Assessing Hospital and Health System Preparedness and Response

1
Assessing Hospital and HealthSystem
Preparedness and Response

• Robert G. Harmon, MD, MPH
• Vice-President and National Medical Director for
  Optum/United Health Group
• Chair of the American Association of Health
  Plans (AAHP) Subcommittee on Prevention Public
  Health

2
The Role of Health Plans in Addressing
Bioterrorism

• Early Detection Surveillance
• Response to Events
• Outreach to Community Stakeholders

3
Early Detection Surveillance

• Unique capacity to identify sentinel events
  illness clusters
• Automated outpatient systems and nurse call lines
• for early identification of symptom patterns
• Real-time ambulatory patient diagnosis/chief-com
  plaint data identifying unusual illness clusters
• Electronic dissemination to public health
  authorities

4
Response to Events

• Unique capacity for accurate timely information
  to providers and consumers
• Two-way communication via nurse call lines,
  behavioral health call centers and case managers
• E-mail, faxes, newsletters and mailings to
  employer groups, providers and consumers
• Alerts to providers for CME training
  opportunities

5
Outreach to Community Stakeholders

• Collaboration with local public health, police,
  fire and EMS officials
• Direct communication with Governors and State
  emergency planning offices
• Development of emergency preparedness planning
  templates and checklists with scenario training

6
Efforts to Develop Health Plan Bioterrorism
Readiness

• Individual plans engaged with local public health
  officials
• Understanding public health resources and needs
• Communicating health plan resources and
  capacities
• National Engagement
• AAHP Board of Directors task force
• Coordination with Federal government agencies
• Developed a health plan readiness checklist
• Flow of information to health plans and
  physicians

7
Lessons Learned From 9/11 and the October Anthrax
Exposures

• Back-up operations to support health plan members
• Employee assistance programs
• Behavioral support-critical incident stress
  management
• Health plan physicians, nurses, social workers,
  mental health specialists mobilized
• Communications and IT support