The Joint Commission's 96-hour provision under EC.4.12 has many hospitals scrambling to update their plans-especially those that are due for a survey. EP 6 under EC.4.12 requires hospitals to establish response efforts when local community support isn't available for at least 96 hours following a catastrophe. It has been a hot topic of discussion among safety officers and emergency planners ever since the new emergency management standards took effect in January. The 96-hour standard evolved from years' worth of post-disaster reviews by The Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO), says Joseph Cappiello, president and CEO of Simulation Education Services in Oakbrook Terrace, IL.