Free Resource Helps Healthcare Facilities Meet CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule
NFPA has released a new white paper designed to help healthcare officials meet and re-examine the CMS emergency preparedness rule set forth by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Healthcare facilities are required to adequately plan for both natural and man-made disasters, and coordinate with federal, state, tribal, regional and local emergency preparedness systems in order to be reimbursed by Medicare or Medicaid. The CMS rule requires hospitals, critical access hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, long-term care facilities, intermediate care facilities, and rural health clinics to have an emergency preparedness program that includes:
- Risk assessment and planning
- Policies and procedures
- Communication plan
- Training and testing
CMS encourages healthcare providers and suppliers to review policies and emergency procedures on an annual basis.
NFPA Provides Missing Guidance
The rule took effect in November, 2017, but it doesn’t include guidance on how to meet requirements. The new NFPA document, “Using NFPA 1300 as a Tool to Comply with CMS Requirements for an Emergency Preparedness Program” provides the missing guidance. It includes information on:
- Four key elements of a CMS Emergency Preparedness Plan:
- Community Risk Reduction (CRR)
- Community Risk Assessment (CRA)
- Creating a Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Plan
- FAQs
Check out the free whitepaper to learn how to review your emergency protocols and update and improve your EP plans to comply with CMS rules.