NAHC Newsroom

| FYI

New NAHC Webinar Series on Emergency Preparedness

May 15, 2017

A new, six-part webinar series on emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare and Medicaid-participating home health and hospice providers is coming in June from the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the NAHC Forum of State Associations (FSA). NAHC members and members of participating FSA state associations may purchase the web series at a deeply discounted rate of $399 for the six one-hour sessions.  Participating state associations will market directly to their memberships, so watch for their promotional materials.  NAHC members and agencies that are neither members of NAHC nor their state association (or are members of a non-participating state association) may register here

​ Beginning in November 2017, all Medicare and Medicaid providers – including home health and hospice agencies – must meet a host of complex new requirements designed to ensure they have the necessary planning in place to provide safe care for their patients in the event of an emergency. This NAHC webinar series will provide the knowledge participants need to prepare for the unexpected with confidence.

Those who attend this webinar series will dramatically increase their knowledge and understanding of the new federal emergency preparedness requirements that are part of these new home health and hospice Conditions of Participation (CoP). In addition, attendees will learn how to apply the federal requirements for disaster preparedness in their home health or hospice agencies. The programs are scheduled to begin in June, in hopes that CMS will have released the interpretive guidance related to the new requirements by then.  Regardless, home health and hospice providers must act soon to ensure compliance in a timely fashion.

The planned curriculum and schedule for the webinar sessions is as follows:

Part 1: OVERVIEW OF THE REGULATIONS — June 1, 2017, NOON EASTERN

Including Lessons Learned, Home Health and Hospice’s Role in an Event, All-Hazards Approach, Components of the Regulation

Part 2: STARTING THE PLAN — June 6, 2017, NOON EASTERN

Including Four Phases of Emergency Management, the National Response Framework, Incident Command System, and Hazard Vulnerability Assessment

Part 3: BUILDING THE PLAN — June 8, 2017, NOON EASTERN

Continuity of Operations (Defining Essential Function, Succession Planning, Human Resources, Alternate Location, Defining Patient Populations, and Data Management)

Part 4: DEVELOPMENT OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES — June 13, 2017, NOON EASTERN

Patient Classification Systems, Transportation Classifications, Surge Capacity, HIPAA/IT, Tracking Patients and Staff, and Roles and Definitions

Part 5:  COMMUNICATION — June 15, 2017, NOON EASTERN

Health Care Coalitions; Specific Hospice Requirements; MOUs; Government Emergency Telecommunications System; Collaborative Relationships with Local, State, Federal, and Indian Tribe Nations; Methodologies for Communication; and Utilizing the ICS in Communication

Part 6: TESTING AND TRAINING — June 27, 2017, NOON EASTERN

Annual/Orientation Requirements, Documentation of Training, Types of Exercises (Tabletop, Functional, Full-scale), After Action Report, Revising and Updating the Plan

Recorded sessions of the webinar will be available for those who are unable to attend the live sessions.

CEs:   One nursing credit hour will be offered for each of the six parts of this webinar series, for a maximum of six.  (This activity has been submitted to the Maryland Nurses Association for approval to award contact hours. The Maryland Nurses Association is accredited as an approver of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.)

REGISTRATION FEES:  Participants must register for the entire six-part series, at the following rates:

NAHC Member/Participating State Association Member— $399 for webinar series

Non-Member – NAHC or Participating State Association— $599 for webinar series

The faculty presenter for the webinar series is Barbara B. Citarella, RN, BSN, MS, CHCE, CSH-V (Certified in Homeland Security), who is uniquely qualified to educate on this important topic.   Ms. Citarella is the founder of RBC Limited Healthcare and Management Consultants.  Barbara and her team of expert consultants have made the company a national leader in the home health and hospice industry in addition to disaster planning.

With over 25 years of experience, Barbara is internationally known for her expertise in the areas of infection control, leadership, and disaster preparedness.  As the only recognized expert in the area of home care and hospice disaster planning, she specializes in emergency disaster planning, bioterrorism, health care development, and operations.  She provides education to law enforcement and government agencies, health care providers, private sector, first responders, national and state associations in all aspects of disaster preparedness.

Barbara was part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) committee to rewrite the National Response Plan document and the DHS Disaster Preparedness Guidelines for people with special needs.  She has received the highest level (CHS-V) of certification in homeland security from the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security (ABCHS).