Travel Time

To include Travel Time in payroll exports, contact the HHAeXchange Payroll Department at HHAeXchange Support Team.

The Travel Time (TT) feature is a multifaceted function that allows Agencies to generate payable travel time records in the HHAeXchange (HHAX) system. This feature spans throughout the system to perform the following:

  • Enter TT records on a case-by-case basis on the Caregiver Calendar page,
  • enter TT records in bulk using the Travel Time page under the Action module,
  • setup a default Pay Code for all TT records, and
  • process TT records in Payroll.

This topic covers the instructions to configure, create, and review Travel Time. Refer to the Recommendations for Travel Time and Off Duty Time page, listing a number of points to consider.

Term

Definition

Patient

Refers to the Member, Consumer, or Recipient. The Patient is the person receiving services.

Caregiver

Refers to the Aide, Homecare Aide, Homecare Worker, or Worker. The Caregiver is the person providing services.

Provider

Refers to the Agency or organization coordinating services.

Payer

Refers to the Managed Care Organization (MCO), Contract, or HHS. The Payer is the organization placing Patients with Providers.

Before using Travel Time, system configuration is necessary. The Travel Time Setup section, located in the Office Setup, Edit Office page, is used to manage Travel Time settings. This section provides fields and definitions as well as subsections with details for some of these configurations.

The image shows the Travel Time Setup section in the Edit Office page.

Field

Description

Validate for 0 Minute Travel Time Records

Select this checkbox for the system to validate for 0-minute Travel Time records.

 

If unchecked, then the system allows for the creation of 0-minute Travel Time records. Providers can create non-payable Travel Time records to clear the visits from the Travel Time page.

Travel Time Rounding

Configure the rounding logic for Travel Time to round TT records up, down, or to the closest quarter-hour increment for created payroll batches. Select No Rounding to opt-out of the rounding logic functionality altogether.

By default, the Always Round 7 Minute TT Records Up checkbox is selected which overrides any setting configured in the Travel Time Rounding field. Ensure to deselect this setting when applying rounding logic.

Travel Time Gap Time Calculation

Select the gap time calculation when creating a Travel Time record. Refer to the Define Gap Time Calculation section below for details.

Transportation Methods for Travel Time

Select default transportation methods for Travel Time to include All, Driving, Public Transportation, and Walking to automatically calculate time between shifts.

Set TT Records with Address Exception to “0” Minutes

Select for the system to automatically set Travel Time (TT) records with Address Exception errors to 0 minutes, instead of calculating the entire duration time between Visit 1 and Visit 2. This ensures that TT records are not mistakenly created for greater durations than desired. Refer to the Set Travel Time Address Exception to 0 Minutes section below for details.

Always Round 7 Minute TT Records Up

Select to round up any Travel Time record that is 7 minutes or less to 15 minutes, regardless of the defined TT Rounding rule. The gap time is defined as the time between the end of the first visit and the start of the second visit.

A Gap Time is defined as the time between two visits. Gap Time calculation can be configured in the system to apply when a Travel Time record is created.

  1. Go to Admin > Office Setup to locate and select the applicable office.

  2. Go to the Travel Time Setup section in the Edit Office page.

  3. On the Travel Time Gap Time Calculation field select one of the following:

    • Highest End Time from Visit 1 (Confirmed or Scheduled) and Lowest Start Time from Visit 2 (Confirmed or Scheduled); this is the current system behavior.

    • Confirmed End Time of Visit 1 and Confirmed Start Time for Visit 2: use only the Confirmed Times to calculate the Gap; or

    • Scheduled End Time of Visit 1 and Scheduled Start Time for Visit 2; use only the Scheduled Times to calculate the Gap.

    This image shows the opened Travel Time Gap Time Calculation field with options.

Based on the current logic, the Gap Time is 15 minutes, because the system takes the scheduled End Time for Visit 1 (the later of the two) and the confirmed Clock-In for Visit 2 (the earlier of the two).

This image shows the summary of the visits and the calculated Gap Time.

