JCAHO makes changes to disaster plan review
JCAHO makes changes to disaster plan review
Change affects larger hospitals
If your hospital has 200 beds or more, your emergency management committee members should be aware of a new change in the way the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) will review disaster plans.
Starting in 2006, larger hospitals will participate in an emergency management committee session, which will commence in the hospital’s incident command center, said Jerry Gervais, associate director of standards for the JCAHO. Gervais spoke at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Service’s Annual Preparedness Conference in Milwaukee on September 13.
Highlights of the two-to-four hour session will include:
- A review of the hospital’s emergency management plan.
- Surveyors choosing a detailed, predetermined disaster scenario based on the facility’s hazard vulnerability analysis and then going out in the departments to determine whether hospital staff understands their roles in such a scenario.
Surveyors will receive training on this new session at the JCAHO annual surveyor training conference in January, Gervais said.
JCAHO hasn’t forgotten smaller facilities. The agency has issued a step-by-step guide, "Standing Together: An Emergency Planning Guide for America’s Communities," for small, rural and suburban communities to both prepare for and successfully respond to major local and regional emergencies — whether they be hurricanes, floods, terrorist attacks, major infectious outbreaks, hazardous materials spills, or other catastrophic occurrences.
It includes such topics as:
- safeguarding data and systems in the event of a natural disaster;
- establishing linkages with federal and state mental health resources;
- ensuring culturally sensitive communication;
- identifying appropriate planning partners.
For a complete copy of the Joint Commission planning guide, go to Headline News’ at www.jcaho.org.
If your hospital has 200 beds or more, your emergency management committee members should be aware of a new change in the way the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) will review disaster plans.Subscribe Now for Access
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