ACHC Home Health Requirements: Annual In-Service and Orientation Education – MedBridge Help Center

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In order to streamline your organization’s compliance requirements and guide providers through their Home Health onboarding and annual training requirements, MedBridge has worked with the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) to organize coursework that aligns with ACHC standards.

This article provides a list of recommended MedBridge courses that align with ACHC’s home-health guidelines for both annual in-service requirements and orientation requirements, as well as federal training requirements.

These courses can be delivered to your staff via a MedBridge Knowledge Track, which allows you to easily assign and track completion. The suggested Tracks below include coursework organized by ACHC requirement, however these recommendations can be customized to fit your needs, including adding your agency's own custom content. For more information about building Knowledge Tracks, check out Getting Started With the MedBridge LMS.

For information on state-specific regulations and required training, please contact MedBridge support.

Note: Some courses are also available in a shorter Microlearning course version, and have been listed as an alternative. These courses may be beneficial for more experienced staff who just need a refresher on these topics.

ACHC Annual In-Service Coursework

Non-direct-care personnel have a minimum of 8 hours of ongoing education per year. Direct personnel must have a minimum of 12 hours of ongoing education during each 12-month period.

The following coursework is approved for the listed mandatory topics for ACHC annual In-Service requirements per Standard HH4-5A.01.

Knowledge Track: ACHC In-Service Coursework

ACHC Annual In-Service Mandatory Topics (ACHC Standard HH4-5A.01 and HH7-2A.01)
Mandatory Topic	MedBridge Compliance Course Options	Federal Regulation Met
How to handle grievances and complaints, Patient Rights and Responsibilities (Standard HH4-8A.01)	Patient Rights in Home Health	42 C.F.R. § 484.50
Infection Control (Standard HH4-8A.01)	Infection Prevention and Control: Standard Precaut ions and Other Fundamentals or Infection Control Microlearning: Standard Precautions for Clinical and Nonclinical Staff	42 C.F.R. § 484.70 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)
Cultural Diversity and Communication Barriers (Standard HH4-8A.01)	Inclusive Care: Culturally Competent Resources to Meet Diverse Needs	42 C.F.R. § 484.60(a)
Ethics (Standard HH4-8A.01)	Ethics in Healthcare
Workplace (OSHA), Patient Safety and Personal Safety Techniques (Standard HH4-8A.01 and components of Standard HH7-2A.01)	OSHA: Worker Safety in Home Health and Hospice	29 U.S.C. § 654(a)
Workplace (OSHA), Patient Safety and Personal Safety Techniques	Workplace Violence Microlearning	29 U.S.C. § 654(a)
Workplace (OSHA), Patient Safety and Personal Safety Techniques	Patient Safety in the Home
Workplace (OSHA), Patient Safety and Personal Safety Techniques	Fire Safety In Home Health	29 CFR 1910.39
Workplace (OSHA), Patient Safety and Personal Safety Techniques	OSHA Worker Safety Microlearning: Preventing Musculoskeletal and Ergonomic Injuries	29 USC 654(a)
Workplace (OSHA), Patient Safety and Personal Safety Techniques	OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens: Preventing and Responding to Exposure or Bloodborne Pathogens Microlearning: Steps to Take if Exposed	29 CFR §1910.1030
Workplace (OSHA), Patient Safety and Personal Safety Techniques	Emergency Preparedness in Home Health	42 C.F.R. § 484.102
Compliance (Standard HH4-8A.01)	General Compliance Training for Healthcare Staff or General Compliance Microlearning	42 C.F.R. § 422.503(b)(4)(vi)(C)(1) 42 C.F.R. § 423.504(b)(4)(vi)(C)(1)

* indicates that we have a shorter microlearning course on the same topic

Federal In-Service Coursework

In addition, add the following courses to satisfy federal requirements.

HIPAA: Patient Privacy and Information Security in Home Health and Hospice

P.L. 104–191, 110 Stat. 1936

42 C.F.R. § 418.104(c)

42 C.F.R. § 484.110(d)

Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) in Home Health

42 C.F.R. §484.65

ACHC Orientation

This training is required for all staff in accordance with ACHC standards and federal regulations. The following coursework is mandatory per Standard HH4-5A.01.

