overview of your emergency
response plan to local govern-
ment officials who are in charge
of emergency response initia-
tives. That might require some
phone calls and Google search-
ing to identify who those people
are in your area. You might not
hear back from your local offi-
cials and the officials who do
respond often acknowledge
receipt of the emergency
response plan, but share that surgical facilities aren't likely to play a
major role in a community emergency response efforts. That's OK —
you simply have to prove that you made an effort to contact them.
Clock is ticking
It will become clearer how comprehensive your facility's plan has to
be, the components it must include and what type of penalties non-
compliant facilities will face after Medicare surveys are conducted
after the November deadline. It'll be interesting to see if CMS will ini-
tially allow some wiggle room as facilities become more comfortable
and have a better understanding of the new requirement. But one
thing is certain: CMS is very clear that all healthcare facilities must
make every effort to be in compliance a couple months from now. Are
you prepared?
OSM
Ms. Mattson (leslie@almss.com) is a nurse consultant with ALM Surgical
Solutions in Atlanta, Ga.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 3
A surgery center in Miami might focus
on hurricane preparedness, while a
hospital in Denver might zero in on
surviving a catastrophic blizzard.