Amendment #552 to H3400

Home Health Agencies Certificate of Need

Representatives Hogan of Stow, DiNatale of Fitchburg, D'Emilia of Bridgewater and Heroux of Attleboro move to amend the bill in Section 2, in item 4000-0500, in line 16, by inserting after the words “fiscal years…” the following:

“Provided further that, in order to be eligible to apply for Medicare certification and to bill MassHealth for home health services, any new applicant seeking to provide home health services must submit to a Certificate of Need (CON) review established by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and assessed by an independent board appointed by the Governor, General Court, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts. To obtain a CON, an application must be filed with said independent board in which the applicant demonstrates the need for or prove the cost efficiency of a new agency. The applicant must present to the department and board both evidence of unmet need and how the proposed agency would fit into the comprehensive health care delivery system of the service area. This application requirement shall not apply to Medicare-certified home health agencies providing care as of July 1, 2013.”