If the setting is configured to look only at confirmed duration (1345 and 1415) the Gap Time is 30 minutes. For scheduled (1400 and 1430), the Gap is also 30 minutes.

The Transportation Methods for Travel Time field is located in the Edit Office page under Admin > Office Setup. This is a multi-select dropdown field where Providers can specify the Methods of transportation at an Office level to apply to TT.

By default, this field is set to All, applying all methods such as Driving, Public Transportation, and Walking to calculate TT. To remove a Method for an Office, deselect the method to prevent the use of it when entering TT on the Travel Time page.

This image shows the selected Transportaon Methods for Travel Time.

A Caregiver's preferred Travel Time Method can be indicated in the Caregiver Profile.

  1. Go to Caregiver > Caregiver Search to locate the applicable Caregiver.

  2. Click the Caregiver Name hyperlink to open the Caregiver Profile. Select the Profile page.

  3. In the Employment Info section, select Driving, Public Transportation, or Walking from the Default Travel Method field and Save.

    This image shows the opened Default Travel Method field with available options.

When a Travel Time Batch is created, the system automatically selects the transportation method as defined in the Caregiver Profile. The transportation Method can be changed on the batch, before submitting the batch.

This image shows the selected Caregiver's preferred Travel Time Method on a batch entry.

If the method is changed from one to another, such as from Driving to Walking, then the Remaining Gap column shows the gap time difference.

  1. Go to Admin > Reference Table Management.

  2. Select Caregiver Pay Code from the Reference Table field and click Search.

  3. Click on the applicable code hyperlink to open the Caregiver Pay Code window.

  4. In the window, ensure that the Pay Code field is set to Travel Time Pay Code, and check the Default Travel Time Rate checkbox.

  5. Click Save.

    This image shows the selected Pay Code and Default Travel Time Rate fields in the Caregiver Pay Code window.

When flagged, the designated Pay Code automatically populates new TT entries for any Office using the selected Payroll Configuration. Provider can still change the Pay Code, or enter an Override Pay Rate value, when a default Pay Code is set up.

Only one Pay Code can be designated as the Default Travel Time Rate per Payroll Configuration. If this checkbox is selected for a different Pay Code listed under the same Payroll Configuration, then the system removes the flag for the existing default Pay Code.

When Set TT Records with Address Exceptions to 0 Minutes is selected for an office, the system automatically sets Travel Time records with Address Exception errors to 0 minutes, instead of calculating the entire duration time between Visit 1 and Visit 2.

This ensures that TT records are not mistakenly created for greater durations than desired.

This option is available in the Edit Office page under Admin > Office Setup. By default, TT records with Address Exception errors continue to be calculated using the time between Visit 1 and Visit 2.

This images shows the Set TT Records with Address Exception to 0 Minutes in the Edit Office page.

Once applied, this setting is viewed in the Travel Time Batches tab, when a batch with Address Exceptions is selected. On the Results page, a set value of 0 Mins is displayed under the Method column, instead of the entire duration between Visit 1 and Visit 2.

Permissions for Travel Time are required to allow assigned roles the right to perform specific Travel Time-related actions and the authority to override set TT record values.

  1. Go to Admin > User Management > Edit Roles.

  2. Select Action from the Section field and the applicable roles from the Roles field.

  3. Scroll to the Travel Time section and select the applicable permissions for the selected roles.

    Permission

    Description (Allows…)

    Travel Time

    Access the Travel Time page.

    Calculate Travel Time Batch

    Calculate a compiled TT batch.

    Change Travel Time Method

    Selection of the Method of travel associated with the TT record.

    Override Travel Time Value

    Manual entry of a Travel Time value.

    Clear Selected Travel Time Records from Travel Time Batch

    Removal of TT records from a batch.

    Create Travel Time Records

    Create TT records on the Travel Time page.

    Copy Travel Time

    Copy a TT record on the Caregiver Calendar page and apply it to another date.

    Delete Travel Time Record

    Delete a saved TT record from the Caregiver Calendar page.

    Create New Travel Time Record

    Create TT records on the Caregiver Calendar page.

