FINAL BILL REPORT

                  HB 2510

                         C 175 L 00

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Modifying home health, home care, hospice, and in-home services.

Sponsors:  Representatives Edmonds, D. Schmidt, Hurst and Kenney; by request of Department of Health.

House Committee on Health Care

Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care

Background:

The Department of Health (DOH) was directed by the Legislature to prepare a report for the Health Care Committees of the Legislature concerning changes needed to the home health, hospice, and home care licensing laws.  The department established a working committee made up of industry representatives and technical experts with the departments of Social and Health Services and Health to develop recommendations and a report.   This committee investigated:  enhancing home health, hospice, and home care licensing laws to provide better protection for the public; developing compliance strategies for persons providing in-home services; and analyzing the effects of repealing specific home health license laws to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness.  The DOH secretary submitted the report to the Legislature in November 1999.

The DOH study identified that home health, home care, and hospice agencies each must undergo a separate licensing process to receive a license.  There are three separate chapters of rules, and three separate systems for administering each set of rules.  Agencies with more than one license type must deal with a separate system for each license type, and must also undergo a separate survey for each type of license.  The study identified that the current system for licensing may be inefficient and recommended a single licensing type for all in-home agencies as well as clearer definitions of home health, hospice, and home care.

Summary of Bill:

The three license categories of home health, home care, and hospice are combined into a single license category.  The new license category is called the in-home services license. Agencies must continue to be called by the recognized industry names of home health, hospice, home care and their functions will not change.

A person providing nursing services may elect to be designated a home health agency for the purpose of licensure.

A new category under the hospice license is created called hospice care center.  Hospice care centers are allowed to provide hospice care for the terminally ill in a home-like setting.

Violations of the licensing requirement are clarified.  Operating without a license in violation of these requirements is actionable under the Consumer Protections Act.

The types of activities or businesses that are not considered in-home services are clarified.

Technical changes are made to remove unnecessary references, consolidate sections of the code, and clarifies definitions and terms.

Votes on Final Passage:

  House  95 0

Senate 45 0 (Senate amended)

House(House refused to concur)

Senate470(Senate amended)

House980(House concurred)

Effective:January 1, 2002