WHAT: Virtual listening session with health care providers and suppliers on emergency preparedness. Note: Due to an overwhelming interest in this session, we have increased capacity from 150 to 450 registrants, but we ask that registration be limited to those who plan to provide input and that the number of registrants per organization be limited. Refer to the “How to Join” section below to register.  

WHEN: Tuesday, September 13, 2022, from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET.

WHO: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Center for Clinical Standards & Quality (CCSQ), Clinical Standards Group (CSG).

TOPIC: CMS is looking to gather information from health care providers and suppliers on their experiences providing support during public health emergencies outside of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). The input and lessons-learned from this session will be used to evaluate CMS regulations regarding emergency preparedness for certain health care providers. CMS is especially interested in hearing input on these questions:

1. What have been your facility’s experiences in developing and implementing emergency preparedness plans under the CMS regulations? Do the current CMS emergency preparedness regulations create any unintended barriers in your work? If so, what are they?
2. What resources does your facility use to inform emergency preparedness plans under the CMS regulations? What additional resources could you use as you update your plans?
3. How does your facility “stand down” or “recover” after emergency events? How long does this process take, and does it interrupt services for patients? Does your process include any type of “failure analysis” or other assessment that helps to identify and correct any issues experienced during an emergency?
4. NEW Question: During emergencies, including the COVID-19 PHE, CMS has used a combination of emergency waivers, regulations, and sub-regulatory guidance to offer health care providers the flexibility needed to respond. In certain cases, these flexibilities suspended requirements in order to address acute and extraordinary circumstances. What specific flexibilities, if any, have been most helpful? Least helpful?

This session is the second in a multi-part series being held on emergency preparedness. While this second session is geared toward health care providers and suppliers, other sessions seek information and feedback from State and Local emergency response entities and individual staff members. Questions will vary by session.

Prior to the listening session, you are encouraged to review the following rules as background:

·       Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers

·       Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Regulatory Provisions To Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency, and Burden Reduction; Fire Safety Requirements for Certain Dialysis Facilities; Hospital and Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Changes To Promote Innovation, Flexibility, and Improvement in Patient Care   

HOW TO JOIN: Please register HERE with your name, email, zip code, state, and organization name and type. Due to an overwhelming interest in this session, we have increased capacity to 450 registrants; however, registration will be closed once we reach this number. We encourage registration as soon as possible and ask that registrants be limited to each organization’s leadership and/or subject matter experts who are knowledgeable and willing to provide feedback on the topics to be discussed.

Note: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the session. Instructions for manually adding an invite to your calendar will be included.