(a) The PACE organization must ensure that all employees and contracted staff furnishing care directly to participants demonstrate the skills necessary for performance of their position.

(1) The PACE organization must provide each employee and all contracted staff with an orientation that includes, at a minimum, the organization's mission, philosophy, policies on participant rights, emergency plan, ethics, the PACE benefit, and any policies related to the job duties of specific staff.

(2) The PACE organization must develop a competency evaluation program that identifies those skills, knowledge, and abilities that must be demonstrated by direct participant care staff (employees and contractors).

(3) The competency program must be evidenced as completed before performing participant care and on an ongoing basis by qualified professionals.

(4) The PACE organization must designate a staff member to oversee these activities for employees and work with the PACE contractor liaison to ensure compliance by contracted staff.

(b) The PACE organization must develop a program to ensure that all staff furnishing direct participant care services meet the following requirements:

(1) Comply with any State or Federal requirements for direct patient care staff in their respective settings.

(2) Comply with the requirements of §460.68(a) regarding persons with criminal convictions.

(3) Have verified current certifications or licenses for their respective positions.

(4) Be medically cleared for communicable diseases and have all immunizations up-to-date before engaging in direct participant contact as required under §460.64(a)(5).

(5) Have been oriented to the PACE program.

(6) Agree to abide by the philosophy, practices, and protocols of the PACE organization.

(c) The PACE organization must develop a training program for each personal care attendant to establish the individual's competency in furnishing personal care services and specialized skills associated with specific care needs of individual participants.

(d) Personal care attendants must exhibit competency before performing personal care services independently.

[67 FR 61505, Oct. 1, 2002, as amended at 71 FR 71335, Dec. 8, 2006; 81 FR 80562, Nov. 15, 2016; 83 FR 16756, Apr. 16, 2018; 84 FR 25674, June 3, 2019]