Home Health Care/Nurse Registry
The Firm has been involved in home health care and has represented Florida nurse registries since 1998 and has worked with over thirty different companies, from the smallest to the largest. The Firm gives advice on compliance issues concerning AHCA and the U.S. Department of Labor and ACHA. Services include daily counseling, drafting key agreements, including all necessary agreements and documents for caregivers, clients and insurance companies. The Firm advises nurse registries on compliance issues with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (“AHCA”) and has defended registries in actions brought against them. He is engaged as a consultant for all aspects of compliance with the U.S. Department of Labor and ACHA. The Firm has defended registries’ interests in litigation with AHCA.
While representing the Private Care Association (“PCA”) in 2014, Mr. Beale drafted and lobbied for new Florida Statutes Sections 400.471(2)(h), 400.506(2)(a), (d) and (e), 19 and 20. Mr. Beale represented the PCA before AHCA and the Florida Senate and House of Representatives while the proposed bill he drafted was negotiated and revised until signed by the Governor. These changes allowed nurse registries to continue to operate after the new U.S. Department of Labor Rule severely restricting the Companionship Exemption took effect. Following the new statutes, Mr. Beale worked with AHCA in revising its regulations to comply with the changes in the law. In September 2014, Mr. Beale represented PCA before a public workshop held by AHCA when the first draft of AHCA regulations was issued, explaining to AHCA the variances with the recently passed changes to the Florida nurse registry statute.
In 2015, Mr. Beale again drafted changes to Florida Statutes, this time to Sections 400.462(28), 400.464(2) and 400.506(1)(a), (b), and (c), and (4), which allowed nurse registries to open satellite offices in the health districts in which they were licensed without the need to apply for and be charged for a separate license.