Keeping EHR Downtime Down with Document Management Software

There are few industries that operate with the urgency of the healthcare industry. To ensure the best patient care, healthcare professionals work around the clock with constant vigilance. They require 24/7 access to patient records, critical information, protocols, and other documents to fulfill their responsibilities, and downtime and disruptions are not an option. Fortunately, document management software (DMS) was built for these challenges.

Top EHR Downtime Policy and Procedures

Cloud-based document management software ensures healthcare organizations have access to their critical files whenever they need them, from wherever they are working. A good DMS has 99.999% uptime, and includes EHR downtime policy and procedures for the rare time there might be an interruption or even planned downtime. For healthcare facilities to enjoy 24/7 access to their records, there are also several very important strategies that minimize downtime and disruptions:

1. Prioritize Maintenance: As with all equipment, it’s essential to ensure your document management software undergoes regular preventative maintenance which includes checking hardware components, optimizing software configurations, and updating security protocols. These actions ensure users can leverage the DMS’s latest features, security patches, and performance enhancements. To keep planned EHR downtime down, any updates can be made during non-disruptive windows and communicated clearly well in advance. During planned and unplanned EMR downtime, forms can still be accessed on computers.
   
   
2. Remember Backups are Key: Not only is data continually backed up with a cloud-based document management software, but the infrastructure itself is also backed up. When selecting document management software, healthcare professionals are encouraged to work in tandem with their IT experts to devise a DMS system with redundancies for any potential points of failure. Even if one component fails, another can seamlessly continue operations, minimizing any disruption to care.
   
   
3. Implement Disaster Recovery: Healthcare professionals can ensure natural disasters and system failures don’t cause EHR downtime and disrupt important care by teaming up with their IT team to create and deploy comprehensive disaster recovery plans. As part of this plan, it’s incumbent upon them to test the system regularly and identify any areas for improvement. This will keep downtime down and also keep patient data secure and accessible even when unforeseen events occur.
   
   
4. Communicate Well: It’s advisable to keep all users up to date by communicating scheduled system updates, maintenance, and unexpected disruptions. Administrators can use internal messaging, emails, or automated DMS alerts to advise on planned downtime and also share EHR downtime policy and procedures. In this way people can prepare ahead and their work will not be disrupted. 
   
   
5. Train Well: The human component of IT systems is crucial. It's imperative all healthcare staff be trained regularly on the DMS to implement best practices and troubleshoot common issues. Not only does this allow staff to handle minor challenges and rely less on IT support, but it helps them feel more mastery of the DMS. As new updates are introduced, it’s essential to keep staff apprised and trained. These steps will all help decrease downtime.

Related: Avoiding Downtime: Software Solutions to Server Issues.

DigiDoc Decreases Dreaded Downtime

Many DMS solutions operate with 99.999% uptime, so you can be assured your documents are accessible the vast majority of the time. By implementing the above best practices, you can help minimize any EHR downtime that may occur. When healthcare organizations prioritize maintenance, schedule regular backups, deploy disaster recovery plans, focus on strong system-focused communication, and train their employees in the best use of the document management software and emr downtime procedures, downtime goes down. DigiDoc was engineered to provide our customers with maximum uptime. In the event of a disruption, documents are still easily accessible. With these steps we can all ensure seamless operations for those that need it most. Talk to us about how we can support your healthcare system all the time.