    Override Travel Time Pay Code

    Override the Pay Code associated with a saved TT record.

    Override Travel Time Pay Rate

    Override the Pay Rate associated with a saved TT record.

  4. Click Save.

The Travel Time process is similar to entering a new visit because:

  • Travel Time is entered directly on the Caregiver's Calendar page;

  • is entered and/or confirmed in bulk using associated functionality;

  • uses Pay Codes created in using the Reference Table Management feature.

Additionally, both Travel Time and visits are counted towards the Caregiver’s weekly hourly total. Like visits, TT can push a Caregiver past the overtime threshold for a week, requiring authorization for the entry, by a user with the proper permissions.

Complete the following steps to create a TT event.

  1. Go to Caregiver > Caregiver Search to locate the Caregiver.

  2. On the Caregiver Profile, select the Calendar page.

  3. Click the date hyperlink and select the New Travel Time Record option.

    This image shows the New Travel Time Record option highlighted on the Caregiver Calendar.

  4. The Travel Time window opens. Complete the required fields, marked with a red asterisk. Fields are described below.

    • *Travel Time: (Required) Specify the actual time the Caregiver began traveling to the visit and when they arrived. For example, if a Caregiver begins traveling at 1000 and arrives at 1100, enter 1000-1100 as the Travel Time. The system calculates this as 1 hour of TT.

    • *Pay Code: (Required) Select a Pay Code to apply to the TT.

    • Pay Rate: This field displays the hourly rate associated with the selected Pay Code.

    • Method: The travel Method uses Google Maps to calculate the average time it would take to travel between visits when Driving, using Public Transportation, or Walking. This functionality does not look at real time data to determine the travel time (for example, traffic conditions at the time of travel are not considered).

      The Method field is only available when TT is entered via the Travel Time page. This field remains locked if TT is manually entered from the Caregiver Calendar.

    • Override Pay Rate: Enter a custom rate for the TT in this field. Entering a value in this field overrides the set Pay Code. If an Override Pay Rate is added to a TT record, it is not reflected by the Pay Rate field. The Override Pay Rate is only available when entering or editing a TT record directly from the Caregiver Calendar.

      Enter additional notes or comments if required.

  5. Click Save to save the TT event.

  6. A record is generated on the Caregiver Calendar. The Hrs. column also reflects the new weekly total.

    This image highlights the saved Travel Time in the Caregiver Calendar.

The Travel Time page under Action > Travel Time is used to search for potential TT openings and compile them into a Travel Time Batch. Use the search filters as needed to search for TT. Once a Travel Time Batch is gathered, the TT record may be finalized by specifying the travel Method and Pay Code.

This image displays the Travel Time page and search filter fields.

The Travel Time page is used to identify potential TT openings based on the following criteria:

  • Two back-to-back visit (scheduled on the same day) staffed by the same Caregiver.
  • Both visit have a full confirmation (both Clock IN and Clock OUT).
  • There is not an existing TT record for the Caregiver on the date of the visits.

TT cannot be entered on this page if:

  • The Caregiver only worked a single visit on a given day.
  • The Caregiver was scheduled to work two visits on a single day, but one of the visits is missing a complete confirmation.
If a Caregiver works three or more visits on a given day, and there is a missing confirmation for Visit 1, the system does not consider the TT between Visit 1 and 2 to be valid. However, if the confirmations between Visit 2 and 3 are complete, the Travel Time page considers this a potential TT opening.

The Travel Time page opens to the Select Trips tab by default. From here, search for potential TT openings and gather them into a batch. Select an Office to begin the search and use the other search filters as needed.

This image displays the Travel Time Select Trips tab and search results.

The following table describes the content of each line item in the search results.

Column

Description

Caregiver

Indicates the Caregiver

Discipline

Specifies the Caregiver’s disciplines.

Date

The Date of the visit.

Visit 1

Specifies the information for Visit 1

Visit 2

Specifies the information for Visit 2

Time Btw Visits

Time Between Visits, or the total time between the end of Visit 1 and the start of Visit 2

Calculate

Select the TT and add it to a new Travel Time Batch.

