How often does the supervising OT need to make home visits to supervise an OTA providing home health care?
How often an OT visits the home depends on the frequency of the OTA visits. Historically, the Board has been of the opinion that the supervising OT should be onsite with the OTA at least once a month, although the number and frequency of the visits is not specified in the statute. Supervision continues to be an interactive process, with the OT and the OTA sharing responsibility to see that the supervision is adequate. Since the OT is responsible for evaluations, assessments and discharges, it makes sense that the OT be familiar with the patient and the Board has recommended once a month as the frequency for OT supervisory visits. The OTA with less than one year experience will require direct, daily supervision at EACH home care site for EACH home care patient. Home care is a difficult environment because many times there is no one present except the home care patient and the OTA. This is not an environment that lends itself to OTAs with less than one year of experience.
