How to start a home health agency in Oregon

Oregon requires a Home health agency license from Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division to operate a home health agency. Fee: $1,600.

License required

Yes

License

Home health agency license

Issuing agency

Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division

Fee

$1,600

Fee details

$1,600 initial license plus $1,600 per subunit; CHOW outside renewal $500 (+$500 per subunit), or $100 if the majority owner/partner or administrator does not change. Not prorated, nonrefundable.

Renewal

Every year · $850 annual renewal plus $850 per subunit; licenses expire December 31 and renewal is due at least 30 days before.

Survey and inspection

Renewal can require proof of compliance, an attestation of services delivered in the past year, and an annual statistical report if requested.

Medicare certification

A licensed HHA providing personal care need not separately license as an in-home care agency but must follow those program rules. Separately, CMS put a 6-month nationwide moratorium on new Medicare enrollment of home health agencies (including new branches and practice locations) into effect on May 13, 2026; it can be extended in 6-month increments, and CMS left any Medicaid/CHIP moratorium to each state.

Regulation

ORS 443.005-443.095; OAR 333-027

1. Submit the Division's application form with the fee
2. Owners or administrators with direct patient contact submit criminal records check information
3. Receive written approval of the license
4. Report application changes within 30 days

Program

Oregon Health Plan (OHP), Oregon Health Authority (OHA)

Enrollment portal

Oregon MMIS Provider Portal (or-medicaid.gov)

Application fee

Under the federal rule (42 CFR 455.460), institutional providers pay the CMS application fee when they first enroll, re-enroll or revalidate. The fee is $750 for calendar year 2026. Individual physicians and non-physician practitioners do not pay it. A fee already paid to Medicare or to another state's Medicaid program counts. OHA's enrollment page does not list a separate state fee.

Fingerprinting

Under federal rules (42 CFR 455.434 and 455.450), the state places provider types in 'limited', 'moderate' or 'high' risk levels. High-risk providers, and anyone who owns 5% or more of one, must submit fingerprints for a criminal background check. The OHA enrollment and revalidation pages do not describe a separate state fingerprint process.

Site visit

Under federal rule (42 CFR 455.432), the state must visit moderate- and high-risk providers before and after enrollment. Every enrolled provider must allow unannounced on-site inspections. The OHA enrollment and revalidation pages do not describe a separate state site visit process.

Revalidation

OHA rescreens every actively enrolled provider at least once every 5 years. It mails a notice to the provider's mail-to address. The provider returns the listed forms (for organizations OHA 3972, 3974 and 3975; for payable individuals OHA 3972 and 3975; for other individuals OHP 3113 and OHA 3975) by the due date, ideally online through the MMIS Provider Portal. If the forms are not returned, participation can end under OAR 410-120-1260. A revalidation received within 30 days after inactivation is treated as a revalidation; after that it is treated as a re-enrollment.

Full Oregon Medicaid enrollment guide →

CON program

Yes

Program

Certificate of Need

Agency

Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division (Certificate of Need Program)

Services covered

• new hospitals
• new skilled nursing or intermediate care services or facilities (long-term care), including rebuilds and bed relocations through expedited review

Oregon certificate of need details →

Model

hybrid

State vendor

Direct Care Innovations (OR PTC DCI) for ODHS in-home workers; none for home health agencies

Services in scope

• personal care (homecare and personal support workers)
• home health

Alternate EVV allowed

Yes

Program

https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/providers-partners/orptc/pages/default.aspx

Oregon EVV requirements →

State minimum wage

$15.55 an hour

Effective

2026-07-01

Scheduled increases

Adjusted each July 1 by CPI (US DOL); the July 2027 rates were not yet published in the sources reviewed.

Direct-care wage floor

Homecare and personal support workers paid through ODHS earn a base rate set by collective bargaining: $21.25/hour at step 1 for 2026, plus add-ons (CPR/first aid, enhanced and exceptional pay).

HCBS 80/20 rule

Federal baseline: 42 CFR 441.302(k) requires the state to show that each provider spends at least 80% of Medicaid payments for homemaker, home health aide and personal care services under 1915(c) waivers on direct care worker pay and benefits. Compliance starts 2030-07-09 (for managed care, the first rating period starting on or after that date); annual payment-adequacy reporting under 441.311(e) starts 2028-07-09. A state may set a lower share for state-defined small providers and exempt providers facing hardship, each only through a public notice-and-comment process. The eCFR text has not changed since 2024-07-09. No state-published 80/20 implementation step (small-provider criteria, hardship exemption or reporting guidance) was found for this state in the official sources reviewed.

Home health agencies — active organization NPIs (NPPES)

228 (as of Sep 13, 2026)

Medicare-certified home health agencies (CMS Care Compare)

51 (as of May 27, 2026)

Total Medicaid and CHIP enrollment (latest reported month)

1,264,858 (as of Jun 1, 2026)

All Oregon Home health Medicaid rates, ranked →