Home Health Agencies

The Interpretive Guidelines serve to interpret and clarify the Conditions of Participation for home health agencies (HHAs).  The Interpretive Guidelines merely define or explain the relevant statute and regulations and do not impose any requirements that are not otherwise set forth in statute or regulation. 

The HHA survey is conducted in accordance with the appropriate protocols and substantive requirements in the statute and regulations to determine whether a citation of non-compliance is appropriate.  Deficiencies are based on a violation of the statute or regulations, which, in turn, is to be based on observations of the HHA’s performance or practices.  

The Interpretive Guidelines include three parts:

• The first part contains the survey tag number. 
• The second part contains the wording of the regulation. 
• The third part contains guidance to surveyors, including additional survey procedures and probes.