Laboratory and In-Home Services

The Laboratory and In-Home Services Unit oversees the licensure and regulation of providers that offer laboratory and home health services. These providers are required to maintain state licensure or federal certification and must pass an inspection conducted by the Agency or acceptable accrediting agency.

The Laboratory and In-Home Services Unit administers programs for the following:

Clinical Laboratories:

The physical location where examinations on fluids, tissues or cells, taken from the human body are performed to provide information or materials for use in the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of a disease or the identification or assessment of a medical or physical condition.

End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Dialysis Facilities

An entity that provides outpatient maintenance dialysis services, or home dialysis training and support services, or both.  A dialysis facility may be an independent or hospital-based unit that includes a self-care dialysis unit that furnishes only self-dialysis services.

Forensic Toxicology Laboratories

The physical location where examinations are performed on specimens taken from the human body to provide information regarding the presence or absence of drugs or their metabolites for the purpose of promoting a drug free workplace under the provisions of Section 112.0455, F.S. or Section 440.102, F.S.

Home Health Agencies

An agency that provides skilled services (by nurses, therapists, social workers) and/or unskilled services (by home health aides, certified nursing assistants, homemaker, companions) to patients in their homes. A home health agency may also provide staffing to health care facilities on a temporary basis.

Home Health Agency Exemptions

Any person, entity, or organization providing home health services which is exempt from licensure under subsection 400.464(5), F.S. may voluntarily apply for a certificate of exemption from licensure under its exempt status.

Multiphasic Health Testing Centers (MHTC)

Any fixed or mobile facility where specimens are taken from the human body for delivery to registered clinical laboratories for analysis and where certain measurements such as height and weight determinations, blood pressure determinations, limited audio and visual tests, and electrocardiograms are made.

Nurse Registries

An agency that offers health care related contracts for nurses, home health aides, certified nursing assistants, homemakers, and companions in a patient's home and as temporary staff to health care facilities.

Organ Procurement Organizations, Tissue Banks and Eye Banks

Entities engaged in the recovery, processing, storage or distribution of human organs, eyes or tissues to be used for transplantation.

Resources

The Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) requires all licensees providing residential or inpatient services to use an Agency approved database for reporting its emergency status, planning or operations. The Agency approved database for reporting this information is the Emergency Status System (ESS).