Survey readiness for Florida nurse registries
The contractor files, patient notices and emergency planning AHCA expects from a nurse registry, and how to keep them in order.
Nurse registries
A nurse registry refers independent contractors, such as registered nurses, LPNs, CNAs, home health aides, homemakers and companions, to patients who hire them. Registries are licensed by AHCA under section 400.506, Florida Statutes, rule chapter 59A-18 of the Florida Administrative Code, and the general licensing rules in Chapter 408, Part II.
Because caregivers are independent contractors, a registry’s responsibilities center on three things: checking people carefully before referral, keeping the right records, and telling patients what they need to know. That is where surveyors spend their time.
What surveyors focus on
- Contractor files. What you verified about each caregiver before the first referral, and whether you keep that information current afterward.
- Patient files and notices. The records you keep for each patient, and the information the law requires you to give them.
- Clinical records. When a patient receives medical care, the treatment plans and records that go with it.
- Advertising and business practices. How you advertise, and how you work with other facilities, including assisted living facilities.
- Emergency preparedness. Your emergency plan, and how you keep track of patients who need continued care.
Where registries commonly slip
- Verification that happened once and was never repeated. Contractor credentials need ongoing attention, not only at sign-up.
- Documents that are out of date at the time of referral.
- Missing patient notices, which are easy to overlook during a busy intake.
- Advertising, including social media posts, that leaves out required information.
How to prepare
Review a sample of contractor files and patient files side by side with your intake process, and note anything you are unsure about. Our free nurse registry checklist gives you an overview of the areas to review, and a mock survey shows you exactly what each area requires and where your files fall short.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
Want a quick self-check?
Get our printable survey readiness checklist for nurse registries.