Excellence in Home Health Program.

(1) There is created within the agency the Excellence in Home Health Program for the purpose of awarding home health agencies that meet the criteria specified in this section.

(2)(a) The agency shall adopt rules establishing criteria for the program which must include, at a minimum, standards that are adaptable to all types of home health agencies, regardless of payor type, patient population, or service designation. The criteria must include:

1. Patient or client satisfaction, including communication and willingness to recommend the home health agency.

2. Service excellence.

a. For skilled providers, outcomes related to clinical improvements, such as reducing adverse events, unplanned emergency care, or hospitalizations.

b. For nonskilled providers, contributions to daily living support, personal care quality, and overall client well-being.

3. Workforce stability and development, including employee satisfaction, retention rates, and training initiatives appropriate to the home health agency’s services.

4. Innovation in care delivery, such as implementing new technologies, caregiver education programs, or tailored approaches to meeting patient or client needs.

(b) The agency must annually evaluate home health agencies seeking the award which apply on a form and in the manner designated by rule.

(3) The home health agency must:

(a) Be actively licensed and operating for at least 24 months to be eligible to apply for a program award. An award under the program is not transferable to another license, except when the existing home health agency is being relicensed in the name of an entity related to the current licenseholder by common control or ownership, and there will be no change in the management, operation, or programs of the home health agency as a result of the relicensure.

(b) Have had no licensure denials, revocations, or any Class I, Class II, or uncorrected Class III deficiencies within the 24 months preceding the application for the program award.

(4) The award designation shall expire on the same date as the home health agency’s license. A home health agency must reapply and be approved for the award designation to continue using the award designation in the manner authorized under subsection (5).

(5) A home health agency that is awarded under the program may use the designation in advertising and marketing. However, a home health agency may not use the award designation in any advertising or marketing if the home health agency:

(a) Has not been awarded the designation;

(b) Fails to renew the award upon expiration of the award designation;

(c) Has undergone a change in ownership that does not qualify for an exception under paragraph (3)(a); or

(d) Has been notified that it no longer meets the criteria for the award upon reapplication after expiration of the award designation.

(6) An application for an award designation under the program is not an application for licensure. A designation award or denial by the agency under this section does not constitute final agency action subject to chapter 120.