About Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs)

Certified Home Health Agencies/Long Term Home Health Care Programs:

CHHAs/LTHHCPs provide part time, intermittent, skilled services which are of a preventative, therapeutic, rehabilitative, health guidance and/or supportive nature to persons at home.   Home health services include: nursing services; home health aide services; medical supplies, equipment and appliances suitable for use in the home; and at least one additional service that may include physical therapy; occupational therapy; speech pathology; nutritional services; and medical social services.  Services provided by CHHAs/LTHHCPs may be reimbursed by Medicare, Medicaid, private payment, and commercial health insurers.   The NYS Department of Health is responsible for monitoring the care provided by CHHAs/LTHHCPs. 

Special Needs CHHAs

A Special Needs CHHA is a Certified Home Health Agency that has been approved by the Department of Health to serve an identified specific targeted population or identified special needs population. The Special Needs CHHA provides the same services that a general purpose CHHA provides. The targeted populations fall into two categories:

  1. Populations eligible for services from the Office of Mental Health (OMH) or Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD): The Special Needs Certified Home Health Agency provides services to a population of patients in their homes who would otherwise require care in a facility or program licensed by either OMH or OPWDD.
  2. Pilot Program Home Health Agencies: Ten such agencies are permitted under regulations to provide services to a particular population group and that population group's identified special needs. During the application process, these agencies demonstrated that they were better able than other certified home health agencies to meet the special needs of the defined population group in the areas of improved continuity of care, access to services, cost effectiveness and efficiency.

View all special needs agencies.

Quality measurement data are available for this provider type. In addition, the Department of Health conducts periodic surveys and investigates complaints at these agencies. If there are findings that a violation of rules and regulations exist during such activities, a written report called a Statement of Deficiencies is issued and the agency must submit a plan of correction to the Department within 10 days. This plan must specifically indicate how the agency will return to and maintain compliance with each rule or regulation it violated. The most recent inspection data is published on this site.

The NYS Department of Health is responsible for monitoring the care provided by certified home health agencies. Complaints, questions or concerns about any certified home health agencies, long term home health care programs should be directed to the Home Health Hotline (800-628-5972). You can also submit a complaint at http://profiles.health.ny.gov/home_care/pages/complaints.