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HOME HEALTH REGULATORY UPDATE

HOME HEALTH REGULATORY UPDATE. Anne Menard Home Care Unit Bureau of Long Term Care Services. Currently Licensed. 2,315 home health agencies County with largest #: Miami-Dade 799 371 nurse registries Palm Beach 86 2,240 homemaker companion services Miami-Dade 335.

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HOME HEALTH REGULATORY UPDATE

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  1. HOME HEALTH REGULATORY UPDATE Anne Menard Home Care Unit Bureau of Long Term Care Services

  2. Currently Licensed 2,315 home health agencies County with largest #: Miami-Dade 799 371 nurse registries Palm Beach 86 2,240 homemaker companion services Miami-Dade 335

  3. Home Health Agencies 70% Certified for Medicare and/or Medicaid • 707 are not certified, but 160 pending 63% Accredited – 1,457 HHAs • 850 both state & fed’l (accredited deemed) • 607 state accredited only

  4. STATE LAW UPDATE FOR ALL HOME HEALTH AGENCIES & NURSE REGISTRIES

  5. Criminal Background Screening 2010 Legislation Legislation that changed the process: • Replaces all Level 1 background screening with Level 2 screenings • Requires Level 2 rescreening every 5 years • All Level 2 screenings must be submitted electronically • Changes the positions requiring screening • Employees Who: • Provide Personal Care or Services Directly to Clients • Have Access to Client Funds, Personal Property, or Living Area • Contractors Who Provide Personal Care or Personal Services Directly to Clients

  6. AHCA Background Screening Process Improvements to Date • Implemented Electronic Fingerprints Program • Background Screening Data System Rewrite • Improved Automation and Speed of Results • Handle Electronic Fingerprints • Expand Accounts Based on New Florida Law for Provider and Contract Employers • Growth in Annual Screening from 63,000 to Over 200,000 Due to New Florida Law (8/1/2010 to date – 194,332) • Handle Significant Increase in Workload with Existing Staff/ Resources • Current Turn Around Time 0 – 5 Days

  7. Issues with Process • Cannot track screenings until the result is received at the Agency • Screenings submitted to incorrect ORI • Missing or incorrect SSNs • No provider information retained on screening: • Unable to notify providers if there is an issue or status change • Inability to communicate with providers regarding rejected prints

  8. Federal Background Screening Grant • Florida 1 of 12 states awarded a $3 Million Federal Grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand Background Screening of Long Term Care Staff • 2 Year Project: October 2010 – September 2012

  9. Goals for the Federal Background Screening Grant • Technology System Improvements (Phase I and II) • Provide State Criminal History Results to Providers • Automate Provider Screening Result Notifications • Eliminate Duplicative Screening • Connection with Other Data Systems (Phase I) • Medicare Exclusion Registries/Medicaid Terminations • Health Practitioner Licensure Information (DOH) • Rapback (Retained Prints) (Phase II) • Enable Notification of Arrests for Persons Screened • Centralize Screening Functions (Phase I and II)

  10. Agency for Health Care Administration Background Screening Resources Agency for Health Care Administration Web Site • http://www.ahca.myflorida.com/backgroundscreening Questions/Comments/Issues • bgscreen@ahca.myflorida.com

  11. REPORT UNLICENSED ACTIVITY Thank you for reporting unlicensed home care. Reminder: Knowingly providing home health services in an unlicensed assisted living facility (ALF) or adult family care home (AFCH) -- unless HHA or employee reports to the state within 72 hours after providing services – is grounds to deny, revoke & suspend a license & impose a fine. 400.474(1)(2)(c), F.S. If there is no license posted, check at www.FloridaHealthFinder.gov. Call the AHCA complaint # (888) 419-3456 to report

  12. When providing wound care to ALF residents • A resident cannot remain in any ALF with stage 3 or 4 pressure sores. • If a resident is admitted with a stage 2 pressure sore, the ALF must have: • Limited Nursing Services (LNS) or Extended Congregate Care (ECC) license and provide the appropriate nursing care • The ALF must employ or contract with a nurse to provide the care • The resident must contract with a home health agency for nursing care If there is no improvement in 30 days, the resident must be discharged.

  13. ALF residents care limitations Prohibited Services • Mechanical lifting equipment – such as Hoyer lifts • Restraints - only ½ bed rails with physician order every 6 months • Oral, nasopharyngeal, or tracheotomy suctioning - unless under care of hospice (but ECC can do tracheotomy suctioning) • Peg tubes (feeding tubes) – unless self maintained; except hospice patients where there is licensed staff to maintain Restricted Services • Residents cannot be bed bound – unless Extended Congregate Care license & then only up to 14 days. • 24 hour nursing services • Residents may not be admitted to any ALF if they need 24-hour nursing supervision • Residents who later need 24 hour nursing supervision may stay in an ALF if: • ALF has an ECC and necessary licensed staff or • ALF has LNS license hospice is providing necessary licensed staff

  14. Please report ALF concerns • Resident rights – grievances go unanswered or rights were violated • Residents neglect • not receiving their medication • not getting enough food • hygiene neglect, wet clothing, • no staff present

  15. Please report ALF concerns • BuildingSafety. Obvious and urgent safety hazards related to the building such as: • Unstable construction • Fire alarms/building systems • Building safety devices (locking mechanisms) • Concerns should be made to local building officials • Obvious and urgent safety hazards unrelated to the building may be reported to AHCA.

