Business Advisor
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4 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6
Is your facility ready to deal with such natural and man-made dis-
asters as hurricanes, pandemics and
terrorist attacks? CMS wants you to
prove it. Hospitals, surgery centers
and other healthcare facilities have a
little more than a year to meet new
federal disaster preparedness requirements as a condition of par-
ticipation in Medicare and Medicaid.
CMS says the goal of its Emergency Preparedness Rule finalized
last month is to increase patient safety during emergencies and to
establish a more coordinated response to disasters so that a
breakdown in patient care similar to what followed Hurricane
Katrina and Hurricane Sandy does not recur. The rule requires
facilities to develop 4 things:
• Emergency plan for disasters specific to your location.
• Policies and procedures based on the plan and risk assess-
ment.
• Communication plan so that patient care is well coordinated
in and out of the facility.
• Training and testing program, including initial and annual
trainings. You must run emergency drills twice a year, or partici-
pate in an actual incident that tests the plan.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Is Your Facility
Disaster-Ready?
• IN AN EMERGENCY A new CMS rule insists you show that your facility is prepared for an emergency or a disaster.
Visit osmag.net/rvRAC3
for sample plans, tools,
templates, and training
and exercise materials.
