Welcome to ZZ Maria Parham Medical Center

Emergency Communication Strategies

MPMC maintains reliable communications capabilities for the purpose of communicating response efforts to staff, patients, and external organizations. MPMC utilizes backup communications processes and technologies (i.e. cell phones, landlines, bulletin boards, fax machines, text messages) to communicate essential information if primary communications systems were to fail.

MPMC Staff Notification
MPMC uses an overhead paging system to complete emergency notification. There are 11 Emergency Codes that alert the staff. Refer to information on the back of your photo ID and the hospital intranet page for additional information and/or instructions.

Staff may also be notified by pager, e-mail, mobile, and/or telephone. (Contact information is updated annually.

Staff can also contact the MPMC Incident Command Center (#TBD) for additional information. MPMC may also communicate and convey information to staff through local radio and TV stations in the Triangle.

TV: NBC-17, News 14 Carolina, WRAL, WRAZ (Fox 50), and WTVD-11

Radio: WPTF-AM 680 and WCHL-AM 1360

Department heads are responsible for maintaining and updating their department emergency Call Trees.

See support doc.

Insert: Communications MPMC Emergency Notification/Call Back (Code Red)

MPMC Practitioner Notification and Communication
MPMC Medical Staff Services use (process) to manage Practitioner credentialing and contact information. Medical Staff Services also use (process) to communicate with the Practitioners. Medical Staff Services is responsible for providing such information to the Hospital Command Center upon request and/or to coordinate the communication of critical information/instructions to the Practitioners during an emergency. MPMC may also communicate and convey information to the practitioners through local radio and TV stations in the Triangle.

External Communication - Vance County Emergency Management/Joint Information Center (911 – Direct Line 492-0202)
MPMC will notify the authorities as appropriate during emergency operations. Vance County Emergency Management is responsible for maintaining the County Emergency Operations Plan, establishing a Joint Information Center, and will be the coordinating agency for all emergency response/recovery force activity when the county emergency operations plan is implemented.

External Communication with purveyors of essential supplies, services, and equipment during an emergency.
MPMC managers are required to maintain their department vendor contact information of any essential services. The information will be located in a Materials Database accessible to leadership, the Command Center, and/or designee during an emergency.

External Communication – Patient Information to third parties (such as other health care organizations, the state health department, American Red Cross, police, and the FBI, etc.)
A major goal of the Privacy Rule (HIPPA) is to assure that individuals' health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high quality health care and to protect the public's health and well being. HIPPA allows such disclosures for Uemergency situations as part of the minimum necessary requirement in the standard.

Covered entities must limit the PHI disclosed for public health and other purposes, including certain treatment purposes, to the amount reasonably necessary to accomplish the purpose.

For routine and recurring disclosures, covered entities may develop standard protocols (i.e. MPMC Media Condition Reports), as part of their minimum necessary policies and procedures that address the types and amount of PHI that may be disclosed for such purposes.

Covered entities may reasonably rely on a public official's request as constituting minimum necessary for the stated purpose if the public official states that the information requested is the minimum necessary to accomplish the activity.

A provider could release specific PHI to a Public Health Authority (PHA) authorized to receive information if the authority asserts that information is needed to plan a disaster recovery activity. The information requested would vary based on the anticipated activity.

Treatment. Health care providers can share patient information as necessary to provide treatment.

Notification. Health care providers can share patient information as necessary to identify, locate and notify family members, guardians, or anyone else responsible for the individual's care of the individual's location, general condition, or death.

Imminent Danger. Providers can share patient information with anyone as necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health and safety of a person or the public -- consistent with applicable law and the provider's standards of ethical conduct.

Facility Directory. Health care facilities maintaining a directory of patients can tell people who call or ask about individuals whether the individual is at the facility, their location in the facility, and general condition.

External Emergency Communication – NCSMARTT - State Medical Asset Resource Tracking Tool (See file: Communications - NC SMART Access)
NC SMARTT is a web-based tool capable of monitoring hospital, EMS system and health center resources on a regular basis. Log into this system to receive and/or provide mutual aid once notified of an emergency requiring external resources.

SMARTT serves as a sophisticated communications tool which allows information to be disseminated throughout a state's healthcare system. SMARTT is a multi-state system in use by the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Mississippi.

MPMC provides information on a daily basis that monitors hospital bed availability, specialty service capability, and disaster resources. Health Centers provide information on a weekly basis that identifies clinical services offered, laboratory capabilities, and any inpatient bed capacity. EMS systems provide information on a weekly basis to identify personnel and vehicle availability as well as resource capabilities which may be needed in the event of a disaster.

Back-up Radio Communication – Zetron 284 Remote Control Station

Located in Security Operations

(See File:”Communications - Zetron Radio - The North Carolina Medical Communications Network (NCMCN) and VIPER Medical Network (NCVMN)”

The North Carolina Medical Communication Network (MCN) is the state's ultra high frequency (UHF) medical radio system. Control station radios are installed in virtually all hospitals in the state.  The MCN system provides backup redundant and disaster communications for hospitals, EMS and special medical response services in the state. Radio repeaters are operational at 36 radio sites that provide approximately 95% geographic “talk-out” coverage to the state.  This radio network shares the towers and microwave facilities of the University of North Carolina television network and the State Highway Patrol.  The MCN functions in addition to the older state VHF 155.340 MHz (340) hospital radio system, which is also installed in all hospitals.

