AHCA: Hospital & Outpatient Services Unit

About the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)

Our Agency was statutorily created by Chapter 20, Florida Statutes as the chief health policy and planning entity for the state. We are primarily responsible for the state's $16 billion Medicaid program that serves over 2.2 million Floridians, the licensure of the state's 36,000 health care facilities and the sharing of health care data through the Florida Center for Health Information and Policy Analysis.

Last year we worked with legislators to tackle the problem of Florida's uninsured and appreciate your support for initiatives like Cover Florida. Cover Florida plans will be offered beginning January 1, 2009, and we hope they will make a difference for the state's 3.6 million uninsured. We also worked with you to target fraud in home health agencies, to make available price and outcome information on 150 different procedures, and to stretch our budget resources to serve as many people as possible.

This year we will be working with you to continue to reduce the number of uninsured across the state, to enhance our ability to target fraudulent providers, to reduce unnecessary regulation, to reduce administrative costs in order to ensure that dollars go to serve patients and more.

Our mission is Better Health Care for All Floridians.

More information is available in AHCA - A General Overview (PDF 1.1MB)

Contact the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)

Agency for Health Care Administration
2727 Mahan Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32308
(888) 419-3456
Click to Send an E-mail

AGENCY DEPARTMENTS: For contact information for particular bureaus or departments click Inside AHCA or call the toll-free number (888) 419-3456. After choosing English, Spanish, or Creole then press 3.

AREA OFFICES: The Agency has offices throughout Florida. The Area Medicaid Offices can help with Medicaid questions (for beneficiaries and providers) and has a list of Medicaid providers. The Health Quality Assurance Offices conduct surveys of health care facilities/providers and help facilities/providers with quality assurance. To find an office near you click Regional Maps.

COMPLAINTS: To file a complaint against a health care facility/provider or health maintenance organization (HMO) regulated by AHCA or to file a complaint against a health care professional licensed by the Florida Dept. of Health: Call the toll-free number (888) 419-3456. To read more about the complaint process click here.

MEDICAID: The Area Medicaid Offices can help with Medicaid questions and has a list of Medicaid providers. To find Area Medicaid Offices and other Medicaid information click www.MyMedicaid-Florida.com. To report Medicaid fraud or abuse, call the toll-free number (888) 419-3456. After choosing English, Spanish, or Creole then press 5.

PUBLICATIONS & FORMS: Click Publications to view and download AHCA publications and Forms. Some of these can be ordered by calling the toll-free number (888) 419-3456. After choosing English, Spanish, or Creole then press 4.

Birth Center

A birth center is a licensed facility which is not an ambulatory surgical center, a hospital or located within a hospital, in which births are planned to occur away from the mother's usual place of residence following a normal, uncomplicated, low-risk pregnancy.

Initial/Renewal License Requirements

A facility applying for a license must meet all state licensing requirements, provide required documentation and have completed a satisfactory survey. The biennial license fee is $360.00 and the annual survey/inspection fee is $250.00. Accredited birth centers must only pay the survey fee in the year surveyed by the Agency for Health Care Administration.

To renew a current state license that is due to expire, you must print the licensure application form below and submit the completed form(s) with the renewal fee prior to the expiration date of the license. Applications for renewal must be received by the Agency at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the license or a late fee will be assessed.

Required documentation/forms

Birth Center Licensure Application (354K PDF)

NOTE: A renewal application will not be accepted if the birth center license is expired. An initial license application must be filed if your license has expired.

Health Care Licensing Application

Addendum

Voluntary Board Member Affidavit

Affidavit of Compliance with Background Screening Requirements

These forms are recommended for use beginning October 1, 2006, to comply with the reporting requirements pursuant to Chapter 408, Part II, Florida Statutes. Please provide this information in addition to the licensing application for the specific provider/facility type.

Background Screening

Florida Department of Law Enforcement and FBI fingerprinting must be completed by the center's manager and the person responsible for the daily financial operation of the center prior to approving the initial application and then repeated every five years. Please go to the background screening section of this web site for additional documentation that must be submitted with your application.

Birth Center Annual Report

Each licensed birth center must submit a completed annual report form to the Agency for Health Care Administration no later than July 30 each year.

Notification of Disposition of Fetal Remains Form (AHCA Form 3100-0006 January 2005)

This form provides the procedures for notification of options available to a mother who has experienced a spontaneous fetal demise of less than 20 weeks gestation. This form, to be used by hospitals and birth centers, is similar to a Department of Health form that would be used by health care practitioners to provide this information. The form is required by section 383.33625, Florida Statutes, the Stephanie Saboor Grieving Parents Act, and section 59A-3.281, Florida Administrative Code.

Disposition of Fetal Remains Form (AHCA Form 3100-0006 January 2005)

Statute/Rule Authority

Forms

Updated March 5, 2009

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