CMS Proposes Emergency Preparedness Requirements

​ The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule to establish more comprehensive national emergency preparedness requirements for Medicare- and Medicaid-participating providers and suppliers. The proposed rule was developed in response to CMS’s belief that the current regulatory patchwork of federal, state, and local laws and guidelines, combined with emergency preparedness standards from various accrediting organizations, falls short of what is needed to require that healthcare providers and suppliers be adequately prepared for a disaster. Thus, the proposed rule seeks to establish a consistent, flexible, and dynamic regulatory approach to emergency preparedness and response.