Emergency Management Standards
As of July 1, 2022, the new and revised Emergency Management (EM) standards which apply to all Joint Commission–accredited hospitals and critical access hospitals, are in effect. The entire EM chapter has been restructured to provide a meaningful framework for a successful emergency management program. The changes in the EM chapter include a new numbering system, elimination of redundant requirements, and the addition of new requirements. A significant new requirement is the standard related to a continuity of operations plan. This restructuring resulted in a reduction in the number of elements of performance from 124 to 60. Our team of experts can help your hospital as it works to meet the new and revised Emergency Management standards.
A Preparedness Approach to Emergency Management
COVID-19 has provided an opportunity for organizations to test their resiliency and any emergency plans that may or may not have been in place. While the level of impact caused by the pandemic may vary from organization to organization, one thing is for certain — the threat of pandemics as well as other types of emergencies will continue well into the future. Having an all-hazards approach, evidence-based and tested plan in place is a critical for the future.
Joint Commission Resources' multidisciplinary group of experts, made up of engineers, physicians, infection preventionists, nurses, and former CMS surveyors, can assist your organization with its emergency management plan. Our team can complement each role in your Incident Command Center, bridge knowledge gaps between your Incident Command staff and hospital staff that did not actively participate in the Command Center, and use a collaborative approach to help bring roles and viewpoints across the organization together. With experts on both the clinical and environment of care sides, we can help your team navigate the difference between standard hospital terminology and terminology used by local, state, and federal emergency responders.
Helping you Mitigate, Prepare for, Respond to, and Recover from a Disaster
Our program compliments the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) four-phased Emergency Management Framework and helps organizations as they develop practical and actionable operations and policies for emergencies while maintaining continuous compliance with Joint Commission standards and CMS CoPs. We can help you with at any phase of your emergency management program, virtually or through an in-person engagement.
Recovery Efforts
We will work together to help you develop a method to document and monitor modifications to your organization’s standard operating procedures or building code made during the activation of your EOP.
After Action Report
We will help you analyze your emergency response to an event or exercise and help you identify your strengths and weaknesses of the response and identify areas that need improvement. As part of this analysis, we will look at each of The Joint Commission’s six critical areas.
After Action Report
Based on your After Action Report, we will provide you with recommendations for changes and actions to consider that should be incorporated into your Emergency Operations Plan.
Testing the EOP
We can help your organization test changes to its EOP by helping you develop exercise scenarios, moderating the exercise, or through facilitated workshops.
Custom Education
Our team of experts can provide education on areas that your organization found challenging during the disaster, response, and recovery operations. You select the topic and delivery channel, and we deliver the specialized content to your group. Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Familiarizing staff with emergency response role.
- How to structure an emergency response center.
- Strategies for developing a successful EOP.
- Gap analysis between written EOP and its implementation.
- Integrating infection prevention into Emergency Management.
- Best practices from the field.
Publications
Check out these additional resources to help you identify emergency planning needs and develop an effective level of preparedness to address a range of emergencies.
Request More Information
The experts at JCR are always available to help you identify and select those advisory services that will be most beneficial to you and assist with your organization's most challenging needs.
Meet Our Team
Our team of experts can help you achieve and maintain high performance in delivering quality, patient-focused care.
*The use of Joint Commission Resources consultative technical or advisory services is not necessary to obtain a Joint Commission Accreditation award, nor does it influence the granting of such awards.