Are medical offices prepared for the next disaster?

Disasters have an enormous economic impact on the United States as well as short- and long-term healthcare implications. Federal and state governments are providing billions of dollars to communities across the nation for emergency preparedness activities. An online poll conducted in July 2008 indicated that most medical practices in the United States, even though they believe they will be impacted by a disaster within the next five years, re port themselves to be inadequately prepared. In light of increased funding since 9/11 and hurricane Katrina, the results of the poll show that the very practices that are the foundation of our healthcare system that see and treat patients on a daily basis are not being included in preparedness efforts.