PPEC Starter
Florida PPEC Resource
Check your readiness
Start Readiness Map Requirements Guide Glossary
Check your readiness
PPEC Starter / Florida / Guide

The Florida PPEC startup path

A working narrative of what it takes to open a PPEC in Florida — the milestones in order, the readiness stages you'll move through, and the setup binder you'll assemble along the way.

Milestones, in order

Typical sequencing from entity formation onward. Day offsets are planning anchors, not promises — real timelines vary with your site, staffing, and agency review.

  1. Day 0
    FL entity formed (Sunbiz)
    Setup area: Founder / Entity Readiness
  2. Day 30
    Site secured + zoning confirmed
    Setup area: Facility Readiness
  3. Day 45
    Administrator + Medical Director identified
    Setup area: Medical Director Readiness
  4. Day 75
    Facility design (incl. isolation room) approved
    Setup area: Facility Readiness
  5. Day 90
    AHCA PPEC application submitted
    Setup area: Licensing Readiness (AHCA)
  6. Day 120
    Core staffing hired (DON + first RNs)
    Setup area: Nursing Operations Readiness
  7. Day 150
    Pre-survey readiness complete (QA, policies, records)
    Setup area: Operations / QA Readiness
  8. Day 180
    AHCA PPEC license received
    Setup area: Licensing Readiness (AHCA)
  9. Day 210
    FLMMIS enrolled + NPI attached
    Setup area: Florida Medicaid Enrollment
  10. Day 225
    First Acentra PA submitted
    Setup area: Authorization / Payer Readiness
  11. Day 240
    First child admitted
    Setup area: Admissions Readiness

How readiness progresses

The readiness check scores you 0–100 and places you on one of these 4 stages.

0–25

Exploring

You're early — this is the right time to organize the playbook before committing capital, signing a lease, or applying to AHCA.

26–50

Planning

You have the shape of it. The Readiness tier gives you the tracker, team seats, and the setup binder.

51–75

Build-ready

You're close enough to operationalize. The Launch Workspace is the right bridge — it captures your readiness state and organizes First Census Operations on the same platform you will run on.

76–100

Harbor-ready

You're operating or about to. Talk to Harbor: a consult will scope your upgrade to Harbor in place — your workspace, records, and history carry forward on the same platform.

What you'll assemble

The setup binder is organized into 14 areas. Each item, with its sources, lives in the requirements library.

Florida PPEC Terminology

Florida uses 'PPEC' — the Texas 'PPECC' abbreviation does not apply here. PPEC is licensed under Chapter 400, Part VI, Florida Statutes; the operational rule is FAC Chapter 59A-13.

Founder / Entity Readiness

Form the Florida business entity (Sunbiz), identify the AHCA Administrator of record, and sequence licensure ahead of FLMMIS Medicaid enrollment.

Facility Readiness

FAC 59A-13.020 sets PPEC physical-plant requirements, including a dedicated isolation room with a glass observation wall. Engage a Florida-licensed architect familiar with 59A-13 before construction or buildout.

Licensing Readiness (AHCA)

AHCA Bureau of Health Facility Regulation, Long-Term Care Services Unit, licenses Florida PPECs under Chapter 400, Part VI, Florida Statutes and FAC Chapter 59A-13. Operating without a license is a regulatory violation.

Medical Director Readiness

FAC Rule 59A-13.009 sets Medical Director qualifications and scope. The Medical Director owns clinical oversight, policy-setting, and QA Committee participation.

Nursing Operations Readiness

FAC Rule 59A-13.010 sets DON qualifications and the PPEC staffing-ratio schedule. Plan staffing around the ratio table before opening.

Operations / QA Readiness

FAC 59A-13.015 requires a structured QA Committee. Design the committee composition, cadence, and record-review scope before opening — surveyors will look for evidence the program is in place.

Medical Records Readiness

FAC Chapter 59A-13 sets PPEC medical-record content and retention requirements. Record design must satisfy both AHCA licensing standards and FL Medicaid billing-documentation requirements layered on top.

Admissions Readiness

Admissions to a Florida PPEC require a physician prescription, ongoing physician care, pre-admission planning by Medical Director and DON, and written parent/guardian consent. Children may not attend more than 12 hours in any 24-hour period.

Florida Medicaid Enrollment

Florida Medicaid PPEC enrollment runs through the FLMMIS Online Enrollment Wizard (portal.flmmis.com). AHCA PPEC license must be issued before enrollment can proceed.

Authorization / Payer Readiness

Confirm the current Florida Medicaid payer route for PPEC and document its authoritative source. Prior authorization for PPEC is managed by Acentra Health on AHCA's behalf via the eQSuite portal (fl.acentra.com) and the 24/7 PPEC PA line (1-833-321-7070).

Billing Evidence Readiness

Florida PPEC bills the FL Medicaid program using service codes T1025/T1026. Source the current maximum-fee amounts from the AHCA Medicaid fee schedule (canonical source registered in DocRadar) — do not rely on secondary rate figures.

Survey / Inspection Readiness

AHCA conducts initial and subsequent PPEC inspections. Survey readiness requires engagement with qualified PPEC consultants, legal counsel, and clinical leadership.

Systems / Software Readiness

No specific software system is required to obtain a Florida PPEC license. Harbor is one option; founders should evaluate systems against their specific operating model and 59A-13 documentation requirements.

Where this content comes from

Every requirement, question, and claim on this site traces to one of the 12 sources below — nothing is asserted without provenance. Content version 1.0.1 · sources last reviewed July 12, 2026

  • Florida Statutes Chapter 400, Part VI (PPEC licensure)
    State statute Refreshed against the Florida Legislature site (FLSenate.gov)
  • Florida Administrative Code Chapter 59A-13 (PPEC rules)
    State administrative rule Refreshed weekly against flrules.org
  • FL Medicaid PPEC Coverage Policy / Provider Handbook
    State Medicaid handbook Refreshed quarterly against AHCA Medicaid publications
  • FL Medicaid General Provider Handbook
    State Medicaid handbook Refreshed quarterly against AHCA Medicaid publications
  • Florida Chapter 2025-88 / SB 1490 (PPEC Medicaid managed-care carve-in legislation)
    State statute Monitored monthly against the Florida Legislature site; PPEC payer-route transition source
  • CMS NPPES (NPI Registry)
    Federal (CMS) Cadence: monthly+weekly-diff
  • Harbor curated AHCA inspection export (FL)
    State regulator Refreshed monthly
  • Harbor curated AHCA PPEC provider lifecycle (FL)
    State regulator Refreshed weekly
  • Harbor curated FL Medicaid Provider Master List + Plan + Taxonomy
    State Medicaid Refreshed weekly
  • Harbor curated PublicProviderOrganizations
    Aegis curated On-demand refresh
  • Harbor curated Sunbiz business registry (FL)
    Business registry Refreshed monthly
  • AHCA FL PPEC — statutory document binder (forms 3110-8002, 3110-1024, 3110-8002CL + 2026 fee schedule + SMMC 3.0 PPEC highlight 10/18/2024)
    State licensing agency Persistent owner-supplied artifacts in DocRadar (canonical)