HCAF Takes Action to Eliminate Third-Party Access Fees in Assisted Living Facilities
HCAF Takes Action to Eliminate Third-Party Access Fees in Assisted Living Facilities
As the 2026 Florida Legislative Session continues, HCAF is actively advancing advocacy efforts to protect home health agencies from barriers that delay care and shift unnecessary costs onto providers.
We are currently collecting information from skilled-designated home health agencies regarding assisted living facilities (ALFs) that require agencies to pay third-party vendor fees — such as AccuShield or similar credentialing and access platforms — in order to access residents and provide care.
These fees, often charged on a per-employee, per-month basis, can create financial barriers to timely care delivery, delay the start of medically necessary services, and impose additional costs on providers that already meet comprehensive background screening, licensure, and regulatory requirements under Florida law.
Your input is critical.
The information gathered will be used solely for advocacy purposes to document the statewide scope of this practice and to support amendment language within existing legislation. HCAF is pursuing solutions that would either prohibit this access-fee model outright or exempt licensed home health agencies and their compliant personnel from these third-party charges — while preserving reasonable security and verification processes.
Our shared goal is to protect patient access to care, prevent unnecessary administrative and financial burdens, and ensure that ALF entry protocols do not delay or interfere with essential home health services.
We respectfully encourage you to complete the brief survey as soon as possible to support these efforts.
If you have any questions, please email info@homecarefla.org or call (850) 222-8967.