News Alerts
HCS
Stay Compliant!
Ensure Your Agency’s HCS Roles are Complete & Up-to-Date!
The Health Commerce System (HCS) is used by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) to communicate important and time-sensitive information to health care providers. Regulations require home care providers to keep HCS information up-to-date to optimize communications in emergencies and enable agencies to perform mandated functions.
Ensure your information is complete and updated regularly!
DOH’s Division of Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) reminds licensed home care services agencies (LHCSAs), certified home health agencies (CHHAs), long term home health care programs (LTHHCPs) and hospices of the following requirements:
- Agencies are required to establish and maintain current HCS accounts at each licensed site; the DAL also lists roles that are required to be populated for home care agencies, and reiterates the importance of keeping these roles updated with current contact information.
- Agencies should access the HCS at least once every 24 hours and more frequently during an emergency to get news, announcements, alerts, and other important Department communications.
- Agency contact information on the HCS Communications Directory must be kept current and updated, reflecting any changes in general information and staff role changes as soon as they occur. This information should be reviewed, at minimum, on a monthly basis.
- Agencies must have an appropriate and applicable policy and procedure regarding the HCS in place and reviewed at least annually.
The Department continuously monitors the HCS to ensure compliance, including role assignments. Agencies that do not meet all of the requirements set forth in the DAL are subject to Statements of Deficiencies.
Stay compliant! Establish policies and procedures to ensure your agency meets all HCS requirements!
