When Telephony Data and Progress Notes Don’t Match: How to Bridge the Gap

It only takes one mismatched entry for an audit to turn into a headache. A caregiver’s progress note might reflect a 60-minute visit, but the telephony call shows 42. While the discrepancy might seem small, it raises a red flag that can ripple through billing, compliance, and credibility. These mismatches often aren’t due to negligence, they happen because of distractions, misunderstood workflows, or rushed documentation at the end of a long shift.

Rather than cracking down on staff, the smarter approach is to build systems that help prevent these mismatches in the first place. 

Understand Why the Discrepancies Happen

Most mismatches aren’t about cutting corners, they’re about miscommunication. A caregiver might round up the visit time while writing a note, or assume the call-in happened right at the door even if there was a delay. Sometimes the system fails and the call didn’t record at all.

When these mismatches show up during chart reviews, it’s important not to jump straight to correction or blame. Instead, look at patterns. Are certain staff making the same kind of entries every week? Is the issue tied to a specific patient or location? \

Teach Staff to Document in Real Time, Not from Memory

One of the best ways to reduce mismatches is to encourage real-time documentation. That doesn’t mean writing while providing care, but rather closing the note as soon as the visit ends. When notes are written two hours later or the next day, details fade, and times get approximated.

Your home care software should support mobile access and allow entries to be started, paused, and finished on the go. Some platforms also show a timestamp of when the caregiver started the visit, making it easier to align their notes with reality.

Add a Section for Notes About Discrepancies

Sometimes the mismatch is valid. Maybe the caregiver stayed an extra 15 minutes that wasn’t reflected in the call-out. Maybe the patient needed help before the caregiver had a chance to clock in. Create a space in your home care software where caregivers can briefly explain what happened.

This doesn’t need to be lengthy, just a simple comment box for “visit start delayed due to patient fall” or “telephony call-in failed, documented times manually.” These small details make a big difference when reviewing logs.

Conclusion

No system is perfect, and no caregiver remembers every detail exactly. The goal isn’t perfect timing—it’s honest, accurate documentation that reflects what actually happened. That leads to cleaner records, smoother audits, and more trust from everyone involved.