Emergency Management

When a disaster strikes it can wreak havoc on your operation. But, applying for a 1135 federal waiver can assist your team with emergency management. This disaster related waiver modifies certain Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and HIPAA requirements. A recent Perspectives article outlines the process required to apply for this waiver.

Emergency Management

Current emergency management standards require a hospital to pre-design a waiver process in case a disaster strikes your area. But, TJC often finds that often the process is lacking. For example, one common issue not detailing how the staff may use the waiver. This article describes what a waiver entails. Furthermore, it details the conditions you need to meet to get approval for a waiver.

It is important to note that you can’t get a waiver pre-approval or completely document one before the disaster. But, as we reported in our February newsletter, you can develop a skeleton. In addition, you should develop a written process for completing the waiver application. This includes obtaining internal approvals and how to process the actual waiver request.

The Joint Commission reports that this requirement is frequently scored noncompliant. To prevent problems in your operation, circulate this article to your emergency management team. Plus, verify that such a process is already described in your emergency operations plan.