FOR healthcare

The Mobile Emergency Response Plan is the new standard for Emergency Response Plans, Crisis MGT and Workplace Safety for Healthcare Facilities.

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  • A user would be your managers, supervisors, security personnel and employees that would use the MERP system.

The Mobile Emergency Response Plan (MERP) allows you to take your emergency plans from the 3 ring binder in the manager’s office and put them in the hands of every employee in your company or organization. Imagine being able to make an update to your emergency response plan and instantly push it out to all employees and facilities with the touch of a button. MERP makes that possible.

MERP comes pre-populated with an All-Hazards plan based on Best Practices. The plans are OSHA complaint, 100% editable and can be customized to your business or company.

MERP is designed to be a web based tool for the basis of a company’s or organization’s response to unplanned incidents. MERP holds the strategy for immediate response to an emergency, while serving as the guideline for the actions to be taken by employees in the critical first moments of an incident.

Testimonials

John Hurd

"After responding to a recent bus accident there was no question by staff on what to do, we followed the emergency response plan within the MERP platform that our district purchased from Safeguard Risk Solutions. The plan took us from start to finish with what we needed for the safety and security of our students and the district."


John Hurd
Dean of Students, Grove Madison Schools - Groveport, Ohio

Tracey Miller

"I could not be more pleased with our district’s purchase of the MERP platform and with the customer service and support our district has received during and after the purchase from Safeguard Risk Solutions. No matter how many questions I have had, they always respond quickly and professionally with the answers I need."


Tracey Miller
Director of Secondary Education, Dublin City Schools - Dublin, Ohio

George Linthicum

"Although we had recently revised our district’s emergency response program, we decided that the MERP platform was not only a good replacement plan, but in many ways was much better. One of the best aspects of MERP is that you can utilize it as both an electronic application that can be uploaded to portable devices, or as a hard copy printout for those unable, unwilling , to put it on their mobile devices. Support has been excellent. MERP support will quickly respond to any and all inquiries and will provide follow-up to ensure that all is going well. Our district is pleased with both the product and service support."


George Linthicum
Superintendent, Arlee Joint School District No. 8 - Arlee, Montana

ROI and Benefits

ROI OF MERP IS 1,100% VERSUS PRINTING

The cost of printing your plans is 1100% more than the cost of an electronic versus. This does not include the cost of a Subject Matter Expert (SME) creating an OSHA compliant plan.

ROI OF MERP IS 3,500% VERSUS AN OSHA

OSHA regularly fines companies that do not have a written plan and safety information. The cost of OSHA fines is increasing on August 1, 2016, from $7,000 per incident per location to $12,471, and for willful or repeated violations rising from $70,000 to $124,709. This will make it even more costly to not have a written plan in place. A national pharmacy was recently fined $40,000 for just one of its stores that did not have a written plan in place when one of its employees was injured.

Content is included for all OSHA emergencies to meet all OSHA required regulations.

Plans are available as an App (Apple & Android) on a user’s device, making the plans and all information available even if internet access or power is unavailable during an emergency. All Employees have what they need when they need it. The electronic format allows you to easily change the content such as contact names, phone numbers and any content or document in the plan. An electronic plan can be updated at any time and pushed out to all employees. There is no need for costly printing after revisions and everyone will have the most up to date plans and information.

Experts provide guidance on laws changes.

Our plans were developed with Local, State, and Federal First responders and meet standards of All-Hazards as recommended by the US Department of Homeland Security. The plans you receive will meet and exceed all OSHA requirements, eliminating the need for additional expenses to have a SME create the content and plans.

Electronic versus Paper

Plans are available as an App (Apple & Android) on a user’s device, making the plans and all information available even if internet access or power is unavailable during an emergency. All Employees have what they need when they need it. The electronic format allows you to easily change the content such as contact names, phone numbers and any content or document in the plan. An electronic plan can be updated at any time and pushed out to all employees. There is no need for costly printing after revisions and everyone will have the most up to date plans and information.

Plans are customizable to add documents or additional plans, policies and procedures

The plans are 100% customizable. You can brand the plan with your company logo, upload documents, building maps and add whatever content you feel necessary for your employees to have including but not limited to emergency utility shut-off procedures, MSDS, SDS, lock out/tag out, confined space, safety training, and medical information.

