Starting a Home Health Agency

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Specializes in Home Health.

The process for starting a home health agency is very tedious, Although the outcome, as a business, is a very rewarding experience. Starting and managing a home health agency requires a combination of administrative and clinical knowledge. Both aspects, working together will allow you to ensure long term viability in your business. The process of getting started will require you to satisfy state requirements, federal requirements as well as accreditation requirements. A good place to start is finding the right location, the right administrator/director of nursing for your business and getting well written, detailed policies and procedures that cover all three mentioned above (state, federal and accrediting regulations). Hiring the right consultant will make the process smooth as well as offer the support and backbone you will need. Not to mention, the right consultant will save you time and money through the process as well as headaches. Feel free to ask me any questions about the process about the process!

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Hi there, i'm very much interested in opening up a home health agency business and i'd really like to talk to you if you have the time. I live in southern california and has been doing numerous research abiut HH business. I'm willing to invest and start this business asap. if you have time, i will really appreciate it. Thanks very much.

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Specializes in PICU, Interventional Pain, Home Health.

I just accepted a position 2 weeks ago as the Admin/DON of a new hh office and feel way over my head. No support from corporate and they are wondering already when I'm going to admit patients! I am on here looking for resources and I am trying to in my head figure out if I should just throw in the towel!!

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moving to Home Health forum.

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Specializes in Home Health.

We have a consultant company to help with the process, but do you know of any good programs for DON training in a HH setting? Thanks

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Specializes in Functional Medicine, Holistic Nutrition.

Hello...I want to PM you, but I don't see the option. Could you please contact me? Thank you.

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Specializes in Home Health.
Hello...I want to PM you, but I don't see the option. Could you please contact me? Thank you.

I guess you can't PM me, because I haven't written 15 posts yet, I just joined. I will try to get in some more posts and maybe you can PM me then?

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lindaw,

I feel your pain. My husband and I started a home health agency about a year ago and I still feel overwhelmed. Although I have 17years of nursing experience as both a staff nurse and management, home health is completely different. Getting the initial license from the state is fairly easy, hardest part has been finding patients and all the paperwork that goes along with the admission. I'm still waiting for the initial survey from the state and medicare.

I'm unsure of any specific DON home health training but as the administrator, I had to complete initial administrator training online, i believe it was 18hrs and has to be renewed annually. I think number of hours is dependent on your state. If you google "home health administrator training", several online training schools will come up. My past management experience has been helpful with regards to organization but I need assistance with starting a QAPI binder and have questions I would love to ask someone with DON/Administrator experience.

I also have to give a big thankup to Allnurses "home health forum", I have learned lots of information about bag technique, 485(plan of care), narrative nursing notes, CMS PPS, etc by reading current & past posts.

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