CMS 2016 Final Rule and Emergency Preparedness

Untitled by Brian Leaf is licensed under CC0. This past week, I had the privilege of attending the 2017 Emergency Preparedness Conference in New Orleans. It was a brand new topic for me, covering the four phases of emergency response: Mitigation Preparation Response Recovery We heard from hospitals who served events like the Boston Marathon bombing, the Pulse Night Club incident, ransomware attacks, and and the recent flooding in August 2016. The focus of the conference, however, was on the the Joint Commission standards and, in particular, the CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) final rule Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers that went into effect on November 16, 2016. According to a 2016 press release, the existing requirements for providers participating in Medicare and Medicaid did not include: “(1) communication to coordinate with other systems of care within cities or states; (2) contingency planning; and (3) training of personnel.” Given these deficiencies amid recent disasters, the CMS concluded that it was important to create a consistent foundation among all providers and suppliers, not just hospitals, to meet best practices in terms of having an emergency plan, policies and procedures, a communication, plan, and training and testing programs. This all includes coordinating with other stakeholders such as public health officials, responders, and other area providers to better effectiv...
Source: Network News - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Community Engagement Disaster Emergency Preparedness Louisiana Patient Safety Source Type: news