The bill amends several sections of Florida Statutes related to home health care services, specifically focusing on administrator management, service requirements, and criteria for the Excellence in Home Health Program. It allows an administrator to manage up to five home health agencies with identical controlling interests, removing previous geographic limitations. Additionally, the bill eliminates the requirement for home health agencies to provide initial admission, service evaluation, and discharge visits exclusively by direct employees, instead allowing for services to be provided by both direct employees and contracted individuals, while still holding the admitting agency responsible for the quality of care.

Furthermore, the bill revises the criteria for the Excellence in Home Health Program to be more adaptable to various types of home health agencies, regardless of payor type or patient population. It introduces new criteria focusing on patient satisfaction, service excellence, workforce stability, and innovation in care delivery, while deleting outdated metrics related to specific patient needs and employee training quality. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
H 1353 Filed: 400.476, 400.487, 400.52