Emergency Preparedness Planning

CMS requires certified providers and suppliers to maintain an all-hazards emergency preparedness program built on four pillars: a risk assessment and plan, policies and procedures, a communication plan, and a training and testing program. We build all four, and we build the evidence file that proves the training and testing actually happened.

What is included

• Facility- and community-based all-hazards risk assessment
• Emergency preparedness plan built from that assessment, reviewed and updated on the required cycle
• Policies and procedures addressing subsistence, tracking of patients and staff, evacuation, sheltering in place, medical documentation continuity and volunteer use
• Communication plan with current contact information for staff, patients, physicians, other providers, and state and local emergency management
• Training program and curriculum for all staff and applicable contractors
• Testing program — exercise design, facilitation and after-action documentation
• Evidence file structured the way a surveyor will ask to see it
• Coordination with your policy manual so the two documents do not contradict each other

How the engagement runs

1. Assessment — hazards specific to your locations, including the coastal and severe weather exposure that drives Gulf Coast planning.
2. Plan and policy drafting, integrated with your existing manual.
3. Communication plan build, including the contact data that is most often out of date.
4. Training delivery and documentation.
5. Exercise design and after-action review, retained as evidence.
6. Annual review cycle.

Who this is for

Medicare- and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers subject to the CMS emergency preparedness requirements, and state-licensed agencies whose licensure rules impose parallel obligations.

Frequently asked questions

What does the CMS emergency preparedness rule actually require?

Four core elements: an all-hazards risk assessment and emergency plan; policies and procedures based on that assessment; a communication plan that coordinates patient care within the facility, across providers and with emergency management authorities; and a training and testing program. Specific requirements vary by provider type.

We have a plan but were still cited. Why?

Almost always because the evidence of training and testing was incomplete, or the communication plan contained stale contact information. The plan document is the part organizations remember; the evidence file is the part surveyors examine.

How often do we have to test the plan?

Testing frequency and the permitted mix of full-scale exercises, tabletop exercises and workshops depend on your provider type, and the requirements have been revised over time. We confirm the current requirement for your specific certification before designing the exercise calendar.

Related

• Policies & Procedures
• Survey & Accreditation Readiness