Many of the elements of the Affordable Care Act went into effect
in 2014, and with the establishment of many new rules and
regulations, there will continue to be significant changes to the
U.S. health care system.
It is unclear what impact these changes will have on medical and
public health preparedness programs around the country. There is
a commonly held notion that disaster preparedness is separate and
distinct from everyday operations, and that it only affects
emergency departments. However, catastrophic events can challenge
the entire health care and public health spectrum.
The implementation of the ACA provides an opportunity to consider
how to better incorporate preparedness into all aspects of the
evolving health care system and daily delivery of care.
On November 18-19, 2013, the IOM Forum on Medical and Public
Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events held a workshop to
discuss how changes to the health system as a result of the ACA
might impact medical and public health preparedness programs
across the nation.