  16. Reporting AHCA Complaints • AHCA Contact (888) 419-3456 • Online report Health Care Facility Complaint Form at: ahca.myflorida.com/Complaint • Provide detailed information such as patient/resident names, dates, times of events and where the event occurred

  17. Reporting abuse, neglect & exploitation • Florida law 415.1034, F.S., requires that any personwho “knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a vulnerable adult has been or is being abused, neglected, or exploited shall immediately report such knowledge or suspicion to the central abuse hotline.” • There is a similar law for children. • Nurse registries, home health agencies & anyone should report any suspected or known abuse, neglect or exploitation of patients to the Department of Children and Families Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873.

  18. Penalties for providing less than fair market value services or staffing to ALFs AHCA may deny, suspend or revoke the license & shall impose a fine of $5,000 for a HHA or NR (400.474(6)(b)(c), and 400.506(15)(a), F.S.) Providing staff free to ALFs, Adult Day Care Centers & AFCHs (nurses, CNAs, home health aides, etc.) is a fine of $15,000 for HHAs. (400.518(4), F.S.)

  19. HHAs Contracting for Therapy A. Contracting with another business to provide therapy to patients You refer the patients to the business & they send out therapists to the patient’s homes. The business you contract with would need to be: 1. a home health agencythat has therapists, or 2. acertified rehabilitation agency, or 3. acomprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility (CORF), or   [The state law exempts from home health agency licensing certified rehabilitation agencies and CORFs (400.464(5)(m), FS)] 4. a therapy practice that provides only one kind of therapy such as physical therapy.  [An entity that provides a single health care professional discipline is not an organization for the purposes of home health agency licensing per 400.462 (22), FS] (from 13.3 of the Frequently Asked Questions, at www.ahca.myflorida.com/homecare - click on “home health agency”)

  20. HHAs Contracting for Therapy B. When you have therapists on your staff already & you need a temporary replacement -- for one that is on vacation, or while you fill that vacancy or when you have a seasonal shortage -- you can contract with a health care services pool for temporary staff. • The state law says that a health care services pool “provides temporary employment in health care facilities, residential facilities, and agencies …” (400.980 (1), F.S.).  • “Temporary employment” means “employment whereby a pool hires its own employees or independent contractors and assigns them to health care facilities to support or supplement the facilities’ work force in special work situations such as employee absences, temporary skill shortages, seasonal workloads, and special assignments and projects” (59A-27.001 (1), Florida Administrative Code).  (from 13.3 of the Frequently Asked Questions, at www.ahca.myflorida.com/homecare - click on “home health agency”)

  21. STATE RULE UPDATE HOME HEALTH AGENCIES AND NURSE REGISTRIES

  22. State rule writing • Cannot write a rule without specific authority in state law to do so • Ratification by the Legislature is required if a rule is likely to increase the regulatory costs more than $1 million in the aggregate within a 5 year period from the date of implementation (120.541 (3), F.S. - 2010)

  23. STATE RULE UPDATE Home Health Agency Rules: • Starting over with rule development • Have submitted a draft for rule development to the Governor’s Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform • Once receive approval to begin rule development - will post draft at web site & Fl Admin Weekly - -requesting comments - will hold rule development workshop

  24. Home health agency rule repeals AHCA reviewed all programs for rules that could be repealed HHA repeal notice published in the 6-24-11 Fla Admin Weekly & posted at AHCA web site. Repeal should be effective in August for 2 rules: • 59A-8.0086 – Denial, Suspension, Revocation of License and Imposition of Fines - contents already in 408, Part II & 400, Part III, F.S.

  25. Home health agency rule repeals • 59A-8.0185 – Personnel policies Joint Administrative Procedures Committee legal review found that AHCA no longer had legal authority for this rule What requirements will be removed when this rule is repealed: • Health statements from employees • A plan for orientation of all health personnel • Job descriptions • A file for each employee - with name, address, next of kin for contact, evidence of qualifications, the results of background screening, dates of employment and separation, and evidence of training. Files are kept for 1 year after separation.

