Texas home care administrator requirements

On top of that, both must meet the conditions in §558.244(b):

• English. "An administrator and alternate administrator must be able to read, write, and comprehend English."
• No recent enforcement history. Someone who was administrator of an agency when a violation led HHSC to revoke or suspend its license, deny a license application or obtain an injunction cannot be an administrator anywhere for 12 months after that action. Fines do not count: the rule excludes "administrative or civil penalties".
• No barring convictions. Neither may have a conviction for an offense listed in 26 TAC Chapter 560 within that chapter’s time frames.

If you later add home health or hospice services, the bar rises: a licensed professional with a year of health-related management or supervisory experience, or a diploma or GED with two years of it (§558.244(a)(1)).

What the first 8 hours must cover

Information on the licensing standards for an agency, and on the state and federal laws that apply to one: Texas Health and Safety Code Chapters 142 and 250, Human Resources Code Chapter 102 (Rights of the Elderly), the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Rehabilitation Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act and OSHA requirements.

What the other 16 hours must cover

Fraud and abuse detection and prevention; legal issues around advance directives; client rights, including confidentiality; agency responsibilities; complaint investigation and resolution; emergency preparedness; abuse, neglect and exploitation; and infection control. They may include other topics related to the administrator’s duties.

What counts as training

Structured classes, correspondence courses, competency-based computer courses, training videos, distance learning or off-site courses. "Subject matter that deals with the internal affairs of an organization does not qualify for credit." The training can come from an academic institution, a recognized state or national organization or association, a consultant or an agency. If a consultant or an agency provides it, it must be approved by HHSC or recognized by a state or national organization or association, and you must keep proof of that for the surveyor.

HHSC publishes a list of providers of administrator training, with a caveat: "HHSC does not endorse these providers." Whoever you choose, it is up to you to check the course meets §558.259.

The surveyor will ask for proof. For the first-year 24 hours, the file must hold "the name of the class or workshop, the course content (such as the curriculum), the hours and dates of the training, and the name and contact information of the entity and trainer who provided the training." For continuing education it is the class name, topics covered, hours and dates. Both must be on file at the agency.

Around those duties the rules add a few specific obligations:

• Be reachable. The administrator or alternate must be available to staff, in person or by phone, during operating hours.
• Name who lets the surveyor in. The administrator designates in writing an employee who gives HHSC surveyors entry when the administrator and alternate are not available (§558.243(b)(3)).
• Be at the survey. At the initial survey the administrator or alternate must attend the entrance and exit conferences in person (§558.523(a)).
• Sign up for emergency alerts. Both must enroll in HHSC’s emergency communication system (§558.256(q)(1)), which HHSC’s FAQ names as AlertMedia.
• Report changes. If the administrator or alternate changes, tell HHSC in writing no later than seven days after the change (§558.218(a)).