TheAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), developed theStandardized Hospital Bed Definitionsto provide a uniform language for medical surge capacity. During a public health emergency, such as a pandemic or a mass casualty incident, it is vital for emergency managers to know exactly how many and what type of beds are available. Prior to this standardization, one hospital might define an "available bed" as a physical mattress, while another might only count it if there was a dedicated nurse available to staff it.
The AHRQ definitions categorize beds based on the level of care they can support—such as Intensive Care (ICU), Medical/Surgical, Burn, Pediatric, and Psychiatric. These standardized metrics allow for accurate "HAvBED" (Hospital Available Beds for Emergencies and Disasters) reporting via the National Healthcare Preparedness Program. While theCMS(Option C) regulates hospital participation and reimbursement, and theFDA(Option A) regulates medical devices, it was the research-driven mandate of theAHRQthat created the specific definitions used in disaster planning.
For aCertified Emergency and Disaster Professional (CEDP)working in a healthcare environment, these definitions are critical for calculating "surge capacity." If an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) receives a report of "50 available beds," they must know if those are ICU-capable beds for critical patients or general ward beds. This clarity prevents the misallocation of patients and ensures that the most critically injured individuals are sent to facilities with the appropriate level of care. These standards also assist in the request for federal assets, such as the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), by providing a clear picture of local facility saturation.
