HealthSystems Support Helpdesk News https://support.healthsystems.net/ en DeskPRO <![CDATA[Disaster Planning and Recovery Prep]]> https://support.healthsystems.net/news_full.php?id=11 Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:48:38 +0000  

Disaster Planning & Recovery Preparation
 
In the event of extreme bad weather and the possibility of an extended power outage it is important that practices follow proper disaster recovery procedures.   Keep in mind that if your servers are located off-site in a co-location facility or you are using a hosted solution that is also in a hardened facility, these may not apply.
 
Advance planning – Develop a checklist
1.       The checklist should reside on or near your server. If you have a server room, tape it to inside of the door. If you do not have a server room, tape it to the server itself.
 
2.       The checklist should include phone numbers for the following:  Hardware and Software vendors and account numbers (if any); Power Company; Phone Company; Internet Service Provider. If your calls get automatically routed to an answering service you should contact them and let them know you are down.
 
3.       The checklist should include specific “how to” instructions.
 
o    If running on battery backup, how to shut down servers “gracefully” so they don’t just turn off abruptly.
o    What to eject and take with you (like tapes before the power turns off so you can get the last one out of the tape backup drive).
o    What to unplug (i.e. external backup hard drives) and take off site.
 
4.       Lastly, always keep a flashlight and fresh batteries in your server room or near your server.
 
Backing Up Your System
1.       Make sure you are backing up the right files!
o    Ask your I.T. Vendor if they can double check what is being written to the backup tapes, external hard drives or online Internet backups. Validate that all disaster recovery items needed are being backed up. Also, ask your I.T. Vendor if files can be restored as a test of both the backup software the media is being backed up to.
 
2.       Have a plan for getting tapes or external hard drives OFF SITE.  The recovery of your entire system may depend on these being off site!
 
3.       Consider taking your server with you if you have the option (i.e., server is free standing vs. attached to a rack mount).
 
Preventative Measures to be taken in advance of a possible extended power outage
Keep in mind that if your practice’s power is out you will most likely not be seeing patients.
 
1.          For Practice Management, print several days of your scheduled appointments as well as the corresponding Patient Profiles and Superbills.
 
2.          For EMR, print Chart Summaries for patients scheduled for the next several days.
 
Understanding SQL Backup Warning Messages the day after a power outage
1.       If power went out before the first stage backup (the Daily Job, Backup Job and Slot Lock Job’s in SQL Server Agent software) and did not run at its pre-designated time, everyone will see a message when logging into Centricity.  Although this is normal you should ALWAYS contact Support to assist in the recovery. Once recovered, you may run these jobs during the day but please know that they may slow down your server. If you do not run these jobs during the day you can let them run at the regular scheduled time that night.
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