Dear Diagnostic and Treatment Center Administrator: Electronic Plan of Correction (EPOC) system
December 3, 2014
Dear Diagnostic and Treatment Center Administrator:
In an effort to streamline communication with health care facilities, the New York State Department of Health implemented an Electronic Plan of Correction (EPOC) system, effective August 1, 2013. The EPOC application automates the distribution of Statements of Deficiency (SODs) and the receipt of Plans of Correction (POCs), and will ultimately eliminate the need to send hardcopy SODs/POCs by conventional postal mail and/or fax. The EPOC application is accessible via the Health Commerce System (HCS). The EPOC system has already successfully been adopted by nursing homes
The Department is now expanding the list of healthcare facilities that will be required to use the EPOC system and to include Diagnostic and Treatment Centers (D&TCs). D&TCs include the following facilities:
- ESRDs (End-Stage Renal Disease)
- Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities
- Community Mental Health Centers
- Psychiatric Rehabilitation Treatment Facilities (PTRFs)
- Outpatient Physical Therapy Centers
- Rural Health Centers
- Non-federal D&TCs
In order to gain access to the EPOC system, your facility must register for the Health Commerce System. The HCS is a secure means by which facilities may communicate with the Department. The HCS system is already being used by pharmacies, practitioners, and hospitals. The Department uses the HCS regularly to communicate vital information to providers such as emergency preparedness information and prescribing requirements
If your facility does not already have access to HCS as a D&TC, please complete the attached form and e-mail to: PAC-EPOC@health.ny.gov. Once the Department receives your completed form, we will use the information to add your organization, and begin the process of generating your accounts. An e-mail from the Department will then be sent to the facility's HCS Director and Coordinator with additional documentation to complete. Subsequently, a DOH Program Commerce Coordinator (PCC) will contact your facility staff to assist in collecting the information to facilitate the HCS organizational account. Additional information about e-training to learn how to navigate the system will be forthcoming. Once HCS accounts are established, information about implementation of the EPOC system will follow via the HCS.
If your facility already has an HCS account, please update staff profile information and email addresses. If you need to update your password or have not been on the HCS for over 5 months, or unsure you have an account, please call the Commerce Account Management Unit at 1-866-529-1890 to reactivate your account. Once your facility has confirmed access we recommend that staff refresh their HCS skills by navigating to "My Content – Documents By Group - Getting Started – Training" for a list of training.
Sincerely,
Ruth Leslie
Director
Division of Hospitals and Diagnostic & Treatment Centers