For companies in the healthcare industry, compliance with federal guidelines is important to safeguard patients. It is a non-negotiable issue that should inform all the processes and procedures in your company. Failure to comply is a recipe for some stiff penalties. That particular federal standard relating to your PHI is the HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). There are many different aspects of this standard, and the role of strong IT and data systems cannot be overstated. Having a strong disaster recovery plan is important, in this respect, and managed IT services providers in Austin can help you achieve just that. This article delves further into this important topic.
Disaster Recovery and HIPAA Compliance
Part of complying with HIPAA is creating a contingency plan to help you address the requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule. This plan must include various elements including your data backup, disaster recovery, business continuity, and routine revision plans. This allows you to be ready for any IT disasters which may come despite your strong IT security systems. All these efforts require a capable IT department, but it is also possible and often more feasible to get supplementary services from managed IT services providers in Austin.
Accurate and up-to-date patient records are crucial for the healthcare system. If this data is lost, threatened, or unavailable for any reason, this affects the level of care you can provide. That’s where a contingency plan comes in.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Planning and preparation are the keys to surviving a business data. All the elements of the plan must be well-thought-out before anything happens. Who is going to do what and who is responsible for what should be clearly laid out. These plans also need regular revision and testing to make sure they are practical and relevant. It is very important to analyze any loopholes or gaps in your current disaster recovery plans using expert IT input, input from your team, as well as lessons from past failures.
There are many other steps that go into creating a strong disaster recovery plan. You must evaluate what the most likely emergency would be and perform the risk analysis. You must train and educate your entire team on how to avoid and handle such emergencies. For hospitals, such emergencies affect the wellbeing and treatment of the patients in your care.
If you need assistance with your disaster recovery plan or other managed IT services in Austin, get in touch with us at Contigo Technology. We have the experience and expertise to help your company.