Are You Federally Compliant? A Guide To Business Continuity Planning

Business continuity planning (BCP) is vital to the success of an organization and must be incorporated into an organization as a good business practice as well as meet federal requirements. Too often, healthcare emergency managers fail to integrate continuity planning into their own policies and procedures, leaving gaps in their organization.

In conducting business continuity planning, emergency management organizations must address the fundamentals of continuity planning, some of which are:

By developing a business continuity plan, the healthcare emergency management organization meets federal requirements and guidance on what they need to do to adequately prepare for and respond to emergencies that impact the public’s health, including:

The Healthcare Preparedness Capabilities: National Guidance for Healthcare System Preparedness assists states, local jurisdictions, Healthcare Coalitions (HHCs) in the identification of gaps in preparedness, determine specific priorities, and develop plans for building and sustaining healthcare specific capabilities. These capabilities are designed to facilitate and guide preparedness planning and ultimately assure safer, more resilient, and better-prepared communities.

The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response provides guidance in “The 2017-2022 Health Care Preparedness and Response Capabilities,” which describes what the health care delivery system – including Healthcare Coalitions, hospitals, and emergency medical services (EMS) – have to do to effectively prepare for and respond to emergencies that impact the public’s health. Each jurisdiction, including emergency management organizations and public health agencies, provides key support to the health care delivery system.

Individual health care organizations, HCCs, jurisdictions, and other stakeholders that develop the capabilities outlined in the 2017-2022 Health Care Preparedness and Response Capabilities document will:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Emergency Preparedness Rule, which requires that healthcare organizations prepare to provide continuity of operations during emergency events, and must include orders of succession and delegations of authority in their plans. Also, healthcare organizations must provide emergency communications plans as part of their emergency planning efforts, including ensuring the plan is updated annually, contains all staff and emergency contacts are current, and includes procedures for notifying local emergency management personnel.

Business continuity planning is vital for the continuity and sustainment of healthcare organizations and coalitions, and must not only be prepared in advance of an emergency or business continuity event, but all personnel must be trained and plans tested and exercised.

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