The CMS emergency preparedness rule: What you should already be doing

Since the start of the 21st century, the U.S. has suffered several major disasters: hurricanes, floods, wildfires, blizzards, tornados, and terrorist attacks to name a few. In times of crisis, hospitals and healthcare centers are particularly susceptible to the chaos and failing infrastructure. Events like hospital power outages, loss of communication, lack of supplies, and emergency response breakdowns can cost patients their lives.

In response, CMS announced in early September that it had finalized new emergency response requirements for healthcare providers participating in the Medicare or Medicaid system. Under the new regulations, hospitals are compelled to communicate and coordinate their emergency plans with other hospitals and government agencies at the tribal, local, regional, state, and federal levels. They are also required to conduct regular emergency preparedness training.

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