(a) The department shall apply its current regulations governing home health agencies to home health agencies and to private duty nursing agencies and may thereafter modify, amend, or rescind, reasonable rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of this chapter, including, the prohibition of specific conduct, determined by the department to be inimical to the public health, morals, welfare, or safety of the people of the State of California in the maintenance and operation of a private duty nursing services agency for which a license is issued. In adopting, modifying, amending, or rescinding the rules and regulations, the department shall consult with, and receive recommendations from, among others, physicians and surgeons, pharmacists, public health nurses, and persons representing hospitals, nonprofit home health and private duty nursing agencies, proprietary home health and private duty nursing agencies, and counties whose health department or hospital has a home health or private duty nursing agency. The department shall also comply with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
(b) The department shall apply current rules and regulations governing home health agencies regarding the purchase, storage, furnishing, and transportation of legend devices for a patient of a private duty nursing agency. As used in this subdivision, “legend devices” means any device that bears the label “Caution: federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a ____” or words of similar meaning.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the department apply current regulations governing home health agencies to private duty nursing facilities that are similar to those that govern home health agencies including, but not limited to, those regulations related to services and the scope and duration of benefits, except to the extent the regulations would be inconsistent with the authority provided under, and the restrictions prescribed by, this chapter.
(Added by Stats. 2001, Ch. 242, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2002.)