Why IT Back Up and Disaster Recovery Solutions are Critical to Healthcare

Unfortunately, data backup in the healthcare community is occasionally seen as just another bureaucratic roadblock, or worse still, a waste of precious system resources that is inconsistent with the industry’s demand for fast and dependable technology. According to one study carried out by SK&A, fewer than half of all small practices today are using electronic medical backup.
However, here it’s worth recalling that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and waiting till disaster strikes to handle backup and recovery issues could be catastrophic. Apart from potentially endangering the lives of patients, there are a plethora of legal and financial risks.

Data Loss Risks

Data loss can come in many forms. One of the most dramatic examples in recent history is Hurricane Sandy, the second costliest hurricane in US history. Among the extensive damage to the country include five evacuated hospitals, including Bellevue Hospital, which was finally evacuated after officials discovered nearly 10 million gallons of water in the basement.

You don’t have to live in a disaster area to suffer data loss, and you don’t have to run a major hospital for it to be a concern for you. Remote workers involved in patient healthcare are just as susceptible. From petty theft to manufacturer defects in server hardware, compromised data is a threat that no one in the healthcare industry can ignore.

Easy Solutions

Fortunately, quick backups, on premise, and remote recovery are a realistic option for most healthcare providers through services like Dell AppAssure. More importantly, these CRA-provided approaches are generally compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule that protects the privacy of identifiable health care information, as well as the security rule that sets standards for protecting healthcare information.

Data backup and disaster recovery are a fundamental part of healthcare because they play an essential role in patient care. Putting the importance of HIPAA compliance aside, protecting patient privacy isn’t something that should be left to chance, which is why IT backups are the best solution.