Hospitals should consider memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with organizations that can supplement their resources and services during emergencies and disasters. MOUs are established between hospitals, other health care providers, and/or emergency response agencies to collaborate, communicate, respond, and support one another during a disaster or other public health emergency. Understandings regarding the incident command structure, patient and resource management, processes and policies in place for requesting and sharing of staff, equipment and consumable resources, as well as payment, are generally addressed in a local mutual aid MOU.
MOUs help hospitals demonstrate and document compliance with The Joint Commission, as well as meet state and federal expectations for collaborative planning and disaster response. MOUs are also a documentation asset when seeking federal reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Agency after a disaster.
Hospitals also use MOUs to document agreements with other organizations and agencies to provide transportation, consumables (e.g., water, food), equipment, personnel, and many other resources and services that may be needed during a disaster event. These MOUs help to document a hospital’s ability to respond and to sustain operations.
Partnerships defined by MOUs include:
- Third-party payers to suspend lag time for payments
- Local hospitals for patient transfer, supplies, equipment, pharmaceuticals, or personnel
- Local nurse registry agencies, temporary agencies, and security personnel providers
- Other local health care providers including clinics and long term care facilities for personnel, supplies, equipment, or transportation
- Vendors and suppliers for health care and non-health care resources, including linens and fuel
- County government for services including transportation and security, supplies, and assistance in managing the treatment and transportation of staff and patients.