Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 59A-18.018 - Emergency Management Plans
(1)
Pursuant to section 400.506(12),
F.S., each nurse registry shall prepare and maintain a written comprehensive
emergency management plan, in accordance with the Comprehensive Emergency
Management Plan for Nurse Registries, AHCA Form 3110-1017, May 2015,
incorporated by reference and available at
https://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-05234.
This document is available from the Agency for Health Care Administration at
http://ahca.myflorida.com/MCHQ/Emergency_Activities/index.shtml.
The plan shall describe how the nurse registry establishes and maintains an
effective response to emergencies and disasters. The plan, once completed, will
be sent electronically to the contact designated by the Department of Health as
required in section 400.506(12),
F.S.
(2) The nurse registry shall
review its emergency management plan on an annual basis and make any
substantive changes. Plans with any substantive changes will be forwarded for
review to the entities identified in subsection (1).
(3) Changes in the telephone numbers of those
administrative staff who are coordinating the nurse registry's emergency
response must be reported to the county emergency management office and to the
county health department. For nurse registries with multiple counties on their
license, the changes must be reported to each county health department and each
county emergency management office. The telephone numbers must include numbers
where the coordinating staff can be contacted outside of the nurse registry's
regular office hours. All nurse registries must report these changes, whether
their plan has been previously reviewed or not, as defined in subsection
(1).
(4) When a nurse registry goes
through a change of ownership, the new owner shall review the registry's
emergency management plan and make any substantive changes, including changes
noted in subsection (3). Those nurse registries will need to report any
substantive changes in their plans to the reviewing entity in subsection
(1).
(5) In the event of an
emergency, the nurse registry shall implement the nurse registry's emergency
management plan pursuant to section
400.506(12),
F.S. Also, the registry must meet the following requirements:
(a) All administrative staff shall be
informed of responsibilities for implementing the emergency management
plan.
(b) If telephone service is
not available during an emergency, the registry shall have a contingency plan
to support communication, pursuant to section
400.506(12)(f),
F.S. A contingency plan may include cell phones, contact with a community based
ham radio group, public announcements through radio or television stations,
driving directly to the patient's home, and, in medical emergency situations,
contact with police or emergency rescue services.
(6) Nurse registries shall assist patients
who would need assistance and sheltering during evacuations because of
physical, mental, or sensory disabilities in registering with the local
emergency management agency, as required in section
400.506(11),
F.S.
(a) Upon initial contract for services,
and at a minimum on an annual basis, each nurse registry shall, pursuant to
sections 400.506(12) and
252.355, F.S., inform the
patient and the patient's family member or other person acting on behalf of the
patient, by the best method possible as it pertains to the person's disability,
of the special needs registry and procedures for registration at the special
needs registry maintained by their county emergency management
office.
(b) If the patient is to be
registered at the special needs registry, the nurse registry shall assist the
patient with registering, pursuant to sections
400.506(12),
F.S., and must document in the patient's file if the patient plans to evacuate
or remain at home; if the patient's family or other person that provides care
to the patient can take responsibility during the emergency for services
normally provided by independent contractors referred by the registry; or if
the registry needs to make referrals in order for services to continue. If the
patient has a case manager through the Community Care for the Elderly or the
Medicaid Waiver programs or any other state funded program designated in law to
help patients and clients register with the special needs registry, then the
nurse registry will check with the case manager to verify if the patient has
already been registered. If so, a note will be made in the patient's file by
the nurse registry that the patient's need for registration has already been
reviewed and handled by the other program's case manager.
(c) The independent contractors referred by
the nurse registry, or registry staff, shall inform patients registered with
the special needs registry that special needs shelters are an option of last
resort and that services may not be equal to what they have received in their
homes.
(d) This registration
information, when collected, shall be submitted, pursuant to section
400.506(12),
F.S., to the county emergency management office.
(7) The person referred for contract to a
patient registered with the special needs registry, which shall include special
needs registry patients being served in assisted living facilities and adult
family care homes, shall ensure that the same type and quantity of continuous
care is provided in the special needs shelter that was provided prior to the
emergency as specified in section
400.506(12),
F.S., unless circumstances beyond the control of the independent contractor as
described in section 400.506(12)(d),
F.S., make it impossible to continue services.
(8) When a nurse registry is unable to
continue services to special needs patients registered under section
252.355, F.S., that patient's
record must contain documentation of the efforts made by the registry to comply
with their emergency management plan in accordance with section
400.506(12),
F.S. Documentation includes but is not limited to contacts made to the
patient's family or other person that provides care, if applicable, contacts
made to the assisted living facility and adult family care home if applicable;
contacts made to local emergency operation centers to obtain assistance in
reaching patients and contacts made to other agencies which may be able to
provide temporary services.
(9) When
a state of emergency has been declared by executive order or proclamation of
the Governor, pursuant to section
252.36(2),
F.S., the nurse registry must contact those patients needing ongoing services
pursuant to section 400.506(12)(a),
F.S., and confirm each patient's plan during and immediately following an
emergency. The nurse registry shall contact the assisted living facility and
adult family care home patients and confirm their plans during and immediately
following an emergency.
(10) If the
independent contractor is unable to provide services to special needs registry
patients, including any assisted living facility and adult family care home
special needs registry patients, due to circumstances beyond their control
pursuant to section 400.506(12)(d),
F.S., then the nurse registry will contact the independent contractors it has
available for referral to find another independent contractor for the patient,
pursuant to section 400.506(12),
F.S.
(11) During emergency
situations, when there is not a mandatory evacuation order issued by the local
county emergency management office, some patients, registered pursuant to
section 252.355, F.S., may decide not to
evacuate and will stay in their homes. The nurse registry must establish
procedures, prior to the time of an emergency, which will delineate to what
extent the registry will continue to arrange for care during and immediately
following an emergency pursuant to section
400.506(12)(a),
F.S. The registry shall also contact the patients who need continuing services
by calling the patient at home or calling the assisted living facility or adult
family care home the patient resides in to determine if the patient still needs
services from the registry and which patients have plans to receive care from
their family or other persons. If the assisted living facility or adult family
care home does relocate the residents to another assisted living facility or
adult family care home in the geographic area served by the nurse registry, the
registry will continue to provide services to the residents. If the patients
relocated outside the area served by the registry, the registry will assist the
assisted living facility and adult family care home in obtaining the services
of another registry already licensed for that area until the patient returns
back to their original location.
(12) The prioritized list of registered
special needs patients maintained by the nurse registry shall be kept current
and shall include information, as defined in sections
400.506(12)(b) and
(c), F.S. This list also shall be furnished
to county health departments and to the county emergency management office,
upon request.
(13) The independent
contractor from the nurse registry is required to maintain in the home of the
special needs patient a list of patient-specific medications, supplies and
equipment required for continuing care and service should the patient be
evacuated as per section
400.506(12)(c),
F.S. The list must include the names of all medications, their dose, frequency,
route, time of day and any special considerations for administration. The list
must also include any allergies; the name of the patient's physician, physician
assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse and the physician, physician
assistant or advanced practice registered nurse's phone number; and the name,
phone number and address of the patient's pharmacy. If the patient permits, the
list can also include the patient's diagnosis.
(14) The patient record for each person
registered as a special needs patient shall include the list described in
subsection (13) above, and information as listed in sections
400.506(12)(a) and
(b), F.S.
Notes
Rulemaking Authority 400.506, 408.821(4) FS. Law Implemented 400.506 FS.
New 8-10-06, Amended 3-15-07, 5-4-15.
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