Clarification on the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) Program
The Department of Health (DOH) has posted a Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) – DHCBS 16-09, Regulatory Requirements for LHCSAs offering the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) Program. The purpose of the DAL is to clarify the licensure and regulatory requirements that apply to the NFP Program.
The NFP Program uses the nursing process and nursing assessment to combine preventative services, health education and guidance, care coordination, and case management through regular home visits to first time mothers and their children.
The DAL included several clarifications:
- Article 36 of the Public Health Law requires that agencies must be licensed to provide nursing services to individuals in their homes; this includes for purposes of conducting home health visits for the NFP Program.
- In the NFP Program, an entity must be licensed as a home care services agency and possess a license issued by the Commissioner of Health.
- It reminds NFP programs that all licensed home care services agencies (LHCSAs) are obligated to operate according to the requirements found in NYCRR Title 10 Part 766.
- All regulatory requirements pertaining to a LHCSA apply to LHCSAs offering the NFP Program. This includes section 766.4 as it relates to physician orders. A reminder that, as of May 2016, this regulation was revised to extend the amount of time to 12 months for providers to obtain written authorization for services based on verbal orders.
Questions regarding clarifications in this DAL should be sent to homecare@health.ny.gov.
Contact: Cheryl Udell, cudell@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871