How Do Home Care Companies Work?

This can be one of the most confusing parts about home health care. There are many different types of home care companies, and they all offer different types of services, levels of care, and have different regulations. It’s important you understand what each type of home care company can offer you and your family.

Understanding Florida’s Different Home Care Providers

Each state has their own unique requirements and regulations for home health care companies. Our goal is to help you find the best fit for your family, so we’ve compiled the list below to help you better understand your options.

Hiring an Independent Caregiver Through a Registry

In the state of Florida, a licensed health care professional can perform services that are within the scope of their professional license. A Home Health Care registry refers professionals as home care providers. Registries are regulated by the state of Florida and can only refer you to home care providers who have:

• Passed an FBI Level 2 Background Check
• Proof of their right to work in the United States
• Verified licensing for the services they provide
• Met the state minimum standards for patient services
• Completed the state-required training and/or competency tests

Choosing a Non-Medical or Companion Organization

A companion organization provides homemaker and companion services only. They are not licensed to perform hands on care and are not required to have nursing supervision. In this relationship structure, you hire the companion organization directly and they provide home care services through employees or contractors.

Due to the low start-up cost of these organizations, only requiring a state registration of $50 every two years, most of these organizations are small, locally-run franchises of larger companies with established brand names. In the state of Florida, these companies have no minimum requirements for patient standards and their caregivers are not required to complete training or competency tests.

Selecting a Home Health Agency

A home health agency provides home care solutions for skilled, personal and companion care. With a home health agency, your family hires the agency directly and they provide services through their caregivers, who are full or part-time employees. Home health agencies are heavily regulated by the state of Florida and required to carry liability and malpractice insurance up to $250,000 per claim.

Like the caregiver requirements of registry referrals, all home health agency caregivers must meet the minimum qualifications required and have:

• Passed an FBI Level 2 Background Check
• Proof of their right to work in the United States
• Verified licensing for the services they provide
• Met the state minimum standards for patient services
• Completed the state-required training and/or competency tests

In addition to the minimum qualifications, caregivers employed by a home health agency are also required to:

• Meet general quality assurance requirements which are monitored by a Director of Nursing
• Receive ongoing training on a variety of disorders and conditions for pediatric and adult care

When you choose to work with a home health agency, the agency assumes the responsibilities and liabilities of the employer. They handle all payroll taxes, insurance and other human resources related tasks.

We Provide Home Health Agency Services

At Sonas, we are licensed by the state of Florida as a home health agency. This allows us to give you highly regulated skilled care that is monitored by a Director of Nursing. If you or a loved one is in need of in-home care, please give us a call today at (888) 592-5855 and speak to one of our home care experts. They will be happy to walk you through a series of questions to discover which model will work best for you.

To learn more about how home health care companies are regulated, visit Florida’s Agency for Home Health Care Administration.

What Type of Care Do I Need?

Now that you understand the home care relationship, it’s time to start thinking about what level of care you or your loved one needs in order to remain independent at home and to live life to the fullest.