<h1>Activity Description</h1>
Develop, implement, update, and maintain a preparedness plan for a laboratory intended to support continued or expanded patient care during COVID-19 or another public health emergency. The plan should address how the laboratory would maintain or expand patient access to health care services to improve beneficiary health outcomes and reduce healthcare disparities.
For laboratories without a preparedness plan, MIPS eligible clinicians would meet with stakeholders, record minutes, and document a preparedness plan, as needed. The laboratory must then implement the steps identified in the plan and maintain them.
For laboratories with existing preparedness plans, MIPS eligible clinicians should review, revise, or update the plan as necessary to meet the needs of the current PHE, implement new procedures, and maintain the plan.
Maintenance of the plan in this activity could include additional hazard assessments, drills, training, and/or developing checklists to facilitate execution of the plan. Participation in debriefings to evaluate the effectiveness of plans are additional examples of engagement in this activity.
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Activity ID</th>
<th>Activity Weighting</th>
<th>Sub-Category Name</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>IA_ERP_5</td>
<td>Medium</td>
<td>Emergency Response & Preparedness</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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<h1>Objective & Validation Documentation</h1>
Objective: Ensure preparedness and safety of staff working in laboratories providing patient care during COVID-19 or another public health emergency.
Validation Documentation: Documentation of an existing or in-progress laboratory preparedness plan. Include the following elements:
1) Details on safety – Procedures and plans for maintaining safety, applicable to new/ongoing public health emergencies; AND
2) Details on implementation – Evidence of maintenance and implementation of this new or existing plan, which may include documentation of materials, results, etc. from a drill, training, checklist, assessment or debrief conducted.