APS can help you become an APD service provider
Providing services for developmentally disabled individuals under the auspices of the State of Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) can be emotionally and financially rewarding, but it can also be frustrating, back-breaking, exhausting, financially draining, and potentially dangerous. You should be very cautious if you don’t have both caregiving and business operations experience. All Provider Services LLC can help you navigate the requirements for becoming and staying licensed as a provider of services to APD clients.
Governmental regulations; expectations of clients and their circle of support; your knowledge, understanding, and/or skills; and circumstances beyond your control will have significant impacts on your ability to stay in compliance, and have a happy and profitable experience. Organization, maintaining accurate records, stamina, attention to details and patience are all required to be a successful service provider.
There are many resources available to help with establishing and operating as a provider, including for residential habilitation facilities. The most important are the rules and procedures detailed in the Medicaid Waiver regulations, Florida Statutes, and the Florida Administrative Codes that you must know. See the Handbook for a list of the various services and the requirements to be a provider. Operation a residential facility is only one of them.
Read:
Florida Medicaid Handbook:(https://apd.myflorida.com/ibudget/docs/September%202021%2059G-13.070_DD_iBudget_Waiver_Services.pdf)
Florida Statute 393 (Law) https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Statutes/2021/Chapter0393/All/
Florida Administrative Codes (Rules) 65G-2 (https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=65G-2
65G-7 (https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=65G-7),
65G-8 (https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=65G-8)
APD website (https://apd.myflorida.com/) Click on “Providers” for a drop-down menu of important information.
Study:
Take all required and optional courses available. Access Train – https://www.train.org/florida/welcome
Find other providers willing to share ideas and/or support.
Learn everything you can about your clients and staff.
Make an objective periodic review of your personal strengths and weaknesses.
Make an objective periodic review of your agency’s strengths and weaknesses.
Your operations will be reviewed and scrutinized constantly. Clients have the right and ability to choose and change their providers. Family and other supports may observe and/or make demands. APD will monitor at least monthly. State and federal regulators will review at least annually. You should know the rules and the tools (forms) used by those agencies to determine compliance and compensation.
Before committing more time, headaches, and money toward becoming a provider think carefully about your capacity for long frustrating hours, endless detailed paperwork, long waits for clients, constant scrutiny from many sources, and many, many, many rules.
REMEMBER: failure to be in compliance can mean loss of money and/or license!
Write us if you want help: All Provider Services LLC, email: Mitch.allprosvcs@gmail.com
