The date is set and the clock is ticking. Healthcare providers participating in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans must implement all emergency preparedness regulations stipulated in the CMS emergency preparedness rule by Nov. 16. This is the first in a series of blog posts examining the specific emergency preparedness compliance required by CMS.
Use this CMS emergency preparedness checklist to ensure that your healthcare emergency management program is comprehensive and compliant. This checklist can guide emergency managers and emergency preparedness team members to get the most out of your current plans, policies and procedures, and community resources.
Real-time emergency management requires real-time mobile communication and collaboration solutions. Make it easier to prepare for and respond to disruptions, emergencies and disasters with a proven system for all phases of emergency management, purpose-built for healthcare. See how LiveProcess can help you improve healthcare emergency management at every level of your organization, including health systems, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and public agencies and regional coalitions.
Learn about the specific requirements and exceptions for home health emergency preparedness. Home health agencies are expected to be compliant with the CMS emergency preparedness rule. As home health care agencies address these specific challenges in emergency preparedness planning, it will help to remember that the following three Cs are the drivers behind the CMS requirements: communication, continuity, and collaboration.
Now is a good time for healthcare organizations to re-assess compliance with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) emergency preparedness final rule. Learn about the four core elements for healthcare emergency preparedness and the focus on continuity of continuity of operations and community collaboration.
Learn about the emergency management planning tools and templates for hospitals and nursing facilities in LiveProcess Emergency Manager: hazard vulnerability assessment, HICS-based incident command, job action sheets, online repository for disaster response resources, master scenario lists (MSELs) and more.
Learn about how regional coalitions help healthcare facilities comply with CMS emergency preparedness regulations and improve situational awareness. Disasters that cross regional boundaries were a primary driver for updates to the CMS emergency preparedness rule. As part of its initial statement of purpose, widespread natural and manmade disasters — ranging from hurricanes and flooding to flu pandemics and terrorist attacks — challenge the ability of communities to maintain continuity of healthcare services.
Updates to the CMS emergency preparedness final rule have been under discussion since it went into effect in September 2016. On February 1, 2019, CMS released an update to the emergency preparedness rule. This update went into effect immediately. Other proposed changes remain works in progress. Here are some of the key changes, effective and proposed, that may affect your healthcare delivery organization.
Emergency preparedness training and testing of your emergency plans is a crucial part of the CMS emergency preparedness rule. Emergency management plans that seem great on paper can fall apart in practice. Drills and exercises prepare your staff for a disaster and give your organization’s leadership the opportunity to find problems in a low-stakes setting. Learn about CMS’s requirements in this post.
See how LiveProcess can help you take your emergency management program to the next level. Hospitals and health systems, ambulatory centers, home health agencies, nursing homes, and public agencies use LiveProcess Emergency Manager to prepare for and respond to disaster events and for everyday coordination. Learn about this proven system for emergency preparedness planning, mass mobilization, real-time coordination and tracking.
Learn about the four vital pieces in the communication plan required for CMS emergency preparedness rule compliance. Ensuring continuity of healthcare services in a disaster and having a common framework for collaborative emergency response require hospitals and other healthcare facilities to have an emergency communication plan. Of all the elements of the CMS emergency preparedness rule, the communication plan may be the most important – and the most difficult.
Learn what policies and procedures you need to comply with the CMS emergency preparedness rule, which requires hospitals to cover six critical factors in policies and procedures. Your healthcare facility will need to regularly review and update your documented emergencies plans — such as an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) or Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) — with up-to-date policies and procedures to maintain compliance with the CMS emergency preparedness rule.
Learn about all-hazards risk assessment. A fundamental requirements of the CMS emergency preparedness rule is the approach to risk assessment. An all-hazards approach is an integrated approach to emergency preparedness planning that focuses on capacities and capabilities that are critical to preparedness for a full spectrum of emergencies or disasters. This post continues our guidance on CMS emergency preparedness compliance.
The date is set and the clock is ticking. Healthcare providers participating in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans must implement all emergency preparedness regulations stipulated in the CMS emergency preparedness rule by Nov. 15.
We asked website visitors to rate their healthcare organization’s readiness in 10 key areas of emergency preparedness planning. View this emergency management infographic to see how they responded.
See how long-term care providers rate their readiness to comply with the CMS emergency preparedness rule and a CMS survey. Compare your facility and learn where lie your opportunities for improvement.
Watch now a three-part video series on the CMS emergency preparedness rule exclusively for long-term care (LTC) facilities. Watch any one, two or all three videos.
Ensure compliance and continuity of operations for essential hospital functions when they are needed most. LiveProcess Emergency Manager can help you meet the CMS emergency preparedness rule requirements. Learn about how LiveProcess Emergency Manager can help you to plan for continuity, mobilize resources, coordinate response, and track compliance.
Comply with unique CMS emergency preparedness requirements for home health agencies. HHAs are granted many exceptions from hospital emergency preparedness standards. Yet HHAs have a critical role to play in a collaborative response to disasters and other emergency situations. Learn how LiveProcess can help your home health agency comply with each element of the CMS emergency preparedness final rule.
The CMS emergency preparedness rule expanded requirements previously limited to hospitals to include long-term care (LTC) facilities, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing homes. LTC facilities are now expected to develop an emergency plan based on an all-hazards risk assessment, establish policies and procedures for continuity of care and essential services, track patients’ location, create a communication plan, test the plan and train staff. See how LiveProcess Emergency Manager can help.
Sheltering in place, planning for power, and collaborating with community partners are all part of CMS emergency preparedness compliance for long-term care facilities. Learn about the four vital pieces in the communication plan required for CMS emergency preparedness compliance. As a healthcare facility, CMS requires you to prepare for the problems you can anticipate and develop emergency preparedness plans to mitigate the damage.
Find out about the CMS emergency preparedness rule for long-term (LTC) facilities, including nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, continuing care retirement communities (CCRC) and more. A LTC facility is the home of many patients, because of their long length of stay. The facilities’ relationship with patients and their families is shaped by this unique circumstance, and as a result, the CMS emergency preparedness rule has an extra requirement for LTC facilities. Get the details in this post.
Plan ahead for collaboration with other organizations during disaster response. When CMS drafted its emergency preparedness regulations, it sought to address a “patchwork of federal, state, and local laws and guidelines.” The CMS emergency preparedness rule helps put all healthcare facilities on the same page to more easily coordinate communication, resources, shelter and services.
What is your hospital’s level of emergency preparedness for the hazards most likely to occur in your community? Hospitals are required to conduct a hazard vulnerability assessment (HVA) and review it at least annually. The likelihood of each threat can help you to prioritize emergency planning, mitigation, response and recovery.
You may be feeling overwhelmed by the CMS emergency preparedness rule for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers. Preparation for successful hospital emergency management is complicated — but manageable. Learn about the three parts of a comprehensive emergency management plan and the four key steps.
Developing and maintaining hospital emergency preparedness doesn’t have to be a daunting challenge — with the right guidance. This emergency preparedness compliance checklist presents ten critical elements to address when preparing for natural disasters and other crises. Each element includes statements of readiness you can use as guidelines to ensure your hospital is compliant and prepared.
LiveProcess Emergency Manager is purpose-built for hospitals to create and execute continuity of operations plans (COOPs), emergency operations plans (EOPs), and other emergency management plans. LiveProcess seeds your COOP with an all-hazards vulnerability assessment based on the Kaiser model. LiveProcess makes your EOP actionable, enabling community-wide coordination. LiveProcess helps your healthcare organization to plan and execute drills, track compliance, and identify areas for improvement.