Florida Administrative Code › 59 - AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION › 59A - Health Facility and Agency Licensing › Chapter 59A-8 - MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR HOME HEALTH AGENCIES › Section 59A-8.027 - Emergency Management Plans

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) Pursuant
				to Section 400.492, F.S., each home health
				agency shall prepare and maintain a written comprehensive emergency management
				plan, in accordance with criteria shown in the "Comprehensive Emergency
				Management Plan (CEMP), " AHCA Form 3110-1022, Revised March 2013, incorporated
				by reference (
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-02767
).
				This document is available from the Agency for Health Care Administration at
http://ahca.myflorida.com/MCHQ/Emergency_Activities/index.shtml
and shall be used as the format for the home health agency's emergency
				management plan. The plan shall describe how the home health agency establishes
				and maintains an effective response to emergencies and disasters.
(2) The plan, once completed, will be
				forwarded electronically for approval to the contact designated by the
				Department of Health.
(3) The
				agency shall review its emergency management plan on an annual basis and make
				any substantive changes.
(4)
				Changes in the telephone numbers of those staff who are coordinating the
				agency's emergency response must be reported to the agency's county office of
				Emergency Management and to the local County Health Department. For agencies
				with multiple counties on their license, the changes must be reported to each
				County Health Department and each county Emergency Management office. The
				telephone numbers must include numbers where the coordinating staff can be
				contacted outside of the agency's regular office hours. All home health
				agencies must report these changes, whether their plan has been previously
				reviewed or not, as defined in subsection (2) above.
(5) When an agency goes through a change of
				ownership the new owner shall review its emergency management plan and make any
				substantive changes, including changes noted in subsection (4) above. Those
				agencies which previously have had their plans reviewed, as defined in
				subsection (2) above, will need to report any substantive changes to the
				reviewing entity.
(6) In the event
				of an emergency the agency shall implement the agency's emergency management
				plan in accordance with Section
				400.492, F.S. Also, the agency
				must meet the following requirements:
(a) All
				staff who are designated to be involved in emergency measures must be informed
				of their duties and be responsible for implementing the emergency management
				plan.
(b) If telephone service is
				not available during an emergency, the agency shall have a contingency plan to
				support communication, pursuant to Section
				400.492, F.S. A contingency plan
				may include cell phones, contact with a community based ham radio group, public
				announcements through radio or television stations, driving directly to the
				employee's or the patient's home, and, in medical emergency situations, contact
				with police or emergency rescue services.