Florida Administrative Code › 59 - AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION › 59A - Health Facility and Agency Licensing › Chapter 59A-25 - MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR HOME MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PROVIDERS › Section 59A-25.006 - Emergency Management Planning

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) Pursuant
				to Section 400.934(20)(a),
				F.S., each home medical equipment provider must prepare and maintain a written
				comprehensive emergency management plan, that meets the minimum criteria in
				these rules and the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) Format for
				Home Medical Equipment (HME) Providers, AHCA Form 3110-1019, December 2006,
				incorporated by reference. This document is available from the Agency for
				Health Care Administration at http://ahca.myflorida.com under Licensing &
				Certification, Home Medical Equipment Provider. The CEMP Format contains the
				minimum criteria that must be included in each home medical equipment provider
				emergency management plan, as required in Section
				400.934(20),
				F.S. The plan must describe how the home medical equipment provider establishes
				and maintains an effective response to emergencies and disasters. The completed
				plan will be e-mailed or mailed to the local county health department for each
				county listed on the home medical equipment provider's license as required in
				Section 400.934(20)(b),
				F.S., unless the county health department does not require submission of home
				medical equipment provider emergency management plans per Section
				381.0303(7),
				F.S.
(2) The home medical equipment
				provider must review its emergency management plan on an annual basis, make any
				substantive changes and inform their staff of those changes. For the purposes
				of this section, 'substantive changes' would include, but not be limited to,
				change of address, change of administrative staff who are responsible for
				coordinating the home medical equipment provider's emergency response or their
				contact telephone numbers and change of type of equipment or equipment services
				provided.
(3) The substantive
				changes as defined in subsection
				59A-25.006(2),
				F.A.C., must be reported to the county emergency management office and to the
				county health department. For home medical equipment providers with multiple
				counties on their license, the changes must be reported to each county health
				department and each county emergency management office designated on the
				license. The telephone numbers must include numbers where the coordinating
				staff can be contacted outside of the home medical equipment provider's regular
				office hours. All home medical equipment providers must report these changes,
				whether their plan has been previously reviewed or not, as defined in
				subsection (1).
(4) When a home
				medical equipment provider goes through a change of ownership, the new owner
				must review the emergency management plan and make any substantive changes,
				including changes noted in subsection (3). Those home medical equipment
				providers will need to report any substantive changes in their plans to the
				reviewing entity in subsection (1).
(5) In the event of an emergency, the home
				medical equipment provider must implement the emergency management plan
				pursuant to Section 400.934(20),
				F.S.
(6) Home medical equipment
				providers must assist consumers receiving HME services who would need
				assistance and sheltering during evacuations because of physical, mental,
				cognitive impairment, or sensory disabilities in registering with the local
				emergency management agency, as required in Section
				252.355(1),
				F.S., and as determined by the established procedures of the local emergency
				management agency related to special needs registration.
(a) Each home medical equipment provider
				must, pursuant to Sections
				400.934 and
				252.355, F.S., inform consumers
				and consumer caregivers, by the best method possible as it pertains to the
				person's disability, of the special needs registry and procedures for
				registration at the special needs registry maintained by their county emergency
				management office.
(b) If the
				consumer is to be registered with the special needs registry, the home medical
				equipment provider must assist the consumer with registering, pursuant to
				Sections 400.934 and
				252.355, F.S., and the
				established procedures of the local emergency management agency. The home
				medical equipment provider must document in the consumer's file if the consumer
				plans to evacuate or remain at home and if the consumer's caregiver or family
				can take responsibility during the emergency for equipment services normally
				provided by HME staff or independent contractors referred by the home medical
				equipment provider or if the home medical equipment provider needs to make
				referrals in order for equipment services to continue. If the consumer is also
				receiving services through any other licensed health care provider or federal
				or state funded program designated in Section
				252.355, F.S., to help clients
				register with the special needs registry, then the home medical equipment
				provider will check with the other service provider or program case manager to
				verify if the consumer has already been registered. If so, a note will be made
				in the consumer's file by the home medical equipment provider that the
				consumer's need for registration has already been reviewed and handled by the
				other provider or program. Home medical equipment providers are not required to
				assist consumers residing in skilled nursing facilities, assisted living
				facilities or adult family care homes with special needs registration as those
				licensed facilities are responsible for evacuation and alternative sheltering
				of their clients.
(c) The collected
				registration information must be furnished to the county emergency management
				agency pursuant to Section
				400.934, F.S., and as determined
				by the established procedures of the local emergency management agency related
				to special needs registration.