The “340” system provides “local” ambulance to hospital communication, while the MCN can provide statewide coverage.  The MCN system does not rely on terrestrial wires for operation, making it resistant to overload from public telephone calls or outages due to downed telephone lines or power lines. All repeater sites are connected to emergency electrical generators.

The design of the UHF MCN MED system also has provision for development of “local” county medical UHF radio system installations to aid counties or hospitals that have requirements to implement UHF communications systems.  The MCN provides established statewide “compatibility standards” for implementing equipment on the medical radio network.  These compatibility standards provide standard channel names and usage recommendations, tone designations, frequency, modulation and signaling standards which are necessary for compatible or “interoperable” emergency communication.

Each of the MCN radio sites has two UHF radio repeaters installed.  These provide redundancy and two separate radio channels for emergency medical communication. The repeaters operate on UHF channel MED-8 and MED-10. MED-10 is the primary calling and network control channel, while MED-8 is for patient care and other medical communication.  There are a total of ten MED channels designated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for medical communication.  The ten MED channels are designated nationwide for medical communications and are shared between all users of the UHF MED channels.  In the future, narrow banding requirements of the FCC will add additional channel capacity.

Each of the MED-8 and MED-10 repeaters is connected by microwave radio to the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Raleigh.  The radios are also connected by a computer switch to enable the repeaters to be linked together.  All communication over the MCN is continuously recorded on a logging recorder and the sites are monitored by computer IP and radio test systems.  These provide remote sensing of the RF power, radio receiver activity, cabinet temperature and intrusion alarm status at each of the radio sites.

There are two communication operator control consoles integrated with the MCN network.  The communication consoles provide manned operator control of the network from the state EOC and from the State Office of Emergency Medical Services in Raleigh.

The MCN UHF systems can additionally be linked with the NC 800 MHz trunked “VIPER” radio system.  This enables MCN UHF users to cross-band operate with the “VIPER” 800 MHz systems during disaster situations.  While this operation possible, it is intended only as a back up or “gateway operation” until more users obtain 800 MHz VIPER radio equipment.

There are over 250 control stations now operating within the UHF MCN.  These include all hospitals with emergency departments, all primary community health centers, the state poison control center, the state bio laboratories and many of the state's Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), 9-1-1 centers and county EOCs. 86 public health departments also have “pack carried” radios that provide MCN operation.

External Communication - Media Condition Reports
It is the general policy of Maria Parham Medical Center to cooperate with the news media and to provide information as quickly and accurately as possible within the bounds of patient confidentiality. Such requests for information about patients or hospital activities should be directed to Marketing/PIO at 432-4082 and/or 436-1800. Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5 p.m.

After Hours and Weekends: A Marketing representative is on-call to respond to general media inquiries, breaking news stories and patient conditions by contacting the hospital switch board.

The implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) has created stringent controls over releasing Protected Health Information (PHI) to the press.

The Patient Condition Report Policy enables Maria Parham Medical Center to provide basic patient condition reports to the media without compromising a patient's right to confidentiality.  The policy is applied to all patients, except those who have stated they do not want to be listed in the patient directory.  Any patient may request that s/he not be listed in the patient directory; usual examples include high-profile patients or patients who perceive a security risk.

If a patient requests not to be listed in the patient directory, no information, including acknowledgement that s/he is a patient, will be released.  The media must have a patient name and the patient must be listed in the patient directory prior to releasing condition or any other information to the press.

Maria Parham Medical Center follows the media guidelines developed by the American Hospital Association.  Only a one-word condition can be given to the media without prior written authorization from the patient or legal guardian.

Media Condition Report Terminology:

GOOD: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits; patient is conscious and comfortable.  The prognosis is good or excellent.

FAIR: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits: patient is conscious.  The prognosis is favorable but the patient may be uncomfortable or may have minor complications.

SERIOUS: Acutely ill with questionable prognosis; vital signs may be unstable or not within normal limits.  There is a chance for improved prognosis.

CRITICAL: Questionable prognosis; vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits; there are major complications and death may be imminent.

DEATH: If a patient dies and the family has not been notified, Marketing/PIO will state that no updated information is available, and the patient's last condition report will be reiterated.  A patient's death will only be reported once the department has assurance from the Nursing Supervisor and/or Charge Nurse that the family has been notified.

Organ donation is a confidential matter; information on whether the family has consented to donate their family member's organs may not be discussed or confirmed to the media by any hospital personnel.  In addition, we do not report cause, date or time of death; the medical examiner's office will do that.

“Stable” is not a condition. “Guarded” is not a condition, neither is “grave.”

With a signed Authorization Form from the patient or legal guardian, a more detailed statement can be drafted and approved by the patient and/or legal representative to be provided to the media.

US Patent Numbers 7,720,998 B2, 7,836,207