Facilities in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas know the risks well: tornadoes, ice storms, flooding, extended power outages and heat. Add cyberattacks and equipment failures to that list, and it is clear that technology will, at some point, be unavailable. The question is how well you will function when it is.
IT disaster recovery is the part of your emergency planning that covers getting systems and data back. For long-term care facilities, it connects directly to the CMS emergency preparedness requirements, which call for planning that addresses continuity of operations and the protection of medical records. HIPAA also requires a contingency plan for electronic PHI, including a data backup plan, a disaster recovery plan and an emergency mode operation plan.
This guide helps you start without getting overwhelmed.
Begin by identifying the systems that support resident care and operations, and rank them by how quickly you need them back.
Critical: EMR access, medication administration records, nurse call, phones, door and fire systems
Important: email, scheduling, internet access, billing, dietary ordering
Lower priority: file archives, training systems, general office tools
Involve clinical leaders in the ranking. IT may assume the file server is crucial while the nursing team cares more about printing medication labels.
Two simple targets guide everything else.
Recovery time: how long a system can be down before care or operations suffer unacceptably
Recovery point: how much recent data you can afford to lose
Write realistic numbers for each critical system. These targets shape your budget. Shorter times and smaller data loss require more investment in redundancy and backup frequency.
Think of scenarios, not just threats.
Power lost for several days after a storm
Internet service cut by a fiber break or regional outage
A server failure or failed software update
Water damage or fire in a server closet
Ransomware encrypting systems
A vendor's cloud service becoming unavailable
For each scenario, ask what would stop working, what would still work and what staff would do in the meantime.
Match protections to your targets.
Power: uninterruptible power supplies for network and critical equipment, and a generator plan for the building that includes network closets and servers, with tested fuel arrangements
Internet: a second connection from a different provider or technology, such as cellular failover, so one outage does not isolate you
Data: backups stored off site and protected from tampering, with regular restore testing
Hardware: spares for key network gear, plus documented configurations so replacements can be installed quickly
Cloud services: know what your vendors commit to, and what offline access you have
Not everything can be recovered immediately, so prepare staff to operate without systems.
Keep printed downtime forms, including medication administration records, assessments and resident information, with a schedule for refreshing them
Maintain an offline copy of current census and emergency contacts
Make sure staff know where the kits are and how to use them
Define how information gets entered after systems return
A usable plan is short and clear. Include:
A contact list with cell numbers for leadership, IT, vendors and insurers
Activation criteria, meaning who declares a disaster and how
Step-by-step recovery order for critical systems
Locations of backups, credentials and documentation, with copies that are available if the network is down
Communication templates for staff, residents, families and regulators
Store copies in several places, including printed and in a secure cloud location.
A plan that has never been exercised will fail in surprising ways. Combine several kinds of tests.
A tabletop exercise: leaders talk through a scenario, such as a tornado damaging the server room
A restore test: recover a system from backup and time it
A downtime drill: run a shift on paper for an hour
Record lessons learned and update the plan. Many organizations schedule this alongside annual emergency preparedness exercises.
Review the plan at least annually and whenever systems, vendors or staff change. A plan that lists someone who left two years ago is a liability.
Keeping the only copy of the plan on the server it protects
Assuming a cloud vendor handles all recovery needs
Confusing backups with disaster recovery, since restoring data requires working hardware and connectivity
Skipping the people side, including communications and roles
UnityCare IT helps healthcare organizations assess their recovery needs, build practical plans and run tests that align with their emergency preparedness programs. If you have not looked at this since your last survey, a one-hour discussion can reveal where to start.
Call or text: 405-285-3845
New customers: start@unitycareit.com
Existing customers: support@unitycareit.com
Address: 2524 N Broadway Ste 554 PMB 947974, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034