Updated CMS Interpretive Guidance to Emergency Preparedness Appendix Z of the State Operations Manual

 

To: Administrators and Directors   From: Greg Schlosser, Branch Chief, Health Facility Quality & Education Branch   The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has updated their interpretive guidance on emergency preparedness, Appendix Z of the State Operations Manual. Most of these changes to the interpretive guidance reflect regulatory changes that were made in 2019:   In September, 2019 the Burden Reduction Final Rule changed the frequency of updates required for non-long term care providers and changes to the training and testing program. In February 2019, CMS added “emerging infectious diseases” (or “EIDs”) to the definition of all-hazards approach in Appendix Z so health facilities would include planning for infectious diseases within their emergency preparedness program. In light of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, CMS expanded the interpretive guidelines to include best practices, lessons learned, and planning considerations for emerging infectious diseases.   For more specifics on these updates to Appendix Z, we encourage you to review the CMS memo, immediately followed by the revised Appendix Z. If you have any questions, please contact Melanie.Roth-Lawson@state.co.us .