I’ve been a “road warrior” most of my adult life, so the concept of having a “go bag” prepped and ready to grab is nothing new to me. Go bags generally refer to an emergency kit filled with everything you need for two or three days. In a home, it might be batteries, flashlight, water and canned food, along with any medications you need and a change of clothes or two. For business travelers, the idea is that you have a suitcase packed and if something comes up quickly, you simply grab the suitcase and head out. It’s a nice thing to have if you get a lot of last-minute changes to your schedule.

So, when a DME manager at an organization I was surveying said, “Hold on a minute, let me get you our go bag”, I had a general idea of what she was getting.

This particular manager was a veteran of accreditation visits and surprise Medicare inspections. She’d been through multiples of each and was pretty well versed in being prepared for those visits and inspections. Having gone through several of each, she had a pretty good idea of what they were looking for, and decided it was easier to assemble the items they typically asked for in advance, rather than fumble around retrieving them on the spot during the inspection.

Her preparation headed off a lot of awkward time delays and got me what I needed quickly and efficiently. In less than five minutes, I was sitting at a table in the conference room reviewing everything I usually ask for during a survey. I remember her go bag being comprehensive and mostly complete. I still had a few questions, but the packet she had at the ready was impressive and anticipated most of my questions and requests.

A helpful advantage to having these packets prepped and ready to go is that when the surveyor or inspector walks through the door, all staff can be made aware of the location of the information. Be it a file folder, a notebook, or even a flash drive device for a computer, just the fact that you have assembled the information beforehand provides staff with peace of mind and makes the survey inspection process that much easier.

So, what should a typical DME put in their GO BAG? Every organization will be a little different, but generally this is what makes sense for most companies:

• A copy of your business license (local and state)
• A document with your tax payer ID number (EIN or TIN) on it
• A copy of any state licenses by the Board of Pharmacy or the Health Department
• Your Medicare numbers (PTAN, etc.)
• Insurance documentation. Usually a copy of the front page or “spec sheet” that shows coverage dates and financial limits will suffice
• Surety bonds
• A copy of a “Set up packet” (all the documents you would take to a delivery and/or equipment set up including training materials, acknowledgement forms, HIPAA info, Medicare Supplier Standards, delivery invoice, etc.)
• Complaint log or file
• After Hours / On Call log or file (if applicable)
• Clinical licenses for RT, RN, Pharmacists
• Copies of any contracts with service providers
• Latest financials (a budget, profit/loss statement, and most recent corporate tax returns)
• Quality Improvement meetings minutes—at least the most recent
• Latest fire drill for the building
• An emergency preparedness plan with listed emergency suppliers and any associated contracts, agreements, and contact information sheets
• Copies of any inspections by Departments of Health, Fire Inspector, and any regulatory agencies that have inspected in the last year or two
• An organizational chart with company positions, titles, and actual names of employees in the positions
• Addresses, hours of operation, and phone numbers for contacts at each location/branch
• Corporate Compliance Plan/Program
• Your equipment list (from your accreditation agency) and also a Medicare 855 form with equipment categories
• Brochures, pamphlets, marketing materials you use and distribute
• Business cards for key players such as the owner, managers, and clinicians

This list is by no means comprehensive and complete for every organization, but it gives you an idea of what materials and information to have readily available. At the beginning of a survey, this is an efficient and effective way to start the process and gives a surveyor some useful information to start their inspection. Often, key staff is coming from another location or haven’t arrived at work yet when the survey shows up. Having this packet available gives the surveyor something to start working with while you assemble key players and staff.

For Medicare visits, which typically include a far shorter time duration than the accreditation visit, the packet sometimes addresses all the questions that the inspector was going to ask. The inspector will undoubtedly have some questions and want to engage with staff for a short period of time, but providing this information up front heads off some questions and streamlines the visits for the inspector.

But perhaps the most compelling reason to put together this information is for you and your staff. The exercise of gathering this information can be informative and educational in and of itself. Knowledge about where to obtain this info should be at your fingertips. Gathering it up in advance helps ensure staff are aware of its location and also what it says. Reviewing and updating the file helps reinforce staff knowledge. When the inspector shows up, staff is ready, confident, and knows how to help facilitate a smooth survey or inspection.