Massachusetts is one step closer to establishing licensure standards for home care agencies operating in the state. On Wednesday, the Massachusetts State House of Representatives passed legislation, called An Act to Improve Home Care, that would authorize the Department of Aging & Independence to implement a licensure system for non-medical home care services. Though some […] The post Massachusetts House Of Representatives Passes Home Care Licensure Legislation appeared first on Home Health Care News.
Massachusetts is one step closer to establishing licensure standards for home care agencies operating in the state.
On Wednesday, the Massachusetts State House of Representatives passed legislation, called An Act to Improve Home Care, that would authorize the Department of Aging & Independence to implement a licensure system for non-medical home care services.
Though some home care industry advocates have pushed for greater standardization across the industry, licensure requirements for providers in the non-medical space vary from state to state. Some states do not license home care services at all. Currently, Massachusetts is one of these states.
“Creating a home care licensure system establishes a baseline of quality and safety standards, it creates standards that most people assume are already required,” Harrison Collins, director of legislative affairs at Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts, told Home Health Care News. “It will ensure that every Massachusetts resident receiving care at home can do so with confidence, knowing their providers are part of a system that values safety and high standards.”
In addition to implementing a licensure system for Massachusetts home care providers, the legislation would authorize the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to develop regulations. It would also allow the Department of Aging & Independence to conduct surveys, investigations and enforce compliance.
Collins explained that right now, it’s unknown how many entities or individuals are providing home care services.
“This has fostered a marketplace in which the playing field is unlevel, where some entities have policies and procedures to keep clients safe and protect or train its workforce, and some do not,” he said. “Implementing a licensure system would make sure that everyone is operating by the same standards and mitigate bad actors from taking advantage of consumers or workers. Licensure will also cement this segment of our industry’s place in the health care continuum.”
Collins also stressed that the goal is not to create additional red tape for providers.
“Our goal and advocacy have always centered on the fact that this will license any entity providing services regardless of payer source,” he said. “What may be an appropriate requirement of a provider participating in a state or federal program is not always appropriate for a provider who works directly with consumers. The number one priority here must be establishing reasonable minimum standards while avoiding burdensome requirements which could increase operating costs on providers.”
Ultimately, Collins believes that the bill is “common sense” legislation.
“My hope is that the Senate acts on this quickly, so that the state agencies can move quickly to implement licensure,” he said. “I don’t believe there are any real challenges to passing this legislation. We have not seen much opposition to this bill. This is common-sense legislation, and an industry effort to lift itself up to protect consumers and its workforce through licensure.”
The post Massachusetts House Of Representatives Passes Home Care Licensure Legislation appeared first on Home Health Care News.
