Despite increased guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, nursing homes hit by disaster often struggle to execute emergency plans and protect residents, according to an article on the Fierce Healthcare website.
Testimony from the HHS Office of Inspector General said officials went in and looked at deficiencies in nursing homes following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and found 94 percent were in compliance.
However, the report said, a sample of homes actually affected by the hurricanes, had plans that weren’t practical and up-to-date.
Reexamining emergency preparedness years later following additional CMS guidance, the OIG found little improvement at skilled nursing homes facing natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and wildfires.
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