Operators should begin conducting emergency training exercises as soon as possible in order to meet the Nov. 15 implementation date of the recent emergency preparedness final rule.
That’s according to a memo issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in late March. The agency encouraged providers to start planning “full-scale, community-based” training exercises now, in order to avoid being cited for noncompliance once the rule is in place.
CMS said it had heard that some providers are holding out for the release of guidance, which “is not necessary, nor is it advised.”
The agency also said it expects providers who can’t conduct a full-scale exercise to “complete an individual facility-based exercise and document the circumstances as to why a full-scale, community-based exercise was not completed.”
The agency also created a website to help providers plan their training, found at cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/SurveyCertEmergPrep/Emergency-Prep-Rule.html.
From the May 01, 2017 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
