As has been reported previously in The Valued Voice, last year the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule that establishes emergency preparedness requirements for hospitals and other health care organizations. The requirements of the rule went into effect November 15, 2017.
Recently, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) created “toolkits” to assist hospitals and other health care organizations in complying with the new regulatory requirements. DHS developed a toolkit for hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, long-term care facilities, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, home health agencies and other organization types.
According to DHS, “[e]ach of these toolkits gives facilities that fall under the new rule an overview of the requirements for their provider type, as well as some sample templates that can be used in their planning efforts.” The toolkits are available on DHS’s website.
The CMS rule adds regulations to existing Conditions of Participation that health care organizations must meet in order to participate in Medicare and Medicaid. Under the rule, organizations must develop an emergency preparedness plan, communications plan, policies and procedures, and a training and testing program. In addition, hospitals and long-term care facilities must implement emergency and standby power systems. Earlier this year, WHA hosted a member webinar discussing the new federal regulations.
If you have questions regarding emergency preparedness, contact Andrew Brenton, WHA general counsel, at 608-274-1820 or abrenton@wha.org