How to Start a Home Care Business in Florida?

Looking to start a home care agency in Florida? Your services may be in high demand! The Sunshine State has the highest percentage of senior citizens in the nation, with over 4.2 million calling Florida home.¹

But before you can start assisting patients, you’ll need to get a Florida home health care license, meet other state and local requirements, and put in some hard work to get everything up and running.

Getting started

To start a home health care agency in Florida, it helps to have a plan. Many small businesses develop a business plan months before they officially open for business. This document serves as a guide, helping you set goals and make decisions. It may be required to apply for a business loan or grant and to find investors.

Information that is commonly included in a business plan includes:

• Market research – The need for home health care services in your area, your competition, etc.
• Business structure – How your business will be run, who is involved (owners and key staff), etc.
• Your goals – The benchmarks you want your business to reach and when you expect to complete those goals.
• Financial forecasts – You projected earnings for the first year (or longer) and when you expect to break even (become profitable).
• Budgets – Projected budgets for running your business, including marketing and advertising.

Making it legal

Home care businesses must have a Florida home health care license to operate in the state. You will need to meet specific requirements to become licensed and maintain your certification.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) grants licenses for home health agencies and home care businesses. As part of your home health care certification in Florida, you will need to:

• Hire specific staff members – Including administrators and supervisors, a head nurse, and backup employees to ensure your business is properly staffed at all times.
• Buy or lease office space – FL home care businesses must have a dedicated office where patients can contact you during normal business hours.
• Create a patient record system – You will need a system and procedures for storing and updating patient records.
• Purchase a surety bond – A bond may be required, depending on the services you provide and if you apply for Medicare certification.
• Comply with other state and federal regulations – Patient safety is important, and you may be fined or face legal action if you do not follow these regulations.

You will also need to apply for a business license and register with the Florida Department of State. There may be additional licenses and permits required to run a small business in your area or to provide specific services.

Protecting your business

Home health care insurance in Florida may be required to maintain your agency license:

General Liability – Coverage may be necessary to become licensed and lease office space for your home health care business.

Workers’ Compensation – Florida law requires businesses with four or more employees to have Workers’ Compensation coverage.

Even if insurance is not required to start your home health care agency in Florida, it might be worth considering anyway. A simple mistake or accident can lead to an expensive claim or lawsuit. Without insurance, the cost of setting things right or defending your business could quickly drain your bank accounts or even put you out of business.

Along with General Liability and Workers’ Compensation, you might also consider policies like:

Professional Liability – Protects you against the financial fallout of mistakes or errors in your work.

Business Owner’s Policy – Insures your business premises and contents.

Cyber Liability – Helps your business recover after a cyberattack or data breach.

Staffing your business

Finding quality employees is essential to running a successful home health care business. Caring and empathetic individuals can make a huge difference in patient outcomes. While office staff may be needed to help you run the business, home health aides (HHA) will work directly with patients and their families.

The HHAs you hire will need to meet the home health aide requirements in Florida. This includes completing a 75-hour approved course if your agency is Medicare-certified or a 40-course if your agency is state licensed only.

You can provide this caregiver training to new employees as part of employment or require them to complete coursework elsewhere before applying. If you provide training yourself, you may require staff to work for your agency for a set number of years.

Marketing

Without patients, your business won’t last long! Marketing is how you advertise and promote your agency to people searching for your services. Home health agencies typically use a combination of different marketing activities to spread the word about their services. These may include:

• Maintaining a business website and social media accounts
• Listing the business on Google Maps and other search engines
• Running ads on radio, social media, in newspapers, or through other media
• Staffing a booth at community events
• Partnering with local healthcare professionals who can refer patients to your agency

Your budget and other factors will impact how you decide to market your home health care agency.

BizInsure understands home health care agencies.

Home health agencies provide essential services to the nation’s seniors and those living with chronic illness or disability. You have more important things to focus on than requesting insurance quotes and comparing policies.

That’s where BizInsure can help. We make it easy to find home health care insurance in Florida that meets your agency’s needs. Compare policies from A-rated insurers and buy instant coverage online—all in as little as 10 minutes!

Start protecting your home health care business.