(a) If a home
health agency provides home health aide services, those services must be
provided
(1) by a home health aide who
(A) is a nurse aide certified by the Board of
Nursing under
AS
08.68.331-08.68.336;
(B) does not appear in the registry of
certified nurse aides under
AS
08.68.333 as having committed abuse, neglect,
or misappropriation of property in connection with employment as a nurse
aide;
(C) has a valid criminal
history check under
AS
47.05.300-47.05.390 and
7
AAC 10.900 -
7
AAC 10.990, unless a variance is granted under
7
AAC 10.935; and
(D) meets home health requirements and has
completed the competency evaluation requirements in (f) of this
section;
(2) in
accordance with a plan of care; and
(3) in accordance with written instructions
prepared by a registered nurse, or appropriate therapist providing therapy
under 7 AAC 12.521, that specify each
task to be completed during a home visit.
(b) A home health aide employed by a home
health agency shall
(1) follow a current
written plan of care;
(2) perform
simple procedures as an extension of therapy services;
(3) provide personal care, including bathing,
hair care, oral hygiene, skin care, and hand and foot care;
(4) assist the patient with ambulation and
exercise;
(5) assist with the
nutritional needs of the patient;
(6) assist with patient administered,
non-prescription and prescription medications, by handing the patient the
medication bottle or medications prepared under the supervision of a registered
nurse or a physician;
(7) report
changes in the patient's condition and needs, and complete appropriate records;
and
(8) take and record vital
signs.
(c) A home health
agency shall provide and document orientation of a home health aide within the
two weeks immediately following that aide's employment. Orientation must
include information on the following matters:
(1) applicable state and federal law and the
policies and procedures of the agency;
(2) duties of the home health aide;
(3) functions of other health personnel
employed by the agency and how they relate to each other in the care of the
patient;
(4) coordination of
services within the agency and community services; and
(5) ethics and confidentiality.
(d) A registered nurse, or
therapist providing service under
7
AAC 12.521, shall make a supervisory visit to the
patient's residence at least once every two weeks, either to observe and assist
when the aide is present, or to assess relationships and determine whether
goals identified in the plan of care are being met. The registered nurse or
therapist must directly observe the in-home performance of each home health
aide at least once every three months.
(e) A home health agency shall provide a home
health aide with 12 hours of inservice training each calendar year based on the
training needs identified through supervisory visits and the needs of patients
being served by the home health agency. A home health agency shall provide
training for all care duties not included in the basic competency skills
identified in (f) of this section.
(f) A home health agency shall maintain
sufficient documentation to demonstrate that an individual who furnishes home
health aide services is competent in the skills identified in this subsection.
Before providing services to patients, a home health aide shall be evaluated
for competency in each of the following areas:
(2) observation, reporting, and documentation
of the patient care provided;
(3)
maintenance of a clean, safe, and healthy environment;
(4) provision of basic infection control
procedures;
(5) knowledge of basic
nutrition and fluid intake, including food preparation techniques as
appropriate;
(6) reading and
recording temperature, pulse, and respiration;
(7) knowledge and observation of basic
elements of body functioning and changes in body function that must be reported
to an aide's supervisor;
(8)
recognition of emergencies and knowledge of emergency procedures;
(9) recognition of the physical, emotional,
and developmental needs of, and ways to work with, the clients served by the
home health agency, including respect for the patient, the patient's privacy,
and the patient's property;
(10)
use of appropriate and safe techniques of personal hygiene and grooming,
including
(B) a sponge, tub, or shower bath;
(C) sink, tub, or bed shampooing;
(F) toileting and elimination;
(11) safe transfer techniques and
ambulation;
(12) normal range of
motion and positioning;
(13) any
other task that the home health agency may assign to the home health
aide.
As of Register 171 (October 2004), the regulations
attorney made technical revisions under
AS
44.62.125(b)(6) to reflect
the name change of the Department of Community and Economic Development to the
Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development made by ch. 47, SLA
2004 and the corresponding title change of the commissioner of community and
economic development.
