CMS has made changes to the Emergency Preparedness requirements for all healthcare types, effective November 29, 2019. However, some of the items that have been relaxed do not apply to Long-Term Care / Skilled Nursing facilities. Attached is an overview of the key changes and whether they apply.  Please note, the rule for annual training states;
“The Emergency Preparedness requirements require Long Term Care Facilities to provide annual training to staff. As explained in our FAQs, The “annual” testing requirement will not be measured on a calendar year basis which is January 1 through December 31. The annual requirement will be measured from the date of the last actual emergency event or the date the exercise/testing took place”

Emergency Preparedness Article – Oct 2019

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Laura Hofmann, MSN, RN
Director of Clinical and Nursing Facility Regulatory Services
c: 360.691-9281