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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="19-404" title_number="19" title_name="Health Care Facilities" subtitle_number="4" subtitle_name="Home Health Agencies">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The Department shall adopt rules and regulations that set standards for the care, treatment, health, safety, welfare, and comfort of patients of home health agencies.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The rules and regulations shall provide for the licensing of home health agencies and shall establish standards that require as a minimum, that all home health agencies:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Within 10 days of acceptance of a patient for skilled care, make and record all reasonable efforts to contact a physician to obtain the signed order required under item (2) of this subsection;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>That accept patients for skilled care do so only on the signed order of a physician obtained within 28 days after acceptance;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Adopt procedures for the administration of drugs and biologicals;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Maintain clinical records on all patients accepted for skilled care;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Establish patient care policies and personnel policies;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>Have services available at least 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and available on an emergency basis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>Make service available to an individual in need within 24 hours of a referral when stipulated by a physician’s order;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>Have a designated supervisor of patient care who is a full–time employee of the agency and is available at all times during operating hours and additionally as needed; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="9">
      <text>Have as the administrator of the agency a person who has at least 1 year of supervisory experience in hospital management, home health management, or public health program management and who is:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>A licensed physician;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A registered nurse; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>A college graduate with a bachelor’s degree in a health–related field.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The rules and regulations may include provisions that:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Deal with the establishment of home health agencies;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Require each home health agency to have its policies established by a professional group that includes at least:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>1 physician;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>1 registered nurse;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>1 representative of another offered service; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>1 public member;</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Govern the services provided by the home health agencies;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Require keeping clinical records of each patient, including the plan of treatment to be provided;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>Govern supervision of the services, as appropriate, by:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>A physician;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A registered nurse; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Another health professional who is qualified sufficiently by advanced training to supervise the same kind of services in a hospital; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>Require submission of an annual report which includes service utilization statistics.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The provisions of this section do not waive the requirement for a home health agency to obtain a certificate of need.</text>
  </level>
</section>