In addition to this coursework, agencies must provide employees with:

A review of the individual's job description and duties performed and their role in the HHA
An organizational chart
Record keeping and reporting
Written policies and procedures
Training on specific to job requirements
Orientation to equipment, if applicable as outlined in the job description

Knowledge Track: ACHC Orientation Coursework

ACHC Annual Orientation Mandatory Topics (ACHC Standard HH4-5A.01 and HH7-2A.01)
ACHC Topic	MedBridge Compliance Course Options	Federal Regulation Met
HHA Philosophy	Philosophy of Home Care	42 CFR §484.50, §484.55 and §484.60
Confidentiality and privacy of protected health information (PHI)	HIPAA: Patient Privacy and Information Security in Home Health and Hospice	P.L. 104–191, 110 Stat. 1936 42 C.F.R. § 484.110(d)
Patient Rights Conveying of charges for car/service Handling of Patient Grievances/complaints	Patient Rights in Home Health	42 C.F.R. § 484.50
Advance directives	Advance Care Planning	P.L. 101–508) 42 C.F.R. § 484.60(a)(2)(xv)
Conflict of interest Ethical Issues	Ethics in Healthcare
Emergency Preparedness	Emergency Preparedness in Home Health	42 C.F.R. § 484.102
Cultural Diversity, Communication Barriers	Inclusive Care: Culturally Competent Resources to Meet Diverse Needs	42 C.F.R. § 484.60(a)
Professional Boundaries	Setting Professional Boundaries in Home Health and Hospice
Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program	Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) in Home Health	42 C.F.R. §484.65
Compliance Program	General Compliance Training for Healthcare Staff or General Compliance Microlearning	42 C.F.R. § 422.503(b)(4)(vi)(C)(1) 42 C.F.R. § 423.504(b)(4)(vi)(C)(1) 42 CFR § 438.608(a)(1)
OSHA requirements: Safety (including body mechanics) infection control	OSHA: Worker Safety in Home Health and Hospice	29 U.S.C. § 654(a)
OSHA requirements: Infection control	Infection Prevention and Control: Standard Precautions and Other Fundamentals or Infection Control Microlearning: Standard Precautions for Clinical and Nonclinical Staff	42 C.F.R. § 484.70 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)
OSHA requirements: Infection control	OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens: Preventing and Responding to Exposure or Bloodborne Pathogen Microlearning: Steps to Take if Exposed	29 CFR §1910.1030
Safety	Workplace Violence Microlearning	29 U.S.C. § 654(a)
Incident/variance reporting	Preventing Incidents and Adverse Events in Home Health and Hospice	42 C.F.R. § 484.65
*In addition, add the following courses to satisfy federal requirements*
	Fraud, Waste and Abuse Prevention for Clinical Staff or Fraud, Waste and Abuse Microlearning	42 C.F.R. §§422.503 and 423.504
	Fraud, Waste and Abuse Prevention for Non-Clinical Staff or Fraud, Waste and Abuse Microlearning
	Identifying and Responding to Domestic Violence and Child and Elder Abuse and Neglect OR Elder Abuse and Exploitation Microlearning: Protecting the Vulnerable in a Digital World	34 USC § 20341 § 42 CFR 484.50(c)(2)
	Recognizing, Responding to, and Preventing Sexual Harassment: In the Healthcare Workplace or Sexual Harassment Microlearning: Cultivating a Harassment-Free Healthcare Workplace	45 C.F.R. Part 92 Subpart A
	Safe Medical Devices Act	21 CFR 803

Additional ACHC Orientation Coursework

Additional training is required as part of baseline ACHC orientation for organizations serving special populations (e.g. pediatrics, substance abuse, disease processes requiring specialized care) per Standard HH4-5A.01, and for Medicare-certified home-health agencies requiring OASIS documentation training.

For courses that may satisfy those requirements, please visit our compliance library, or contact MedBridge support for recommendations.

Note: The courses provided here are only recommendations. Each organization is responsible for ensuring its own compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and accreditation standards, as well as alignment with the needs of its patient population and staff. Always consult your company’s legal or compliance personnel with any questions or concerns related to this subject matter. These recommendations are not a substitute for legal advice for any individual provider or organization.

Article updated: May, 2024

Content recommendations are intended to help give you additional resources for your ongoing learning and patient care. We will be adding content recommendations for additional settings and solutions over time. To provide feedback on this offering or request additional content recommendations, please visit this link.