Emergency planning for vulnerable patients- the elderly, those who need life-saving equipment, or special needs patients- is no small feat. Given the constantly changing level of care and addition and release of patients, emergency planning is not something that can be done once a year and be left alone. It must be constantly updated and monitored. Brightgray offers WatchPoint, a cloud-based software, as a solution to seamlessly communicate during a disaster.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have put together guidelines for all emergency preparedness for patient care facilities. WatchPoint will streamline every step that must be taken in order to be in compliance with CMS’s rules for disaster planning.
Here are some of the features offered by WatchPoint:
Feature #1: Automatic updates from local inpatient and outpatient medical care providers
An important part of any emergency preparedness planning is to know what other providers can be of assistance in case of evacuation. This allows you to have direct and real time access during an emergency.
Feature #2: Assess your vulnerable patient population for accurate disaster planning
The first step to making emergency preparedness plans for your patients and facilities is to do a risk assessment. WatchPoint has the most up to date and accurate information available concerning possible disasters.
Feature #3: Easy-to-use reports to track evacuees, edit records and create reports
These things must be meticulously tracked and reported to ensure that you have documentation your emergency preparedness plan was in place and implemented correctly. It will also help to make changes to after an emergency has happened to better serve your patients.
Feature #4: Top-level reporting displays complete situational assessments
This systematic gathering of data will help in the planning process, but also in real time to communicate and make decisions for your patients’ safety.
Feature #5: Customized reports for your organization’s needs
There is a big difference between the types of plans a senior living community will need and what a home health care or hospice agency might need to report to be in compliance with the CMS. WatchPoint allows you the flexibility in report structure to only include what your company needs.
Feature #6: Statistical reports available on demand
Anytime, anywhere, at your fingertips. You can find emergency preparedness reports to help you during your annual review of plans, during new patient intake, or a need to provide documentation of previous training exercises, etc.
Feature #7: Multiple data views help different types of users find and edit records easily
User specific data views create ease of access for caregivers and administrators to find what they need without sifting through pages or records that don’t have to do with their interaction with patients.
Feature #8: Administrator defined user access levels
In order to protect patient’s privacy and follow HIPAA laws, WatchPoint enables you to only allow certain users specific data.
Feature #9: Real-time updating for accurate data
Nothing is more important during an emergency than the ability to get real-time data on your patients, their needs, or their whereabouts.
Feature #10: Consistent real-time data from one source
Combining your normal record keeping and emergency preparedness tools in one place allows for ease of communication across agencies to keep patients safer during a disaster.
The AtRisk Registry included in WatchPoint is an essential part of any emergency preparedness plan for patients facilities and is crucial to communicating with federal, state, and local officials during a disaster. The ability to have real-time data is unprecedented in emergency preparedness planning and response. Contact Brightgray Solutions today to see how WatchPoint can work for you.
