Glossary

ACRONYM

DEFINITION

ALS

Advanced Life Support

A set of life-saving protocols and skills that extend Basic Life Support to further support the circulation and provide an open airway and adequate ventilation (breathing).

ANS

Administrative Nursing Supervisor

(Also Called House Supervisor)

The ANS prescribes delegates and coordinates nursing care provided throughout the hospital.

BLS

Basic Life Support

A set of life-saving protocols and skills that support the circulation and provide an open airway and adequate ventilation (breathing).

CAP

College of American Pathologist

The leading organization of board-certified pathologists, serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide.

CBRNE

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive

It is used to refer to situations in which any of these five hazards have presented themselves- sometimes referred to as WMD (weapons of mass destruction)

CDC

Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention)

A United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and it promotes health through partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. Grandfather agency for the St. Mary Medical Center CHEMPACK SNS (Strategic National Stockpile)

CISD

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

An emergency intervention to help people who have recently experienced major loss or suffering.

CSPD

Central Sterilizing Processing Department

Provides central decontamination service for all surgical/medical instruments

EC

Environment of Care

Encompasses the physical environment in which patient care, treatment and services take place.

EMP

Emergency Management Program

Comprehensive program including the comprehensive emergency management process of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

EMS

Emergency Medical Service

A service (both ALS and BLS) providing out-of-hospital acute care and transport.

EOC

Environment of Care Committee/Disaster Committee

A committee that monitors the physical environment in which patient care, treatment and services take place.

EOP

Emergency Operations Plan

An official document to establish and provide a facility with a high quality, comprehensive emergency response plan wherein HCWs will demonstrate knowledge and skill in response to a variety of disasters.

FBI

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal law enforcement agency responsible for investigating all acts of terrorism within the United States.

FEMA

Federal Emergency Management Agency

An agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The primary purpose of FEMA is to coordinate the response to a disaster that has occurred in the United States and that overwhelms the resources of local and state authorities.

HMP

Hazardous Materials Plan

The purpose of the HMP is to protect the public health and environment and groundwater from risks or adverse effects associated with the storage of hazardous materials.

HAM

Amateur Radio

Is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication.

HCC

Hospital Command Center

Decisions in an emergency will be made by leadership within the Hospital Command Center.

HCW

Healthcare Worker

Clinical and Non-clinical hospital/clinic employee.

HICS

Hospital Incident Command System

Is an incident command system (ICS) designed for hospitals and intended for use in both emergency and non-emergency situations.

HIPPA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (of 1996)

Title I of HIPAA protects health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs. Title II of HIPAA, known as the Administrative Simplification (AS) provisions, requires the establishment of national standards for electronic healthcare transactions and national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers.

HVA

Hazard Vulnerability Analysis

A risk assessment tool to identify potential emergencies that could affect the demand for hospital services, or its ability to provide those services, the likelihood of those events occurring, and the consequences of those events. HVA is done annually at St. Mary Medical Center.

HVAC

Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning

Refers to the heating and air conditioning system of a building.

IC

Incident Commander

the person responsible for all aspects of an emergency response; including quickly developing incident objectives, managing all incident operations, application of resources as well as responsibility for all persons involved.

JAS

Job Action Sheet

An incident management tool designed to familiarize the user with critical aspects of a command position he or she is assuming.

JIC

Joint Information Center

The facility whereby an incident, agency, or jurisdiction can support media representatives.

JIS

Joint Information System

Joint information system is a system that merges incident information and public affairs into a united organization intended to provide consistent, coordinated, and timely information during a crisis or during critical operations.

MOU

Memorandum of Understanding

Is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties.

NDMS

National Disaster Management System

The NDMS is a nationwide partnership designed to deliver quality medical care to the victims of, and responders to, a domestic disaster. NDMS provides state-of-the-art medical care under any conditions at a disaster site, in transit from the impacted area, and in participating definitive care facilities.

OEM

Office of Emergency Management

Is an agency at the local, state or national level that holds responsibility of comprehensively planning for and responding to all manner of disasters, whether human or natural.

PBX

Private Branch Exchange

Private telephone switch board. Disaster pages go thru the communications department and operators can call out on the PBX system as well as Everbridge and Xmatters

PI

Performance Improvement

A process that focuses on continuous improvement and operational excellence.

PIO

Public Information Officer

An established representative that interacts with the media.

PPE

Personal Protection Equipment

Equipment worn to minimize exposure to a variety of hazards.

REDDI NET

Reddi Net Emergency Los Angeles County Tracking

Communications program so hospitals can communicate both internally and externally. HAVBED and REddinett combine

SPCLS

(Joint Commission) Standards for Pathology and Clinical Laboratory Services

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has again granted The Joint Commission deeming authority for the accreditation of clinical laboratories under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA). The Joint Commission accredits for all laboratory specialties recognized by CLIA including clinical pathology, cytology and anatomic pathology.

TJC

The Joint Commission

Accrediting body for healthcare standards, The Joint Commission operates voluntary accreditation programs for hospitals and other healthcare services. The Joint Commission can certify healthcare organizations as having met the Condition of Participation (CoP) required for reimbursement under the federal Medicare program. A majority of state governments recognizes Joint Commission accreditation as a condition of licensure and receiving Medicaid reimbursement. Inspections are typically tri-annual with