HHS emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Dataset

Why the HHS emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Dataset is Needed

Millions of at-risk individuals rely on electricity-dependent durable medical and assistive equipment and devices (DME) and certain essential health care services to live independently in their homes. Local incidents, such as prolonged power outages, to large-scale emergencies and disasters can rapidly thrust these individuals into life-threatening situations within hours or days. Prior to 2013, public health authorities reported that they did not have access to timely information that could help them rapidly identify at-risk individuals that may need life-saving assistance and or response outreach activities in the event of an incident, emergency or disaster. In 2013, the HHS emPOWER Program launched its inaugural tool, the HHS emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Individual Dataset, to help authorized public health authorities protect health and save the lives of at-risk individuals who may be adversely impacted by an incident, emergency, or disaster.

Who can access the emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Dataset

In the event of an incident, emergency, or disaster only statutorily authorized state or territorial public health authorities that meet certain requirements may submit a disclosure request for official review and approval of a minimum necessary HHS emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Individual Dataset to support critical life-saving assistance and response outreach public health activities.

What the emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Dataset Offers

The restricted emPOWER Response Outreach Individual Dataset includes limited individual level data and healthcare provider and supplier information for Medicare beneficiaries who are currently enrolled in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service Medicare Fee-For-Service (Parts A/B) and Medicare Advantage (Part C) Programs and has a claim for one or more types of electricity-dependent durable medical equipment (DME) and certain cardiac implantable devices and or one or more of four types of essential healthcare services (i.e., facility-based dialysis, home oxygen tank services, home health care services, and at-home hospice services).

How the emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Dataset is Making an Impact

The HHS emPOWER Emergency Response Outreach Dataset has been officially requested and used by public health authorities to activate emergency plans and communications, deploy response assets and resources, and conduct life-saving outreach with authorized partners in the event of an incident, emergency, or disaster.

To learn more about the dataset, select the materials located in the Resources box on this page.