CHFM - Certified Healthcare Facility Manager Emergency Management Preparedness Flashcards

The four phases of emergency management that guide healthcare facility planning are:

Answer: Mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery

The four phases of emergency management are: mitigation (reducing risk before a disaster), preparedness (planning and training), response (actions taken during an emergency), and recovery (restoring normal operations afterward).

Under CMS emergency preparedness requirements for hospitals, how often must a full-scale exercise be conducted?

Answer: At least annually, with one exercise being a community-based exercise or an actual emergency

CMS requires hospitals to conduct at least two exercises per year: one must be a full-scale exercise (community-based or include an actual emergency) and one must be an internal, facility-based functional exercise.

In the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS), who holds overall accountability for the hospital's response to an emergency?

Answer: Incident Commander

The Incident Commander holds overall authority and accountability for the management of an incident, including strategic direction, resource allocation, and communications with external agencies.

A hospital's hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) rates risks based on which three factors?

Answer: Probability, severity (human impact), and preparedness (risk)

The Kaiser HVA model rates each hazard on probability (likelihood of occurrence), severity (impact on people, property, and systems), and preparedness (current level of mitigation), then calculates an overall risk score.

During a mass casualty incident (MCI), a hospital activates its emergency operations plan and surges patient capacity. Which action is part of a 'surge capacity' strategy?

Answer: Discharging stable patients, canceling elective procedures, and opening alternate care spaces

Surge capacity involves expanding the ability to manage a sudden increase in patient volume by discharging stable patients to free beds, canceling elective cases, converting conference rooms or corridors, and calling in off-duty staff.

What does a continuity of operations plan (COOP) address that a basic emergency response plan does not?

Answer: Sustaining essential functions over an extended disruption lasting days to weeks

A COOP focuses on sustaining essential functions such as patient care, utilities, supply chain, and payroll over extended periods when normal operations are disrupted, going beyond the immediate response of an emergency operations plan.