Northwest Regional Healthcare Coalition Spotlight
November, 2019
Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Preparedness Rule
Purpose: To establish national emergency preparedness requirements to ensure adequate planning for both natural and man-made disasters, and coordination with federal, state, tribal, regional and local emergency preparedness systems.
Since 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final Conditions of Participation (CoP) for 17 types of Medicaid and Medicare providers requirements included:
- Conduct Risk Assessment and Planning
- Develop Policies and Procedures
- Create Communication Plan
- Training and Plan Testing
Timeline of Release & Updates:
June 2017 – CMS releases the Emergency Preparedness Interpretative Guidance to clarify “Full Scale Exercise” requirements
September 2017 – CMS Releases Surveyor Training Available for Providers
November 15, 2017 – All CMS providers and suppliers needed to meet all the 4 core requirements
September 2018 – CMS asked for public comment on proposed Emergency Preparedness rule changes to relating to the exercise requirements- not finalized, only proposed
February 2019 – CMS providers must now add an Infectious Disease response plan to their emergency operations plans • And allows 2 plan activations to count towards 2 exercise requirements
November 29, 2019 – Omnibus Burden Reduction (Conditions of Participation) Final Rule CMS 3346F
- Removing the requirement from the emergency preparedness rules for CMS providers to contact and document local, tribal, regional, State, and Federal emergency preparedness officials coordination
- Review emergency plans every other year instead of annually- but Long Term Care need to every year Train staff every two years instead of annually except for Long Term Care who must still train every year
- Reduced the testing requirement from two exercises to one exercise annually for outpatient providers, which may be either one community-based full-scale exercise, or an individual organizational – based functional exercise
Resources
- ASPR – CMS Update on CMS EP Survey Trends 2018
- ASPR TRACIE Resources
- CMS Releases Surveyor Training Available for Providers
- CMS Emergency Preparedness Updates
- Healthcare Preparedness Coalition Listing