Where do you start with backing up patient data, and is your current backup actually working? It’s probably the most common question we get from prospects. There’s a lot of confusion in the marketplace, and companies wave the word HIPAA around like a magic wand without addressing the root problem.
01What is the root problem?
If your server or patient database had an issue, ask:
- 1Is it recoverable?Has your patient health information and database actually been tested for recovery?
- 2How long is your downtime?How much production would you lose?
- 3Can you access it outside the office?Could you recover after a major catastrophe?
Below are the non-recommended methods and what experts prefer instead. As your IT provider, we want you focused on running your business, not walking in the door with a nagging worry about what happens if your server crashes.
02Bad scenario 1: swapping hard drives daily
You or your staff take home hard drives containing your entire patient database. Please stop doing this. It’s the worst method. You’re one fumble away from self-reporting a breach to the Office for Civil Rights: if a drive falls out of a purse, bag, or car and you can’t find it, you’re legally required to report it.
03Bad scenario 2: online backup only
Ignoring local backup will, at some point in your career, cost you thousands in lost wages and production. In a system-down event, all your data sits on a remote server instead of being quickly accessible locally.
Getting it back depends on your internet speed. The average dental data set is roughly 500GB, and a typical shared broadband connection means downloading it can take many hours, or days in real-world conditions, followed by another 4 to 8 hours to get the data in place as a temporary server.
04Bad scenario 3: never testing your backups
This covers the rest: “Yes, my backups are being done, but they’ve never been tested.” Stop reading and go check. A backup that isn’t tested isn’t a backup at all.
As F. Scott Fitzgerald put it, “Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” If you’ve tried options before and been burned, now isn’t the time to give up.
Where do you go from here?
If your backup strategy is lacking, unknown, nonexistent, or failing, Darkhorse Tech has designed a system where you don’t have to think about it. It incorporates current HIPAA, cybersecurity, and best-practice standards, and for one low monthly cost gives you two things: peace of mind and a plan in place.
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