SECTION 558.401. Standards Specific to Licensed Home Health Services

(a) In addition to the standards in Subchapter C of this chapter (relating to Minimum Standards for All Home and Community Support Services Agencies), an agency providing licensed home health services must also meet the standards of this section.

(b) The agency must accept a client for home health services based on a reasonable expectation that the client's medical, nursing, and social needs can be met adequately in the client's residence. An agency has made a reasonable expectation that it can meet a client's needs if, at the time of the agency's acceptance of the client, the client and the agency have agreed as to what needs the agency would meet; for instance, the agency and the client could agree that some needs would be met but not necessarily all needs.

(1) The agency must start providing licensed home health services to a client within a reasonable time after acceptance of the client and according to the agency's policy. The initiation of licensed home health services must be based on the client's health service needs.

(2) An initial health assessment must be performed in the client's residence by the appropriate health care professional prior to or at the time that licensed home health services are initially provided to the client. The assessment must determine whether the agency can provide the necessary services.

(A) If a practitioner has not ordered skilled care for a client, then the appropriate health care professional must prepare a care plan. The care plan must be developed after consultation with the client and the client's family and must include services to be rendered, the frequency of visits or hours of service, identified problems, method of intervention, and projected date of resolution. The care plan must be reviewed and updated by all appropriate staff members involved in client care at least annually, or more often as necessary to meet the needs of the client.

(B) If a practitioner orders skilled treatment, then the appropriate health care professional must prepare a plan of care. The plan of care must be signed and approved by a practitioner in a timely manner. The plan of care must be developed in conjunction with agency staff and must cover all pertinent diagnoses, including mental status, types of services and equipment required, frequency of visits at the time of admission, prognoses, functional limitations, activities permitted, nutritional requirements, medications and treatments, any safety measures to protect against injury, and any other appropriate items. The appropriate health care personnel must perform services as specified in the plan of care. The plan of care must be revised as necessary, but it must be reviewed and updated at least every six months.

(c) Agency staff must provide at least one home health service.

(d) All services must be provided and supervised by qualified personnel. The appropriate licensed health care professional must be available to supervise as needed, when services are provided. If medical social service is provided, the social worker must be licensed in the State of Texas to provide social work services.

(e) All staff providing services, delegation, and supervision must be employed by or be under contract with the agency.

(f) An agency is not required to employ home health aides. If an agency employs home health aides, the agency must comply with §558.701 of this chapter (relating to Home Health Aides).

(g) Unlicensed personnel employed by an agency to provide licensed home health services must:

(1) have demonstrated competency in the task assigned when competency cannot be determined through education and experience; and

(2) be at least 18 years of age or, if under 18 years of age, be a high school graduate or enrolled in a vocational education program.

Source Note: The provisions of this §558.401 adopted to be effective February 1, 2002, 26 TexReg 9159; amended to be effective April 1, 2004, 29 TexReg 2383; transferred effective May 1, 2019, as published in the April 12, 2019 issue of the Texas Register, 44 TexReg 1893; amended to be effective April 25, 2021, 46 TexReg 2427