Florida House Passes Landmark Legislation To Enhance Home Health Care Access, Quality

The Florida House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation aimed at enhancing the quality and accessibility of care for Florida residents who rely on home health care services.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Gallop Franklin (D-Florida), would increase workforce flexibility and raise service delivery standards, passed by a vote of 115 to zero. The Florida House Health & Human Services Subcommittee unanimously approved the bill March 31.

“Floridians deserve high-quality care in the comfort of their own homes – and this bill helps make that possible,” Franklin said in a statement. “I’m grateful to my colleagues in the Florida House for recognizing home health care is a cost-effective, patient-centered option. This legislation removes barriers and ensures better care for the people who need it most.”

Currently, the system faces workforce shortages and administrative challenges that prevent agencies from operating effectively while providing high-quality care, according to Franklin. This bill is designed to support the long-term viability of Florida’s home health system by ensuring residents have access to quality care, offering employees better career opportunities and enabling agencies to operate efficiently in a rapidly changing industry.

Specifically, the bill aims to enhance workforce flexibility, improve service delivery standards and raise the quality of care for individuals reliant on home-based care services in the state.

In addition, the bill directs the Agency for Health Care Administration to improve its standards to better accommodate various types of home health care providers.

“Home health care is truly a more efficient cost for us to deliver health care services,” Franklin told the Senate Rules Committee on April 16. “There are so many services that don’t have to happen inside the hospital, and they can happen in the comfort of homes.”

The Florida Senate Rules Committee also unanimously passed the companion bill sponsored by Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R-Florida) and sent the legislation to the full Senate for consideration.

The companion bill removes geographical restrictions on the number of home health agencies that an administrator can manage simultaneously. It also eliminates the requirement that, under certain circumstances, a home health agency must use a direct employee to conduct the initial admission visit, serve evaluation visits and perform the discharge visit for admitted patients. Additionally, the bill revises the eligibility criteria for awards under the Excellence in Home Health program.

If approved, both bills will take effect on July 1.

The post Florida House Passes Landmark Legislation To Enhance Home Health Care Access, Quality appeared first on Home Health Care News.