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Emergency response for disaster recovery plan
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Most health care providers currently utilize electronic health records (EHRs), or will in the coming future. Network collapses, glitches, power outages and flaws within the system all have the possibility of occurring. Due to the plethora of sensitive information contained within the health care field, health care providers need to form backup plans. These backup plans will serve as preventative measures in order to keep the integrity of the health care data intact. Therefore, contingency plans are a clear necessity within the field. Having a background in Information Technology and network security, I find the concept of contingency plans to be very intriguing. In the health care field, data is especially sensitive as it contains all personal patient information. Being that this sensitive data is widespread throughout the health care system; contingency plans prove to be an ideal asset to the field. They provide the security which is undoubtedly needed in order to maintain the integrity of the data. Additionally they aid in sustaining patient satisfaction, as well as overall quality of care. In order to fully understand the concept of a contingency plan, there are a few aspects which need to be explored. We must first define what a contingency plan is, followed by an explanation of why contingency plans are so valuable. Furthermore, an analysis of the implementation of contingency plans should be performed. Lastly, a comparison of such plans from other industries should be done, in order to comprehend the differences in both purpose and criteria. In regards to contingency planning, there are two key definitions. A contingency plan itself is “A plan used by an organization or business unit to respond to a specific systems failu... ... middle of paper ... ...w.healthcare-informatics.com/article/hospitals-prepared-hurricane-sandy-bolstering-infrastructure>. Pham, Thu. "Components of a HIPAA Compliant IT Contingency Plan." OnLINE TECH. Online Tech., 19 June 2013. Web. 22 Mar. 2014. . Rupp, Scott. "What’s Your Plan? Cloud as Disaster Recovery for Healthcare IT and Healthcare Consultants." Electronic Health Reporter. Millerrupp, LLC, 23 May 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2014. . Steciw, Anne. "FAQ: Disaster Recovery Planning for Health Care Data." FAQ: Disaster Recovery Planning for Health Care Data. TechTarget, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. .
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, is a law designed “to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes.”1 HIPAA mandates that covered entities must employ technological means to ensure the privacy of sensitive information. This white paper intends to study the requirements put forth by HIPAA by examining what is technically necessary for them to be implemented, the technological feasibility of this, and what commercial, off-the-shelf systems are currently available to implement these requirements.
Both man-made and natural disasters are often devastating, resource draining and disruptive. Having a basic plan ready for these types of disaster events is key to the success of executing and implementing, as well as assessing the aftermath. There are many different ways to create an emergency operations plan (EOP) to encompass a natural and/or man-made disaster, including following the six stage planning process, collection of information, and identification of threats and hazards. The most important aspect of the US emergency management system in preparing for, mitigating, and responding to man-made and natural disasters is the creation, implementation and assessment of a community’s EOP.
"FAQ: Disaster Recovery Planning for Health Care Data." SearchHealthIT. Ed. Anne Steciw. TechTarget, May 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. .
“An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. EHRs are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users.” (healthit.gov) The EHR mandate was created “to share information with other health care providers and organizations – such as laboratories, specialists, medical imaging facilities, pharmacies, emergency facilities, and school and workplace clinics – so they contain information from all clinicians involved in a patient’s care.” ("Providers & Professionals | HealthIT.gov", n.d., p. 1) The process has proved to be quite challenging for providers. As an incentive, the government began issuing payments to those providers who “meaningfully use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology.” (hhs.gov) There are three stages that providers must progress through in order to receive theses financial incentives. Stage one is the initial stage and is met with the creation and implementation of the HER in the business. Stage two “increases health information exchange between providers.” ("United States Department of Health and Human Services | HHS.gov", n.d., p. 1) Stage three will be the continuation and expansion of the “meaningful use objectives.” ("United States Department of Health and Human Services | HHS.gov", n.d., p. 1) The hospital, where I work, initiated the HER mandate many years ago. In this paper, I will discuss the progression and the challenges that my hospital encountered while implementing the EHR mandate.
Administrative Mandates, including the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, ICD-10 and HIPAA 5010, are all part of administrative simplification and the need for systems optimiza...
United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations. 2013. Print. .
As a current student at Akron General Medical Center we are allowed access to their EHR, McKesson. However, before logging into their system or even stepping foot on the floor the importance of patient information and keeping it c...
The Security Rule of the HIPAA law affects technology the most in a Healthcare or Human Service organization. The Security Rule deals specifically with Electronic Protected Health Information (EPHI). The EPHI has three types of security safeguards that are mandatory to meet compliance with HIPAA regulations. Administrative, physical, and technical. There is constant concern of different kinds of devices and tools because of their vulnerability: laptops; personal computers of the home; library and public workstations; USB Flash Drives and email, to name a few. These items are easily accessible for those attempting to breach security. Workers of the healthcare area have complet...
In the healthcare sector, information security is always priorities. In this regard, the training will range from the general use of the system. For instance, trainees will be taught how to operate the ...
Contingency plan-A rapid response unit to evacuate all individual on board and the implementation of safety procedure e.g. life jackets for each individual.
The worst imaginable situations happen every day: a hurricane floods cities, a tornado destroys towns, a wildfire burns half a state, terrorist bomb crowded public places. These events are what can be considered national disasters. The need for a strong and steady support is a must for all of those looking at the long road to recovering from a disasters. One of the most well-known names in disaster relief is FEMA. They have set forward the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDFR) that offers a structure to a chaotic time.
...y plans to react to the unforeseen. Implementing good contingency plans in conjunction with a robust PDCA cycle is a great step toward success for a company in the global market place.
Disaster Recovery Planning is the critical factor that can prevent headaches or nightmares experienced by an organization in times of disaster. Having a disaster recovery plan marks the difference between organizations that can successfully manage crises with minimal cost, effort and with maximum speed, and those organizations that cannot. By having back-up plans, not only for equipment and network recovery, but also detailed disaster recovery plans that precisely outline what steps each person involved in recovery efforts should undertake, an organization can improve their recovery time and minimize the disrupted time for their normal business functions. Thus it is essential that disaster recovery plans are carefully laid out and carefully updated regularly. Part of the plan should include a system where regular training occurs for network engineers and managers. In the disaster recovery process extra attention should also be paid to training any new employees who will have a critical role in this function. Also, the plan should require having the appropriate people actually practice what they would do to help recover business function should a disaster occur. Some organizations find it helpful to do this on a quarterly or semi-annual basis so that the plan stays current with the organization’s needs.
Contingency planning steps begin with developing the contingency planning policy statement which defines the organization’s overall possibility destinations and build up the organizational structure and duties regarding system contingency planning. The policy state should include following items (Swanson, Bowen, Phillips, Gallup, & Lynes, 2010):
It involves using a technology to fulfill specific IT initiatives of the organization (Wager, Frances and John: 2009) Let’s identify two important organizational initiatives in healthcare. First, they must work toward reducing patient readmission to the hospital to avoid penalties from CMS’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. Second, they must control the rising costs of treating the growing population of older adults. Keeping these two initiatives in mind, healthcare providers must implement remote patient monitoring in such a way that fulfills these initiatives. The good news is, both initiatives work hand-in-hand to reduce hospital readmission, avoid penalties, and decrease hospital costs.