Home health agencies, nurse registries and homemaker and companion service providers differ in qualifications, requirements for insurance and the services they provide. Owners and operators of each business types should be fully aware of all requirements.

Proper procedures should be followed to make sure employees of the provider types should not render services to clients/patients that are not authorized under the provider’s license type.

Home Health Agencies
Home Health agencies benefit clients while providing the necessary services at home or any other caretaking location. Some of the common services they might provide are:

• Companion
• Home Health Aide
• Homemaker
• Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.)
• (Note:  Only a few home health agencies might give the services mentioned above.)
• Nursing (L.P.N., R.N.)
• Therapy: Physical (P.T.), Speech (S.T.), Occupational (O.T.)
• Social Work
• Home Medical Equipment
• Dietetics & Nutrition
• (Therapy, social work, dietetics & nutrition might not be usually provided by licensed only H.H.A.s, except for those that are in the process of getting certified for Medicare or Medicaid.)
• Home Health Agencies are licensed and authorized under Chapter 400, Part III (Section 400.461), Florida Statutes, and Chapter 408, Part II, Florida Statutes, and are regulated according to Chapter 59A-8, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). The new licensing rules are in Chapter 59A-35, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

Nurse Registries
Nurse registries take care of the intermediaries between patients or clients and their healthcare providers, such as nurses.

Nurse Registries generally act as the intermediaries in locating and obtaining contracts between clients/patients and health providers such as nurses. As far as nurse registries are concerned, they only have independent contractors working for them.

There are a number of services that can be provided by the independent contractors of a nurse registry, including:

• Companion
• Homemaker
• Nursing (L.P.N., R.N.)
• Certified Nursing Assistant (C.N.A.)
• Home Health Aide

(Note:  Many nurse registries aren’t known to provide nurses)

Nurse Registries are licensed and authorized pursuant to Chapter 400, Part III (Section 400.461), Florida Statutes, and Chapter 408, Part II, Florida Statutes, and are regulated according to Chapter 59A-18, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). The new licensing rules are in Chapter 59A-35, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

Homemaker and Companion Services Organizations
An organization providing homemaker and companion services may not provide hands-on care or treatment to its clients. Among the things they cannot do include bathing the client, changing bandages, and giving nursing or medical care directly to the client.

There are a number of services that they are authorized to provide, including:

• Companion Services
• Homemaker Services

Homemaker and Companion Services Organization are licensed and authorized pursuant to Chapter 400, Part III (Section 400.461), Florida Statutes, and Chapter 408, Part II, Florida Statutes, and are regulated under Chapter 59A-8, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). (specifically 59A-8.025), F.A.C. The new licensing rules are in Chapter 59A-35, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

All of the foregoing is licensed and regulated by the Home Care Unit of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) in Tallahassee. It can be located at:

• Agency for Health Care Administration
• Bureau of Long-Term Care Services
• Home Care Unit

Phone: 850-412-4403
Fax: 850-922-5374