of contact.
The plan is reviewed and adjusted as needs change. Every contact is documented so the whole team can pick up seamlessly.
4Your first conversation
Whatever your role, the way you handle that first contact shapes the whole relationship. Meet the emotion before the information.
The instinct is to reach for the form. Resist it for a moment. A caller who feels heard becomes a calm, cooperative partner; a caller who feels processed becomes anxious. Acknowledge the situation and the feeling first — then move gently into details.
A few rules that always apply
- Listen more than you talk. Let people finish. Don't jump to solutions before you understand the situation.
- Stay steady. Never match a frustrated caller's temperature — stay calm, warm, and kind. They're scared, not attacking you.
- Don't over-promise. Never guarantee an exact time, a specific caregiver, or a medical outcome to make someone feel better in the moment. A broken promise is remembered far longer than a careful "let me confirm and get right back to you."
- Route clinical questions to a clinician. Anything medical — symptoms, medications, whether something is safe — goes to a nurse, never your own guess.
- 911 first in an emergency, then notify ATN.
5The bright lines
A few rules are not "guidelines" — they're the law and ATN policy. Everyone in private pay must know them.
Protect client information (HIPAA)
The moment ATN is involved in someone's care, everything about them — name, address, phone, condition, schedule, even the fact that they're a client — is protected health information (PHI). Handle it with care:
- Keep PHI only in ATN's approved system of record — never in personal email, texts, or consumer apps (including AI chatbots).
- Share only the minimum necessary, and only with people who need it to serve the client.
- Verify before you disclose. "I'm her son" is not automatic permission — confirm the caller is an authorized contact first. You can never un-share PHI.
- Keep screens and paperwork out of view, take calls where you won't be overheard, and shred — don't toss — documents with client information.
Never pay for or reward referrals (Anti-Kickback)
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute makes it a crime to offer, pay, solicit, or receive anything of value to induce or reward referrals — in any direction. "Anything of value" is broad: cash, gift cards, free or discounted services, meals, tickets, and sham "marketing" or "consulting" fees all count. You also may not offer a prospective client cash, waived fees, or free goods to choose ATN.
Keep professional boundaries
- Communicate through ATN's approved channels — not your personal phone, email, or social media.
- Don't accept gifts, tips, loans, or money from clients or families.
- Never handle a client's money, or become their power of attorney or guardian.
- Keep client information confidential — it doesn't clock out when you close the laptop.
Be truthful, always
Everything you tell a family or a referral source — and everything in a proposal or ad — must be true and not misleading. Don't guarantee outcomes, overstate ATN's credentials, or imply certifications we don't hold. Our real value is dependable, high-quality care; that's what we sell.
6Who does what
You're part of a team. Knowing who owns what lets you route confidently and close the loop.
First impressions, phones, messages, scheduling support, files, and billing questions — the front door of ATN.
Greets worried families warmly, captures the right information and consent, sets expectations, and hands off cleanly.
Wins private-pay business the compliant way and responds to RFPs with truthful, complete proposals.
Builds trusted relationships with discharge planners, physicians, and communities who send referrals.
Owns the schedule, matches caregivers, and keeps care running day to day.
Answers clinical questions, performs assessments, and oversees skilled care. All medical questions go here.
7Key facts to know
The essentials you'll reference often. (Confirm current contact details and rates with your supervisor — these are kept up to date on your contact sheet, not in this guide.)
- Who we are: ATN Healthcare (American Trusted Nurses) — Colorado home & community care, skilled and non-medical.
- Main line: 303-879-4442 · Email: contactus@atnhealth.com
- Office: 600 17th Street, Suite 2800, Denver, CO 80202
- Private-pay services: personal care · homemaker · companionship · health maintenance
- How families pay: directly to ATN, by invoice, under the terms of their Service Agreement — never cash to a caregiver.
- Payment options across ATN: Medicaid/Medicare, private pay, private insurance / long-term-care policies, and blended arrangements.
- Emergencies: call 911 first, then notify ATN.
- Not sure if a client is a fit? Refer them anyway — intake will sort out services and payment with the family.
8Glossary
- Private pay
- The client or family arranges and pays ATN directly, rather than through Medicaid, Medicare, or insurance.
- Client
- The person who receives care — the center of everything we do.
- Person in charge / responsible party
- The family member (often a loved one) who arranges, decides, and usually pays for the client's care and is our main point of contact.
- Loved one
- The son, daughter, spouse, or relative calling on behalf of the client — most private-pay inquiries come from a loved one.
- Power of attorney (POA) / guardian
- A person with legal authority to make decisions and receive information on the client's behalf.
- Referral
- When someone recommends or sends a potential client to ATN.
- Referral source / referrer
- A professional — discharge planner, physician, care manager, community — who refers clients to ATN.
- Intake
- The process of receiving a new client: confirming details, consent, and payer, and reaching out to begin care.
- Assessment
- The visit where we learn the client's needs, home, routine, safety, and goals to build the care plan.
- Care plan
- The individualized written plan of the services a client receives, how often, and their preferences.
- Service Agreement
- The document spelling out the services, rates, and payment terms for a private-pay client.
- Warm handoff
- Passing a client cleanly from one teammate to the next so nothing is lost and the family isn't asked everything twice.
- System of record
- ATN's approved system where all client information and contacts are documented — the only place PHI belongs.
- PHI (protected health information)
- Any information that identifies a client and relates to their care, condition, or payment — protected by HIPAA.
- HIPAA
- The federal law that protects clients' health information and limits how it may be used or shared.
- Anti-Kickback Statute
- The federal law making it a crime to give or receive anything of value to induce or reward referrals.
- EVV (Electronic Visit Verification)
- A quick phone or app check-in that confirms who provided care and when.
- RFP (Request for Proposal)
- A formal invitation to submit a written, scored proposal to provide services to an organization.
9Your learning path
Now that you've read the guide, complete the courses for your role. Each one issues a completion certificate when you pass every module.
Start with the course(s) that match your role, then take any others that help you understand the whole picture. Your progress saves on your device as you go.