Home Health & Community Support Services Agencies (HCSSA)
Texas licenses home and community support services agencies under a framework that is distinct from Medicare certification, and many agencies need both. We handle the HHSC licensure application, the Medicare certification path where applicable, and the ongoing compliance load — including therapy-only agencies, which have their own contours.
What regulates you
- Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 142 and the HHSC licensure rules for home and community support services agencies
- The HCSSA category you are licensed in — licensed home health, licensed and certified home health, personal assistance services or hospice — each with different obligations
- Medicare conditions of participation for home health agencies, where you are certified
- Administrator and alternate administrator qualification and continuing education requirements
- Texas Medicaid program rules where you serve Medicaid clients
- Emergency preparedness obligations at both state and federal level
What we do for you
- HCSSA licensure applications, category changes and branch or alternate delivery site filings
- Medicare certification and the enrollment sequence around it
- Complete policy and procedure manuals for your licensure category and service mix
- Administrator support, including qualification documentation and required education
- Clinical record audits against documentation and medical necessity standards
- Emergency preparedness planning, training and testing evidence
- Mock surveys and plan of correction support
- Payer contracting and Medicaid enrollment through TMHP
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between HCSSA licensure and Medicare certification?
They are separate. HCSSA licensure is a Texas requirement administered by HHSC and is what permits you to operate. Medicare certification is a federal process that permits you to bill Medicare. Many agencies need both, and the order in which they are pursued matters because certification generally presumes licensure.
We are a therapy-only agency. Do the same rules apply?
Largely, with differences in service mix and staffing that affect which policies and which supervisory structures apply. Therapy-only agencies are a long-standing focus of our practice.
How much of the survey is about the clinical record?
A great deal of it. Most citable findings in home health surveys trace back to what the record does or does not document — plan of care, physician orders, supervisory visits, and coordination of care.
Related services
Talk to someone who works with your provider type every week
Describe where you are — opening, cited, stalled, or renegotiating — and we will tell you what the path looks like.