Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA)

The Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA) performs all state licensing activities on healthcare facilities, agencies and organizations in Hawaii.  This includes conducting all on-site state licensing surveys (inspections) and Medicare certification surveys (inspections) on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

COVID-19 Information for Licensed or Certified Health Care Facilities, Agencies, or Organizations
OHCA mails and emails facilities that are licensed or certified by the Hawaii Department of Health with information on infection control universal protocols, guidance, and tips from CMS, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Hawaii Department of Health and Department of Human Services.  The infection control information is applicable to almost every type of care facility, so review the information with an eye for guidance that is required of similar facilities as your own.  For more information, please visit OHCA COVID-19 Information

Home Health Agency Veterans Affairs Referrals Authorization
Click here for more information.

The Medicare Section of the Office of Health Care Assurance is responsible for the state licensing and federal certification survey activity in Hawaii for all Medicare-eligible health care facilities or organizations.

The Medicare Section is responsible for promulgating state licensing rules and developing standards as required to ensure quality of care for certain medical facilities which must be licensed by the State.  These include adult day health centers, ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, hospitals, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, skilled nursing and intermediate care facilities, and clinical laboratories.

The Medicare Section is also responsible for conducting the federal survey and certification activities on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for Medicare/Medicaid providers and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) laboratories.  Medicare/Medicaid providers include ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, hospitals, intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, skilled nursing facilities, end-stage renal disease facilities, hospices, rehabilitation agencies, rural health clinics, and portable x-ray facilities.

For more information, please visit the Medicare Section website.

State Licensing Section
The State Licensing Section of the Office of Health Care Assurance is responsible for promulgating licensing rules and developing standards as required to ensure quality of care for certain community based facilities which must be licensed by the State, but which are not eligible for Medicare participation.  These facilities include adult residential care homes (ARCH), expanded ARCH (E-ARCH), assisted living facilities (ALF), developmentally disabled domiciliary homes (DDDH), therapeutic living programs (TLP), and special treatment facilities (STF).

For more information, please visit the State Licensing Section website.

Special Note on Community Care Foster Family Homes, Case Management Agencies, and Adult Day Care Centers

The Department of Health (DOH), Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA), State Licensing Section has regulatory authority on community care foster family homes (CCFFH), case management agencies (CMA), and adult day care centers (ADCC).  OHCA has designated Community Ties of America (CTA) to perform the licensing and certification activities.  For information on how to become a CCFFH, CMA, or ADCC, or to file a complaint regarding services, contact CTA at:  Community Ties of America, Inc., 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-400, Honolulu, HI 96813; (808) 234-5380 (Local), or (808) 234-5470 (Fax).

Background Check Information

Click on the above link for information on how to obtain a background check or for information on the Hawaii Background Check System (HI-BCS) for state licensed or certified health care facilities, agencies, or organizations.

Durable Medical Equipment Supplier Licensing
Effective January 1, 2017, Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Suppliers who conduct business in Hawaii are required to be licensed pursuant to Act 137 SLH 2016 (formerly Senate Bill 2076) which was enacted on June 30, 2016.  For more information, please visit the Durable Medical Equipment Supplier Licensing website.