  26. Home health agency survey standards • Will have revised survey standards at the time the rule repeal takes effect. (August 2011) • Will remove the standards re 59A-8.0185 Personnel Policies: H 202 communicable disease (health statement), H 201 re personnel policies H 204 personnel records

  27. Nurse Registry Rules Will be submitting proposed rules -- based on 2010 rule workshop & comments received -- to the Governor’s Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory Reform for approval in July. Once approval is received, will put at web site & Florida Administrative Weekly, provide opportunity for comments & hold a public hearing. (Note - Health statements are in nurse registry law 400.506(6)(a), F.S. & cannot be removed from rule.)

  28. Medicare & Medicaid Home Health Agency Surveys CMS Revisions For surveyors from state agencies & accrediting organizations

  29. CMS has revised the survey process • For Medicare & Medicaid HHAs recertification • States & accrediting organizations follow CMS • Process improvements: • Uses existing data for pre-survey preparation • Focuses on standards most directly related to the delivery of high-quality patient care

  30. 2011 – HHA Survey Process • Emphasizes information from HHA staff interviews, clinical records & home visits • Minimizes non-clinical record review paper compliance • Provides guidance for surveyors on expanding the survey & issuing deficiencies • More specific guidance on citing standard & condition-level deficiencies From CMS Basic Home Health Agency training for surveyors

  31. Standard Survey • Focus on standards most directly related to delivery of high-quality patient care • Selected standards to be checked are called “Level 1 standards” • Standards are from 9 of 15 Conditions of Participation -- including Nursing & Therapy From CMS Basic Home Health Agency training for surveyors

  32. Conditions & Level 1 Standards 484.10 Patient Rights - G107, G109 484.12 Compliance with Fed/State/Local Laws - G121 484.14 Organization/Services/Administration - G123, G133, G143, G144 484.18 Acceptance of Patients, Plan of Care, Medical Supervision - G157, G158, G159, G164, G165, G166 12

  33. Conditions & Level 1 Standards (cont.) 484.30 Nursing: G170, G172, G173, G174, G175, G176, G177 484.32 Therapies: G186, G187, G188 484.36 Home Health Aide: G224, G229 484.48 Clinical Records: G236 484.55 Comprehensive Assessment of Patients: G331, G332, G334, G335, G336, G337, G338, G340 13

  34. Standard Survey • Surveyors stay at standard survey unless deficient practice is identified in the Level 1 standard • Per CMS, compliance with Level 1 standards is: • highly likely to affect care delivery and patient outcomes and • the HHA is highly likely to be in compliance with all of the Conditions of Participation

  35. Standard Survey Ends HHA Survey ends with standard survey if: • HHA complies with all Level 1 standards; • No deficiencies are identified after home visits, clinical record reviews & interviews with patients and staff and • No additional issues/concerns are identified needing investigation 14

  36. Survey continues … and becomes partial extended • When expected outcomes are not met for one or more Level 1 standards • Other issues are recognized by the surveyor • Survey becomes a partial extended survey • Level 2 standards are reviewed • Other standards may be reviewed 15

  37. 484.10 Patient Rights Standard Survey Partial Extended Survey Basic Home Health Agency

  38. Extended Survey Must be conducted when any condition level deficiency is found All conditions are reviewed Must be conducted for accrediting organization validation surveys that CMS selects for the states to do

  39. To find out more www.cms.gov/manuals • Select “Internet-only manuals”, then “State Operations Manual” • See Appendix B – Home Health Agencies There is also a link from the AHCA home health agency page – www.ahca.myflorida.com/homecare - click on “home health agency” – see “Federal Regulation Set used by Surveyors”

  40. Most frequent CoPs not met in 2010 • G 156 – Plan of Care (11 HHAs) • G 122 – Organization, Services & Administration – (9 HHAs) not providing services • G 100 – Patient Rights (8 HHAs) • G 235 – Clinical Records (8 HHAs)

  41. If you don’t agree with the surveyor 1. Ask the surveyor to show you the survey standard, law or rule during the survey 2. Discuss with surveyor at Exit Interview 3. Contact the AHCA Field Office Manager http://ahca.myflorida.com/MCHQ/Areas 4. If still not resolved, contact: Chief of Field Operations, Polly Weaver (850) 412-4301

  42. AHCA web sites http://ahca.myflorida.com/homecare-- select “home health agency” or “nurse registry” – licensing, state & federal survey standards, emergency management plan & local plan review contacts, & answers to frequently asked questions www.FloridaHealthFinder.com- select “Find Facilities or Providers” (updated nightly) + also see Consumer Guides

  43. Contact information – HHA & NR Anne Menard – Unit Supervisor Anne.Menard@ahca.myflorida.com • Medicare & Medicaid certification - HHA • Cynthia Ibrahim – HHAs I to Z, & branch approvals, change of ownership • Ceather Watkins – HHAs A to H (850) 412-4403 Jan Benesh – HHA & NR licensing manager • Ed Barnes - Change of ownership • Lenora Lowry – HHA & NR • Natarsha Humphries – HHA & NR • Susan Glass - HHA HQAHOMEHEALTH@ahca. myflorida.com

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