The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) emergency preparedness requirements became effective November 15, 2017. This federal rule went into effect November 16, 2016, but CMS allowed one year for affected provider and supplier types to take the steps necessary to achieve compliance.
Surveyors will issue “E”-tags for deficient practices. The requirements and interpretive guidelines are set forth in a CMS manual dubbed “Appendix Z,” and that document and related information and resources relating to the emergency preparedness requirements are posted on the LeadingAge Iowa website and the CMS website.
Note also that CMS recently posted an Emergency Preparedness Basic Surveyor Training Course to help surveyors gain proficiency in the requirements. These materials are also available to providers at no cost, and the training is self-paced. No user name or password is needed to access videos through the provider link.