Our most recent hurricane, Hurricane Isaac, reminded us of the importance of the Home Health Agency Emergency Preparedness Plan. As managers of our patients’ health and well-being we are responsible for preparing ourselves and our patients for emergency situations. Knowing that we are prone to natural disasters, hazardous material accidents, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, pandemic infections, electrical failures, communication failures, blackouts, or public transportation failures, we must constantly be ready to triage and manage our patients’ care on short notice.
After the events on September 11, 2001, the hurricanes that struck the gulf in 2005, and the recent near-pandemic outbreak of H1N1 “Swine Flu”, the National Government implemented measures that would keep the health care delivery system ready to address emergency situations. These measures include requirements that home health agencies implement an agency specific Emergency Preparedness Plan.
The National Emergency Preparedness Plan acknowledges that home health agencies are already performing vital functions as community based providers. Home care clinicians are accustomed to providing care in a non-structured environment, and the scope of community involvement is broad enough that we would be vital players in post-emergency response. Whether this assistance is delivery of care in a shelter, the patient’s home, or helping to staff inpatient facilities in times of need, clinicians could feasibly be present in all zip codes to provide care on a reasonably short time period.
As part of each home health agencies’ emergency preparedness plan, patients must be triaged according to care needs and support systems available. This information must be easily available for reference in times of emergency. With Axxess’ AgencyCore home health management software, triage codes are easily assigned and amended from the admission screen. Lists of triage codes are readily available in the reports center. By running the Survey Census, the Patient Roster, or the Emergency Contact reports you can easily gain the information needed to follow your patient in event of a disaster. As patients health status changes, the patient’s triage code level should be updated in the assessment and patient demographics of the patient chart. This will assist in keeping reports accurate in case of emergency. Axxess’ AgencyCore allows home health agencies to assign evacuation zones in the patient demographics screen when patients are added to the system. If you aren’t sure if your state has evacuation zones, contact your local state government for this information.
Another integral piece of the success of the Emergency Preparedness Plan involves teaching patients and patients’ families how to be self-sufficient in times of emergency. By using a printout of the patient’s triage code level to instruct on the Level 1-4 system, as well as how the patient is ranked, accurate expatiations by patients and families can be managed when they to require emergency assistance. For example, the patient will know who they should call for transportation, where they will stay in case of emergency, and what they will need to take with them should they have to evacuate.
Agency staff members should be prepared for emergency at all times. Keeping a full tank of gas, a power converter that plugs into your cigarette lighter so that you can power your laptop or other electronic charting device, paper maps of the area you serve, portable battery operated radio and flashlight, cell phone charger, booster cables, bottled water and non-perishable food items such as granola bars/raisins/and peanut butter, flares, tire repair kit, fire extinguisher, and first aid kit will ensure that you are ready at any time for an emergency situation.
Home health agency administrators should provide frequent in-services to the staff on the agency’s emergency preparedness plan to keep the information fresh in the minds of those who may be called to action. Keep employee personnel records up to date so that patients can be assigned to staff members living close to them in cases of emergency. Be sure you have a current phone tree readily available to all staff and that they know what to do in cases of emergency: who to call, where to meet, and so on. Employees should frequently instruct patients and patients’ families on their roles in case of emergency, as well as what services will and will not be provided in case of emergency. Keep emergency contact information up to date, and verify family member’s addresses and phone numbers at recertification visits and when changes are made between visits. This can be very important when trying to locate a patient at the time of a disaster. Teach self-preservation measures such as having extra food, water and medication on hand at all times as well as having a “non-electric” telephone for back up in cases of power outage.
Axxess’ AgencyCore software is backed up by a number of servers strategically located throughout the North American continent and firewalls so that in cases of emergency in your area, you still have access to your records. This allows your agency to access your patient information as long as you have connectivity to the web and a supply of electricity. , Knowing that your agency’s clinical records are not at risk of being lost or damaged, and knowing that you can access medical records as long as there is internet connectivity provides you with the security and confidence you need in high stress times such as emergencies.
By being prepared, training your staff often, and keeping accurate records, you will be able to execute your emergency preparedness plan on short notice should the need arise.
References:
“Hospital Communication Lessons from Katrina Pay off in Isaac”, by Kevin McDermott, 09/10/2012.
NAHC&C Emergency Preparedness Packet for Home Health Agencies, copyright 2008
