Emergency Preparedness Resource Inventory Registration System Now Online

PDF Version of DQA 09-041  (PDF, 38 KB)

Emergency Preparedness Resource Inventory Registration System Now Online

Overview: This memo announces the availability of online registration for the CMS Emergency Preparedness Resource Inventory (EPRI) system.

Background: Earlier this year, DQA announced plans to implement a new information system developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This system, known as the Emergency Preparedness Resource Inventory or EPRI, is designed to track the status of regulated health care facilities during emergencies, such as those created by severe flooding or other natural disasters, chemical spills, and similar situations.

EPRI will enable CMS and Wisconsin to send broadcast or targeted e-mail messages to DQA-regulated providers notifying them of emergency conditions and requesting information on their operational status, such as the number of beds available in a hospital or nursing facility, availability of electrical power, etc.

Providers receiving emergency alerts and requests for status information will use an Internet connection to EPRI to update their status and provide other requested information.

In preparation for the rollout of EPRI, DQA needs to collect e-mail addresses for most of the health care providers regulated by the Division. An online survey has been created that providers may use to enter one or more contact e-mail addresses (typically those of the administrator and a designated back-up), an assigned facility identifier (the state license number and federal certification number, if applicable), the name of the respondent, and a contact phone number.

The provider identifiers supplied will be cross-referenced with the detailed facility records housed in DQA's licensing and certification databases to create the information that will be stored in the EPRI database. Providers can then be notified using their supplied e-mail addresses of the need for an EPRI status update.

Providers will find a link to the EPRI registration system on the main DQA webpage at http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/rl_DSL/bqa.htm and in the Emergency Preparedness section of their individual DQA provider information webpages.

While registration for the EPRI system is voluntary, providers are strongly encouraged to do so, as this system will be CMS' primary means of communicating with certified providers during emergency situations; DQA will also rely on this system as an important means of communication.

If you have any questions related to this memo, please contact Richard Betz at (608) 264-9898 or at richard.betz@wisconsin.gov.

PDF: The free Acrobat Reader^® software is needed to view and print portable document format (PDF) files. Learn more.