Articles of Interest

An imminent long-term care pharmacy crisis could affect more than 80% of nursing home residents this year, with about 84% of pharmacies planning to reduce services or stop serving certain facilities or regions.

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The Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP) is a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiative that transforms enforcement actions into quality improvement opportunities by reinvesting civil monetary penalty funds to enhance nursing home care. 

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Natural disasters are no longer rare, once-in-a-lifetime events. They are increasing in frequency, severity, and geographic reach, posing significant risks to senior care organizations nationwide. With dramatic spikes beginning in the 1960s and rising sharply over the last 50 years, floods, wildfires, extreme heat, and severe storms are now common across regions once considered low risk.

For skilled nursing, assisted living, and senior care providers, these shifts have real

implications. Many facilities today sit within high or relatively high FEMA-designated

risk zones, including Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle, Dallas, Minneapolis, Miami, and

Boston, representing thousands of facilities nationwide.

With resident acuity increasing and infrastructure aging, leaders must examine one essential question: Are we truly prepared?

The Reality: Most Facilities Are Not as Prepared as They Believe

While most providers have emergency preparedness plans in place, this does not always equal real readiness. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found in a multi-state study that 77% of facilities in high-risk areas had one or more major deficiencies in their preparedness, even when state surveyors had recently reviewed those organizations and missed critical gaps.

In many organizations:

• Plans exist, but do not reflect operational reality

• Staff are unfamiliar with their specific roles during an emergency

• Evacuation procedures are untested

• Supplies are insufficient, outdated, or not immediately accessible

• Communication plans are unclear or incomplete

• Documentation systems lack a paper-based backup

• Coordination with emergency management officials is minimal

The reality is, well-written plans do not protect residents; well-executed plans do.

The Cost of Being Unprepared

For leaders, the risks of inadequate preparation extend far beyond compliance. In emergencies, unprepared facilities face exponentially greater harm, including:

• Resident & Staff Risk: Severe injuries, exposure to extreme temperatures, lack of oxygen or medications, unsafe transfers, and evacuation trauma all increase when teams are not ready. Even after evacuation, residents can be harmed if essential supplies, records, or trained staff are not available.

• Operational & Financial Loss: Facilities that cannot maintain operations during or after a disaster face structural damage, extended closures, significant repair costs, and loss of revenue, often jeopardizing long-term viability.

• Reputational & Legal Exposure: Litigation frequently follows adverse events. Inadequate preparedness, missing documentation, and poorly executed responses increase liability.

For leaders, preparedness is a responsibility tied to safety, quality, and sustainability.