26 requirement items across 14 setup areas. Every item cites the source it traces to — if we can't source it, we don't list it.
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.
Florida statute and rule use 'PPEC' (Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care). Do not import 'PPECC' from Texas — it is not a defined term in Florida law. Citations and AHCA correspondence must use 'PPEC'.
A Florida PPEC is a licensed nonresidential facility serving medically/technologically dependent children birth through age 20. Minimum three children. Each child must have a physician prescription and remain under physician care while attending. Children may not attend more than 12 hours in any 24-hour period (FS 400.902, 400.914).
Form the Florida business entity (Sunbiz), identify the AHCA Administrator of record, and sequence licensure ahead of FLMMIS Medicaid enrollment.
Form your Florida entity through the Division of Corporations (Sunbiz). The entity name on Sunbiz must match the legal name on the AHCA PPEC application packet.
The AHCA PPEC license must be issued before Florida Medicaid (FLMMIS) provider enrollment can be completed for PPEC services. You cannot reverse this order.
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.
Florida PPEC rules require a dedicated isolation room for children who may be contagious or need separation. The room must have a glass observation wall enabling continuous visual observation. This is a hard architectural requirement — design the floor plan around it, not after.
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.
Every Florida PPEC must hold a valid AHCA license. Licensure is governed by Chapter 400, Part VI, Florida Statutes and FAC Chapter 59A-13.
All PPEC personnel must clear Florida Level 2 background screening (FBI + FDLE fingerprints). Disqualifying offenses include child abuse, violent crimes, sexual offenses, and healthcare fraud. Cite FS 435.04 directly for the current disqualifying-offense list.
Authoritative AHCA forms (August 2023 revisions, registered in DocRadar as `fl-ahca-ppec-document-binder`): (1) AHCA Form 3110-8002 — Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Center Application; (2) AHCA Form 3110-1024 — Health Care Licensing Application Addendum; (3) AHCA Form 3110-8002CL — PPEC Application Checklist. FAC Rule 59A-13.004 was amended 4/28/2026; verify current form revisions against flrules.org before relying on older guidance.
FAC Rule 59A-13.009 sets Medical Director qualifications and scope. The Medical Director owns clinical oversight, policy-setting, and QA Committee participation.
The Florida PPEC Medical Director must be a board-certified pediatrician. The role covers medical oversight of every attending child, supervision of nursing and therapy staff on clinical matters, medical-policy authorship, and QA Committee participation.
FAC Rule 59A-13.010 sets DON qualifications and the PPEC staffing-ratio schedule. Plan staffing around the ratio table before opening.
Full-time Florida-licensed RN with ≥2 years general pediatric nursing experience AND ≥6 months ICU or PPEC experience within the past 5 years. The DON owns nursing supervision, individual nursing protocols, and staffing-ratio compliance. Hire before the AHCA initial survey.
1 child → 1 staff (must be RN). 2–6 children → 2 staff, at least 1 RN. Higher census scales per the 59A-13.010 schedule. Census planning and scheduling must be tightly coordinated against the ratio table. Verify the complete schedule at flrules.org before making staffing plans.
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.
Committee must include the Medical Director, Administrator, DON, and ≥3 additional members. Meets at least quarterly. Reviews ≥50% of medical records each quarter. Documents and tracks corrective actions. Design this structure as part of pre-opening planning.
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.
Develop an individualized nursing protocol of care for each child within 10 working days of admission (FAC 59A-13.014). Protocol must be reviewed and updated monthly. Records must reflect all care provided and any changes to the child's condition or care plan.
Map record-content and retention requirements from FAC Chapter 59A-13 into your record design before opening. Verify current retention period against the current 59A-13 text at flrules.org.
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.
Admission requires: (1) physician prescription authorizing PPEC attendance; (2) ongoing active physician care; (3) pre-admission planning by Medical Director and DON; (4) written parent/guardian consent covering purpose, responsibilities, authorized treatments, liability, and emergency plans.
Children may not attend a Florida PPEC for more than 12 hours in any 24-hour period. Bake this cap into scheduling and billing logic from day one.
Florida Medicaid PPEC enrollment runs through the FLMMIS Online Enrollment Wizard (portal.flmmis.com). AHCA PPEC license must be issued before enrollment can proceed.
Enroll as a Florida Medicaid PPEC provider through the FLMMIS Online Enrollment Wizard at portal.flmmis.com. License first, enrollment second — the order cannot be reversed. AHCA / Gainwell fiscal-agent support: 1-800-289-7799, Option 4.
Obtain your NPI through the CMS NPPES system before completing FLMMIS enrollment. The NPI is the canonical provider identifier that links FLMMIS billing to your AHCA license.
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).
Florida's Medicaid payer route for PPEC (fee-for-service vs managed care) is under legislative transition — Chapter 2025-88 / SB 1490 addresses PPEC managed-care carve-in. Before making billing or enrollment commitments, confirm the current route against current AHCA/Medicaid guidance and record the authoritative source and its effective date. Do not assume a fixed route.
PA for FL Medicaid PPEC services is managed by Acentra Health under AHCA contract. Portal: fl.acentra.com (eQSuite). PPEC PA line: 1-833-321-7070 (24/7). Required documents typically include the PPEC Plan of Care form, supporting documentation, physician order form, and physician visit documentation. PA must be in place before services begin.
Acentra PA approval authorizes the service; payment still depends on the claim meeting all FL Medicaid coverage criteria. Build cash-flow plans around this distinction — PA in hand is not money in the bank.
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.
FL Medicaid PPEC billing uses T1025 (full-day PPEC services, 5-12 hours) and T1026 (partial-day PPEC services, billed in 1-hour units). Look up the current maximum-fee amounts directly from the current AHCA Medicaid fee schedule; do not hard-code rate figures from secondary sources. Rounding: any portion of an hour beyond 15 minutes may round up to the next hour after the first hour.
Design daily attendance and service documentation so it produces clean billing evidence in real time, aligned to the active Acentra PA period. Apply the 15-minute rounding rule consistently per T1025/T1026 fee-schedule guidance. Reconciling attendance against PA windows after-the-fact creates avoidable denials.
AHCA conducts initial and subsequent PPEC inspections. Survey readiness requires engagement with qualified PPEC consultants, legal counsel, and clinical leadership.
AHCA Bureau of Health Facility Regulation conducts initial and ongoing inspections of Florida PPECs. Operations must be continuously survey-ready: staffing ratios, documentation, QA program, and physical plant must meet 59A-13 standards at all times.
Design a corrective-action / plan-of-correction template and escalation model before opening. Deficiency citations require timely documented responses — do not wait until you receive a finding to design the workflow.
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.
Florida PPEC documentation (nursing protocol-of-care, monthly reviews, QA records, attendance, Acentra PA evidence) is materially different from outpatient EHR documentation. A PPEC-native system reduces the integration burden; a generic EHR can work but needs explicit adaptation.
For planning awareness only — not legal, clinical, billing, or licensing advice. Verify each requirement against the cited source and qualified professionals.
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