Hurricane season has officially begun. Hurricanes, especially the monster storms, have taught American hospitals some big lessons, and if you haven’t put those lessons into your resiliency plan, then you’re behind the game. For an example, just look to New Orleans.
As CMS begins focusing more on emergency preparedness planning, review your hospital’s plans to ensure they include how the facility will handle a patient surge during civic unrest. Preparation for civic unrest unfortunately must be a part of any medical facility’s emergency planning, say...
There is not one hospital in the United States that is immune from disasters, whether caused by internal system failures or events externally directed at them and the communities they serve. Yet many of the nation’s healthcare organizations make preparedness a low priority and fail to build the...
Well, not strictly speaking—I’m pretty sure we’ve been working on preparedness in the ambulatory care settings for a while now. I suspect that this is more of a recalibration to ensure that all applicable elements of the CMS Emergency Preparedness Final Rule are clearly accounted for in all the...
A crisis can happen at any time, anywhere, and to any organization or community. Some are fairly predictable, such as the cyclical patterns of weather; others come unannounced, such as the events of 9/11. The very nature of the event or crisis is characterized by a high degree of instability,...
During a crisis, many people placed in leadership positions often resort to an authoritative management approach because of the sudden and often unexpected manner in which the crisis evolves. They are taken by surprise. They believe that decisions need to be made rapidly and they feel that only...
Review Emergency Medical Treatment & Active Labor Act (EMTALA) requirements with your emergency departments, especially as the season for flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has the potential to flood hospital beds again.
Sometimes disasters mean being on the go while evacuating the hospital. Sometimes staff and patients have to shelter in place. That is why it is important to create easy to store and quick to move disaster kits to provide staff items they may need in an emergency. In the wake of a tornado in May...
OSHA addresses fire safety under the General Industry Standards (29CFR1910). Facilities under construction should consult the edition of the of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) Life Safety Code adopted by your regulating agency for more detailed information.
The American healthcare sector produces an estimated 8.5% of the country’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and accounts for 25% of global health sector emissions—the highest proportion attributable to any individual country’s...