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How Does Medicare Handle Emergency Situations in Home Health Care?
Date Updated: December 13, 2024
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Medicare handles emergency situations in home health care by only certifying providers that comply with national, state and local emergency preparedness obligations. To accept federal funding, all home health care providers must develop robust emergency plans, train staff accordingly and implement emergency response policies.
National Regulations on Emergency Situations
Home health care agencies receiving Medicare payments must comply with national laws related to planning for and responding to disasters and public health emergencies. Relevant legislation and guidelines include:
Home Health Care Emergency Planning
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services contains numerous measures under its Emergency Preparedness Rule. Requirements apply to various providers, including home health care agencies, with provider-specific regulations specified in certification criteria. Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 484, covers home health care requirements. Section 484.101 contains detailed emergency preparedness measures, including:
- An emergency plan: Must include detailed risk assessments and strategies for responding to emergencies and processes for working with other agencies in emergencies.
- Emergency policies and procedures: Must detail how the agency would respond to patients in a disaster. Individual patient assessments must include personalized emergency plans. Procedures must detail evacuation responses.
- A communication plan: Must include details about patients’ physicians, staff and local emergency preparedness officials.
Training: Agencies must train new staff in emergency measures, with ongoing training every two years for existing staff.