Review and select TT openings for processing across multiple pages of results. Click either the Save or Save & Next button at the bottom of the page to maintain the selections. Once all the TT openings are selected, click the Calculate TT button to initiate the creation of a new TT batch.

Calculated TT batches are placed on the Travel Time Batches tab of the Travel Time page with a Status, as follows:

Status

Description

Pending

The system is generating a new TT batch.

Calculated

The system has finished generating a TT batch. Enter Completed batches and finalize the TT records.

Processing

The system is finalizing TT records within a batch.

TT Created

The TT records associated with a batch have finalized and applied to the appropriate Caregiver calendars.

This image shows the Travel Time Batches page highlighting the Status field with open options.

To finalize TT records within a batch, select the corresponding icon to specify the Method (driving, public transportation, or walking) of travel used for each TT record. The system calculates the time it takes to travel between Visit 1 and Visit 2 for the selected Method using Google Maps. Alternatively, choose to calculate TT using the time between the end of Visit 1 and the start of Visit 2 as the travel duration.

The Remaining Gap column offers visibility into the value of the remaining gap, defined as the time between the end of TT and the Clock In of the second visit. The Remaining Gap value is equal to the Gap Time column subtracted by the value in the Method column. If the value changes in the Method column, then it is automatically adjusted in the Remaining Gap column. Negative Remaining Gap values are indicated in red bold font. The Remaining Gap column is sortable.

In addition to the Method of travel, specify the Pay Code. Once the information is specified, click Create TT once again.

This image shows the Gap Time, Method icons and selected Pay Codes for a TT.

Once processed, the TT batch is listed as TT Created on the Travel Time Batches tab. Review the Travel Time Created column to verify if the TT records are created for the corresponding batch.

This image shows the created Travel Time batch.

Once the system successfully finalizes all TT records associated with the batch, any changes or deletions of a TT record must be made in the corresponding Caregiver’s Calendar page.

This image shows the recorded TT on a Caregiver's calendar.

When a TT batch is initiated on the Select Trips tab, it must be finalized on the Travel Time Batches tab before a new batch for the selected Office is created. The system does not allow multiple TT batches for a single Office to be initiated at a time.

This image displays a validation note stating that a previous TT batch is not yet finalized, not allowing an additional batch.

The Address Exception column in the Travel Time Batches tab captures the number of Travel Time records that could not be processed in each batch because the system was unable to identify one or both addresses associated with the record.

The system automatically sorts all Travel Time records with Address Exceptions to the top of the results.

In the search results, click the Batch Number hyperlink to open the batch. The Batch Summary at the top of the records indicates the number of Address Exceptions in the batch.

This image shows the Address Exception summary at the top of the batch page.

  1. The Travel Time rounding option can be removed so that it is calculated to the minute rather than to the nearest 15-minute interval.

  2. Go to Admin > Payroll Setup to search and select the applicable Payroll Configuration.

  3. On the Edit Payroll Configuration page select the Pay Travel Time to the Minute checkbox and Save.

Upon saving, the Travel Time is calculated to the minute instead of rounded up or down to the nearest 15 minutes. When using this option, the TT batch process calculates the time between visits by taking the actual confirmed times using the confirmed End Time of the first visit and the confirmed Start Time of the second visit.

The introduction of Travel Time does not change the payroll process. When payroll with TT is processed, the TT records are displayed as N/A under the Patient Number column and Travel Time under the Patient Name column in the Caregiver's Pay Check page in the Caregiver Profile.

This image shows the various Travel Time entries on a batch in the Caregiver's Pay Check page.

Off Duty Time (ODT) refers to the time gap between visits that a Caregiver has left over after Travel Time. Essentially, these are short periods of time not long enough to be considered personal time. Agencies can apply ODT settings to correctly pay Caregivers based on the payroll rules for an Office when creating a Travel Time batch.

Refer to the Calculate Off Duty Time topic for details on how to configure this feature and examples of how Travel Time and Off Duty Time is calculated in the system.