According to Weather.com, Hurricane season generally begins when water temperatures reach the rough threshold of 80 degrees, which usually occurs between June 1 and Nov. 30. That’s right around the corner! Weather forecasters predict between 13 and 15 named storms for 2023, six or seven becoming hurricanes with two to three reaching Category 3 or higher. The potential El Niño effect could soften those numbers but either way, in Florida we know to prepare for rain, wind, flooding and power outages.
That said…. How’s your emergency management plan (EMP)?
- Home health agencies and nurse registries are required to maintain an EMP that meets Florida Department of Health (DOH) criteria and has been approved by that office. Other providers, like hospitals, need to meet accreditation requirements which dictate a comprehensive EMP with contingencies for just about everything. Most medical practices, though, have no requirement. Let’s review some important issues on which to focus our attention over the next three weeks as we count down to June 1st:
- If you have a plan, review it. With. A. Fine-toothed. Comb. Refresh yourself with all its aspects and what-ifs, and more importantly, re-orient all staff. The DOH requires a mock drill so train early and then spring a drill on your staff to see how your business will fare.
- If you’re not required to have an EMP, you can still prepare one. If you’ve been in Florida for any length of time, you can probably anticipate the types of issues you’ll encounter over the season. (Hint: some are mentioned in paragraph one). Think through what areas of your business or practice will be affected.
- Do you have updated contact info (physical address, telephone and next of kin contact) for every staff member? How will you communicate with staff if phones are not usable? Work through this now and make sure you inform staff members in advance.
- Assess your practice’s operational systems: EMR, telephones and other patient contact avenues. Can your practice operate remotely if your office is not usable, and how would that work? Do all necessary staff members have access and have you tested their access especially if they’ll be using their personal computer equipment? Some practices restrict remote access to a small number of individuals. How easy is it for your business to expand that list and will staff know how to do this in a pinch?
- What about telephones? If you use an answering service, you will probably not be affected as much as businesses that do not. How will you answer phones in the event of an extended situation? Do you have the needed passwords or vendor contact info to make changes to your settings, especially remotely? Have you tested everything in advance to work through any glitches?
- Are you able to text patients and receive texts from them through a vendor? How will that service be impacted during an emergency?
- Consider preparing a list of pts with significant health needs and begin a discussion with them (and/or their designated family member) before any emergency. Should your patient evacuate for his/her safety? Where would your patient go? How will you ensure patients have an adequate supply of medications and oxygen during an emergency?
- Business-wise, where is your liability insurance policy and other critical vendor information you may need to access off-site? Consider preparing a “GO Binder” with all the information in one place. Reproduce for management staff as needed.
- Include a section in your binder for documenting your EMP preparation & implementation activities, preferably with dates. If it’s easier, document in week-long chunks and summarize what was accomplished or put in place.
We all hope and pray the season is a quiet one, but let’s not put too much stock in predictions that may or may not be accurate; it’s always best to prepare for the certainty of an emergent situation. No regulatory body can expect super-human responses from us during times of devastation, but we do need to show a good faith effort to cover all the bases and begin the season well-prepared.