Business Continuity Interview Analysis This Report Presents

Business Continuity Interview Analysis

This report presents the results of an interview conducted on February 24, 2012 with a medical office manager. More specifically, the office is a small joint practice of two Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) otolaryngologists. The interviewer inquired into the types of preparations, contingencies, and planning necessary for business continuity in the event of a major catastrophe that destroyed the office or that rendered it completely unusable for any extended period of time. For the purpose of this interview, the interviewer asked about a major flood disaster that physically destroyed the office and that rendered the immediate vicinity off-limits to anybody besides emergency rescue personnel and law enforcement.

General Situational Overview of Major Potential Business Continuity Concerns

The office manager indicated that the following major concerns were already part of the office's contingency planning and business continuity planning: (1) Emergency employee communications "cascade" identifying specific individuals and their responsibility to notify and maintain communications with other employees, vendors and medical suppliers, and patients with previously scheduled appointments; (2) Preservation of medical records in a secure off-site location; (3) Preservation of patient contact information; (4) Pre-arranged agreement with other practitioners to provide continuity of care to existing patients during emergency; and (5) Emergency list of all equipment and supplies necessary to outfit a temporary office location in the shortest possible time to permit resumption of business without greater delay than necessary pending repair or restoration of the primary office facility.

Detailed Business Continuity Plan

The purpose and design of the emergency employee communications "cascade" is to ensure that all employees are notified immediately, that vendors and suppliers are advised about the need to reroute deliveries pending establishment of temporary facilities, and that patients with appointments are contacted to advise them of the need to reschedule or to direct them to other practitioners if necessary. Because medical records are crucial to business operations and to patient welfare, the office routinely creates backup copies of all patient files and stores them at a secure off-site location. Digital files are stored by remote servers and hard-copy files at a facility specializing in that service for professional organizations.