Planning for the Unexpected

It has been two days after the acknowledgement of World Backup Day held on March 31, 2016.  How could we have missed this non-Hallmark holiday?
This very important tool, Offsite Remote Backup service often times gets overlooked.  I’ve witnessed a lot especially when it comes to a medical office’s computer, server or network crashing.  This scenario is never a good one and all who are involved begin hoping for a technical miracle—meaning patient data is quickly restored and accessible like it used to be within minutes of the occurrence.  When I visit with MediPro clients I typically try to ask them if they are backing up their practice management and or electronic health records software.  Some medical staff are unsure, others say a resounding “Yes” and then the question is posed, are you taking your external back up mechanism offsite with you at the end of the day?  Think about it—tis the season for natural disasters–tornados, hurricanes, landslides, floods and fire.  Just one of these episodes alone can completely wipe out a physical building structure or damage your computer infrastructure within seconds.  The worst part of these disasters are usually unpredictable in reference to the scope of damage and devastation.
Ideally, a medical office should have at least two forms of daily back up service, one of the best being Offsite data backup and storage.  It’s not surprising that some MediPro clients have taken advantage of our offsite data backup program called iGuard. It just makes sense to have your medical software vendor partaking in this process since we know what files are most important to retain in case data restoration is needed.  The best part is iGuard starts out at a very affordable $12.95 a month and varies in price based upon the size of data you want us to capture every day.
So far this year, there have been two practices who were not using our iGuard service who lost all of their data and it couldn’t be recovered.  How did this happen?  It was a combination of computer hardware failure and the oversight of an IT Professional.  In the event that your practice may become paralyzed should this instance happen to you, it is a good idea to give MediPro a call now at 1.800.759.1321 to see how we can help.  The enrollment process is simple and set up is easy with a phone call and an Internet connection.
In closing, happy belated World Backup Day, Happy Spring, and kudos to you for taking a proactive approach in protecting your priceless patient data with MediPro’s iGuard service!
 
Dana Deardorff is the Office Administrator at MediPro, Inc.  She is working toward her 12th year in the medical software industry and understands the many challenges independent physicians face in today’s healthcare marketplace.