The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published final preparedness requirements that providers and suppliers must meet in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, according to an article on the National Review website.

The final rule went into effect Nov. 15, 2016, and must be implemented within one year.

It applies to 17 different types of healthcare providers and suppliers, including ambulatory surgical centers, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, hospitals and critical access hospitals, long-term care facilities, hospices, home health agencies, community mental health centers, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, and end-stage renal disease facilities.

The final rule aims to safeguard essentials necessary to maintain access to healthcare services: human resources, business continuity and physical resources.

Read the article.