How to Set Up a Home Health Care Agency

A home health care agency supplies licensed nursing care to elderly and/or ill people in the privacy of their own homes. An increasingly number of people prefer being treated at home. Medical home health agencies require extensive licensing, including state and local, Medicare and Medicaid certifications.

Instructions

• 1

  Contact your state licensing board to request a package explaining the requirements for a home health care agency. You can search online for the correct contact information.

• 2

  Decide whether to start a home care business on your own or to sign up with a home care franchise. There are positives and negatives to both options. Paying franchise fees gets you a proven business model, as well as support. However, striking out on your own means more independence, but you must be sure you have a business plan in place.

• 3

  Establish the business entity that fits your requirements (sole proprietor, partnership, Limited Liability Company, S Corporation or C Corporation). Speak to an attorney or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and research online about these options. Obtain a federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS form SS-4. www.IRS.gov/smallbiz ) to identify your business in relation to tax liability. Register your business with your Secretary of State. Decide on a business name and check availability in your state. When approved, print letterhead, business cards, brochures and establish a website.

• 4

  Hire the best qualified, highly trained home health care workers. Check references and backgrounds. Write a policies and procedures manual to address new client admissions, plan of care, scheduling, employee and payroll records, orientation, in-service training and client billing.

• 5

  Determine the most appropriate sources for referrals, such as long-term care facilities and hospital discharge social workers. Connect with physicians and senior centers to secure new customers.