Medicare Rules & Regulations for Homecare Agencies
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is the agency in charge of providing rules and regulations for home health companies. This agency is responsible for surveying these companies to ensure that they are following the rules of documentation and care provision when treating home health patients. Home health agencies servicing Medicare clients must adhere to many policies.
Licensing
The home health agency must go through the application process of each state in which it wishes to operate. There is also a rigorous certification process for being approved to treat Medicare patients. Once approved, the agency will then be surveyed each year at the discretion of the state. State surveying agencies carry out the Medicare certification process, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website.
Administration
Every home health agency should have an administrator overseeing its processes and patient treatments. The administrator should be a licensed physician or a registered nurse, or have the appropriate experience in health administration and one year of supervisory experience.
Clinical staff
Every clinical discipline working in a home health agency has state guidelines and standards to meet. Some disciplines are required to be licensed while others are not subject to this standard. The clinical disciplines are as follows: registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, licensed physical therapist, licensed physical therapy assistant, licensed occupational therapist, licensed speech therapist, medical social worker, and home health aide.
Providing services
Every patient seen by a home health agency will be given written confirmation of the patient's rights along with the agency handbook. The patient is entitled to exercise his rights; the patient's family may exercise rights when the patient is judged incompetent; the patient's property will be treated with respect; the patient has a right to voice grievances regarding his treatment of lack of it; and the home health agency is required to investigate any complaints. The patient is also provided with the number (1-800-MEDICARE) that the patient and family can call to report any issues related to fraud and abuse.
OASIS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website reports that the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) is a set of data that represents core items of comprehensive assessment. Every Medicare or Medicaid patient must have an OASIS completed by the admitting clinician. These data measures are used to calculate the quality of home health care.
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