Homecare and Hospice Surge Resources

ASPR TRACIE Technical Assistance Request

Request Receipt Date (by ASPR TRACIE): 21 January 2020

Response Date: 23 January 2020

Type of TA Request: Standard

Request:

The requestor asked for technical assistance in identifying surge resources specific to homecare

and hospice agencies.

Response:

The ASPR TRACIE Team reviewed existing materials; namely the Homecare and Hospice and

Hospital Surge Capacity and Immediate Bed Availability Topic Collections, and the Medical

Surge and the Role of Home Health and Hospice Agencies and Engagement of Home Health and

Hospice Agencies in Medical Surge Activities reports.

Please note that it was difficult to obtain homecare/ hospice agency resources that were dedicated

specifically to surge planning. However, the resources gathered and provided in this document

contain useful preparedness information that can help facilities develop their surge plans.

I. Relevant Homecare/ Hospice Resources

Carr, M., Hammon, R., Glenn, J., et al. (2008). Emergency Preparedness Packet for Home

Health Agencies. National Association for Home Care and Hospice.

This document is the product of a large national workgroup and includes tools and

templates that can be customized and used by hospice and homecare providers in

developing all hazards emergency preparedness plans. NOTE: Pages 15-16 include items

to consider for facilities developing surge plans.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Long-Term, Home Health, and Hospice

Care Planning Guide for Public Health Emergencies. U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services.

This planning guide is geared towards long-term care, homecare, and hospice providers

and is comprised of six sections: situational awareness, continuity of operations, facility

or agency operations, crisis standards of care, staffing, and fatality management. NOTE:

This resource is mostly focused on continuity of operations planning. However, it

provides useful information for general emergency planning and could be useful for this

request.

Maryland Emergency Preparedness Network. (n.d.). Provider Resources. (Accessed 1/23/2020.)

This webpage includes a link to an Emergency Preparedness Resource Guide for Home

Care Providers, which includes sections on emergency planning and business continuity

planning. There are also links to fillable forms that support the Emergency Preparedness

Resource Guide. NOTE: This resource is not specifically focused on surge; however, it

provides useful information for general emergency planning and could be useful for this

request.

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Home Health Emergency

Preparedness: A Handbook to Assist Home Health Care Providers in Emergency

Preparedness Planning. (Accessed 1/23/2020.)

This handbook was written to help Michigan home care agencies develop and evaluate

their emergency preparedness plans. Beginning in Chapter 3 it helps users define plan

elements, assess their agency's level of preparedness (with the included checklist),

develop a plan that addresses specific needs and populations, and test and evaluate the

plan. NOTE: Surge planning is addressed on pages 35-37.

Mississippi State Department of Health. (n.d.). Facilities Preparedness. (Accessed 1/23/2020.)

This website provides comprehensive downloadable emergency operations templates that

can be customized and used by home health and hospice providers. NOTE: Page 90 of

the Home Health Emergency Operations Plan Template addresses surge capacity.

State of Louisiana. (2017). Louisiana Model Home Health Agency Emergency Plan. City of

Baton Rouge.

Though it includes Louisiana-specific information, this template can be adapted by home

health agencies in other states to develop emergency operations plans. It is an update of

the content in the 2015 Louisiana Model Home Health/Hospice Emergency Plan and

includes information relevant to compliance with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

Services (CMS) Emergency Preparedness (EP) Rule. NOTE: This resource is not

specifically focused on surge; however, it provides useful information for general

emergency planning and could be useful for this request.

The Association for Home and Hospice Care of North Carolina. (2007). Emergency

Preparedness Handbook.

This handbook was designed to help home and hospice care agencies, staff, and patients

develop their disaster plans. It provides an introduction to a variety of hazards for

providers, discussion scenarios, forms, and templates. NOTE: This resource is not

specifically focused on surge; however, it provides useful information for general

emergency planning and could be useful for this request.

Virginia Department of Health, Office of Licensure and Certification. (2006). Emergency

Preparedness Planning for Hospice and Home Care Providers.

This document provides clear, concise emergency plan guidance for hospice and

homecare providers in Virginia (but it can be used by those in other states responsible for

developing a plan). NOTE: This resource is not specifically focused on surge; however,

it provides useful information for general emergency planning and could be useful for

this request.

West Central Minnesota Healthcare Preparedness Coalition. (n.d.). Home Care Business

Continuity Plan. (Accessed 1/23/2020.)

This business continuity template may be referenced and adapted by other home care

agencies developing their own plans. NOTE: This resource is focused on continuity of

operations planning. However, it provides useful information for general emergency

planning and could be useful for this request.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services. (2018). CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule Toolkits.

This webpage includes links to toolkits and other resources designed to help select

healthcare facilities better understand the CMS EP Rule. There is both a PDF (toolkit)

and Word version (workbook) for each facility type, and the relevant CMS rules for each

facility type are included. Each toolkit includes sample templates and planning

worksheets that can help facilities develop compliant plans, policies, and procedures.

NOTE: There are documents for both home health agencies and hospices, which include

general emergency planning information and may prove useful for this request.

Zane, R., and Biddinger, P. (2011). Home Health Patient Assessment Tools: Preparing for

Emergency Triage.

The purpose of this study was to develop a patient risk assessment tool that would allow

home care agencies, hospitals, and emergency planners to anticipate the needs of all

home care patients in a community, should a mass casualty incident (MCI) occur. It

focuses on those whose needs are most complex—those patients who could not be safely

evacuated to a public shelter or even a special needs shelter during a MCI. It includes a

Community-Living Patient Assessment Tool for Disaster Planning, which is a screening

tool that creates a record for identifying patient needs and plans for meeting those needs.

NOTE: This tool may be useful for surge planning of patients.