Facilities must be ready to respond to a variety of emergencies, including extreme weather events and workplace violence. To aid in this effort, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response’s Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (ASPR TRACIE) has released new and updated healthcare preparedness resources. These resources are designed to help facilities comply with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) emergency preparedness requirements and enhance their overall readiness.
The new resources include:
Extreme Weather and Healthcare: Lessons Learned and Considerations for the Future: This resource highlights lessons learned and strategies for planning and responding to extreme weather hazards, such as burns and injuries related to extreme heat, flooding, utility outages, and other infrastructure failures.
Workplace Violence Considerations Speaker Series: This series features presentations from facility staff sharing their experiences with armed assailant planning and incidents, providing valuable insights for preparedness.
Volunteer Management Topic Collection: This collection includes resources designed to help healthcare facilities effectively incorporate volunteers into their disaster management plans.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
CMS requires nursing homes participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs to meet a comprehensive set of emergency preparedness requirements. These include (1) maintaining an all-hazards emergency preparedness plan based on facility- and community-based risk assessments; (2) establishing clear policies and procedures for emergencies; (3) maintaining a robust communication plan; and (4) training staff and conducting exercises to ensure readiness.
Discussion Points
- Review your Emergency Preparedness Plan and update as necessary. Review the most current Life Safety codes and ensure that your building meets those requirements. Make sure the Plan is available to staff so they can easily access the guidelines for the various components should an emergency occur.
- Train all staff on your Emergency Preparedness Plan. Conduct drills for the various disaster response plans to ensure staff competency with each. Ensure that the facility maintenance director is aware of current Life Safety codes and provide training as needed. Med-Net Academy (MNA) offers an educational program titled Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Nursing Homes. It is in the MNA Safety category. Document all training and drills, maintaining signed records in each employee’s education file.
- Regularly perform environmental audits to verify compliance with Life Safety codes. Evaluate staff awareness to ensure they understand their roles during various emergency scenarios as outlined in your Emergency Preparedness Plan. Ensure comprehensive documentation of each drill is maintained and readily accessible for surveyors, including participation in an annual area-wide drill with local emergency response teams.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
