Table Top Exercise Planning: Guidelines and Implementation Strategies

1. Table Top Exercise Planning, Design, Evaluation and Analysis CMS Education

2. Introduction • Why do we perform exercises • Part of the CMS regulation • To test current or revised emergency operation plans (EOPs) • To capture any deficits in a plan • To ensure team members understand and are able to implement procedures • Education and training opportunity

3. Objectives for Today • Planning Team • Table Top Design • Evaluation • Analysis • Improvement Plans

4. Planning Team Table Top Exercise Development • What a table top exercise is: • How it should be conducted

5. Planning Team • Who will be involved • Various departments and personnel • Do not use the same people that will be participating in exercise • What role each member will be assigned to on team • Construction • Reasonable size • Set dates (milestones) • When exercise will be written • When exercise will be held • Hot wash summary/evaluations/analysis

6. Planning Team • Consider type of emergency operation plan (EOP) • Break down the plan • Have goals and objectives • Exercise results may show • Does EOP need revised • Does education or training need conducted • May be challenge to have top leaders involvement on initial proposal

7. Planning Actual Exercise • Keep scenario simple • Set location, date, time and length • Staffing impact • Appropriate materials • Time line • Ground Rules • Participants know EOP • Reminders of “no-fault” exercise

8. Writing a Table Top Exercise • Introduction • Welcome • Purpose Statement • Scope • Briefing

9. Exercise Overview Purpose (scope) of Table Top Exercise

10. Writing Table Top Exercise Continued

11. Writing Table Top Exercise Continued • Closing • Summarize • Hot Wash • What next steps will be • Thank you and feedback • Gather all materials

12. Evaluation • Goal • Stream line data collection • Provide consistency • What it is • Not a judgement! It is a objective list • Link between exercise and improvement plans • Identify gaps • Confirm EOPs • Identify education and training needs

13. Importance of Evaluations • Foundation for improvement plan • Learning tool • Information from conducted exercise • Ensures core guidelines are covered

14. Conducting Evaluations • Evaluators • Briefing • EEG (Exercise Evaluation Guide)Forms available on line • Create EEG form

15. AnalysisAfter Action Report (AAR) • Consolidate data • Identify strengths and weaknesses • Current EOPs support the discussion / activities performed • What improvement are required • Were objectives met

16. Analysis Continued • Summary of exercise • Feedback on evaluations • Recommended changes • Foundation for improvement plan • Distributed to leadership for their review

17. New versus Old EOP Testing/Exercise Versus

18. Summary • Table Top Exercise is part of the CMS testing requirement • Sections of a table top exercise include: • Planning Team • Writing the table top SitMan • Evaluation (data collection) • After Action Report (data analysis) • Improvement Plan • References available • Regional Exercise Calendar for exercise types and dates

19. Acronym • TTX = Table Top Exercise • EEG = Exercise and Evaluation Guide • HSEEP = Homeland Security Exercise and Education Program • IP =Improvement Program • AAR = After Action Report • EOP = Emergency Operation Plan

20. References Available • Metrolina Healthcare Preparedness Coalition (MHPC) • www.metrolinapreparedness.org Kariena ‘KC’ Bernesser Kariena.bernesser@carolinashealthcare.org 704-258-8966

21. Questions???