Safety of employees to reduce injuries is priceless (ROI 2,800,000%)

Your number one asset is your employees. Protecting your employees shows they are valued members of the team and company. With Workplace Violence and target acts of violence on the rise, your plans demonstrate the company is prepared to keep employees safe. Because our plans are designed to both prevent incidents and mitigate the effects of an incident, there is a direct tangible cost as the average direct cost to employers for an injured worker is $42,000 from lost time and lost revenues.

Reduced liability from injuries to employees. (ROI 12,800,000%)

Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 4,821 people, more than 13 per day, died while doing their jobs. Implementing safety measures can change these statistics. The indirect costs for a safety related injury are $192,000 from fines, lawsuits, and other costs.

2 Way emergency communication system

This system not only notifies employees and managers with the touch of a button an emergency is happening, it allows communication from any employee back to managers and all other employees of the event in real time. Everyone is apprised of the events and what to do as the emergency is happening, allowing the most current information to be communicated to employees. This follows the basic tenants of the Incident Command System: protect personnel; prevent the incident for increasing in severity; and protecting your organization’s assets.

so, How can the MERP help your healthcare facility?

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has just announced new requirements for national emergency preparedness, effective November 15th, 2016. After review, the DHHS determined that most healthcare facilities are not adequately prepared for the complexities that emerge with real life emergencies. This final rule will require all Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) providers to plan for a variety of disasters and modify their current emergency preparedness plans to comply with an updated list of requirements. The details of these new requirements establish standards for emergency preparedness based on proven best practices and documented results from real life emergencies such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2009 influenza epidemic.

These requirements are designed to establish a comprehensive, consistent, flexible, and dynamic approach to standardizing emergency preparedness. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has identified four main elements essential to a comprehensive emergency preparedness framework. These include: Risk Assessment and Emergency Planning, Policies and Procedures, Communication Plan, and Staff Training and Testing. The following is a breakdown of the different components; understanding how these four areas impact emergency preparedness is imperative to developing a DHHS approved plan.

Risk Assessment and Emergency Planning
The final rule requires all assessments and emergency planning to take an “All-Hazards” approach to developing an emergency plan. This approach is specific to the unique situation, location, and vulnerabilities of different facilities, taking into account their location and the particular threats in the local area. The focus of this approach is capacities and capabilities to accommodate a wide range of different emergencies and disasters that threaten the individual facilities.
Types of emergencies to consider include:
  • Equipment failure
  • Power Failure
  • Communication Disruption
  • Cyber-attacks
  • Destruction of part, or all, of the facility
  • Disruption in supply of essentials
  • Mass Casualties
Policies and Procedures
Policies and procedures must be updated, and maintained, to support the emergency plan developed from the “All-Hazards” risk assessment. This means that in addition to completing a risk assessment and developing an emergency plan with consideration for the “All-Hazards” approach, the healthcare facilities policies and procedures must be designed to facilitate successful execution of the plan in the event of an emergency. This means that a comprehensive overhaul of current policies and procedures must be completed before the deadline of November 15th, 2016.
Communication Plan
The purpose of an emergency preparedness communication plan is to establish a system of communication between staff, physicians, and other necessary personnel in a timely manner. A successful communication plan ensures continuation of patient care and facility functioning while maintaining safety and efficiency. Identifying key personnel and developing a chain of communication ensures that in the event of an emergency, the healthcare facility continues to function as a whole and without disrupting patient care.
Staff Training and Testing
Appropriate training and testing is a necessity in emergency preparedness. As part of any emergency plan, all staff should be informed and prepared through adequate training. This can be confirmed through regular testing of staff, facilities, and equipment to identify any areas that need improving.

An effective training program must include initial training program of the newly developed emergency plan according to the “All-Hazards” risk assessment and must include all staff, new and old. To support this, annual trainings must be completed to complement the initial training and ensures maintaining staff knowledge of emergency planning, policies, and procedures. Additionally, facilities must also conduct regular drills and exercises to help identify gaps and areas for improvement.

Conclusion
Ultimately, the final rule is designed to ensure that all CMS participating healthcare facilities, including hospitals, providers, and suppliers are adequately prepared for the unexpected. Drawing on historical evidence, and research that indicates many facilities are underprepared, the Department of Health and Human Services has outlined a new standard for emergency preparedness which takes effect on November 15th, 2016.

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