Ask the expert: Common gaps in emergency preparedness assessments

Q: What are the most common gaps you still see in hospital emergency preparedness assessments—and how should leaders prioritize addressing them?

Cody Meier, MHA, director of operations at Lexington Podiatry in Lexington, Kentucky: Communication between emergency management teams and outside/local agencies is always lacking. Especially when it comes to disaster response, it seems like notification is always siloed among one department or organization, creating response delays, inadequacies, and sheer chaos. We need to be better about cultivating relationships with local first responders or resources such as shelters, transportation options, long-term care facilities, etc.

Additionally, we’ve become too reactive to disaster planning, only making updates or changes to our plans post-disaster/incident. By doing so, we fall behind in new innovations and end up risking patient well-being and millions of dollars for the organization. Annual plan assessments are necessary to stay ahead of the game, but also ensure you’re not simply checking a box and “run rating” the plan. Challenge yourself to find creative ways to expose shortcomings.

Editor’s note: This Q&A was excerpted from our Healthcare Safety Leader newsletter.