The CMS ruling has been finalized on Emergency Preparedness in Healthcare.
DoctorConnect.net gives you the tools you need for fast, effective communication with staff and patients during emergencies. The TimeBlock and Bulk messaging feature allows you to communiciate with patients and staff simultaneously from anywhere with customizable notifications of practice closings, location changes, and schedule changes in emergency situations. This DoctorConnect.net feature has voice, text message, and email messaging capability. Text message is the most effective when landlines are down.
CMS states in the final rule, that the emergency preparedness requirements will be consistent and enforceable for all affected Medicare and Medicaid providers and suppliers, and address the three key essentials they believe are necessary for maintaining access to healthcare services during emergencies: safeguarding human resources, maintaining business continuity and protecting physical resources.
“Situations like the recent flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, remind us that in the event of an emergency, the first priority of healthcare providers and suppliers is to protect the health and safety of their patients,” said Patrick Conway, MD, MSc, CMS deputy administrator and chief medical officer. “Preparation, planning and one comprehensive approach for emergency preparedness is key.”
“As people with medical needs are cared for in increasingly diverse settings, disaster preparedness is not only a responsibility of hospitals, but of many other providers and suppliers of healthcare services. Whether it’s trauma care or long-term nursing care or a home health service, patients’ needs for healthcare don’t stop when disasters strike; in fact, their needs often increase in the immediate aftermath of a disaster,” said Nicole Lurie, MD, Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response. “All parts of the healthcare system must be able to keep providing care through a disaster, both to save lives and to ensure that people can continue to function in their usual setting. Disasters tend to stress the entire healthcare system, and that’s not good for anyone.”
Catherine D. Sampels
DoctorConnect Medical Appointment Reminders
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