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Hospital Disaster Recovery Plan |
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Friday, 20 July 2007 |
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Not all that long ago, hospital records were kept in patient charts and stored in a massive filing system. Typically, these files could be found in the hospital's basement. Today, there are HIPAA regulations which require all healthcare workers to keep patient information secure and private, yet still be able to transmit files and information quickly should the need arise. Nearly every hospital in the United States utilizes computer networks which allow them to transmit information quickly.
This allows doctors and nurses to access your information regardless of whether you are seeking care in your home town or in another state. The challenge in using these intricate computer networks is that they utilize external ports, which leave them vulnerable to intruders and attacks. In order to defend their systems hospitals must develop a strong hospital disaster recovery plan and kept a constant watch over the system. The first step in developing a hospital disaster recovery plan involves obtaining a technical security assessment. This assessment reviews both the internal and external network access points to determine if these areas are vulnerable. A technical security assessment allows the hospital to view their data and determine how they will handle recovery of data if an inside or outside attack occurs. A large percentage of people who work in a hospital have access to your medical records. The assessment reviews the vulnerability of this information should an employee attack the computer system. It also examines the vulnerability of the information should a person outside of the organization hack into the system. The technical security assessment is able to identify vulnerable points and make recommendations to minimize the risk. Through the information provided from the assessment, hospital administrators are able to further develop a hospital disaster recovery plan. There are four stages included in the hospital disaster recovery plan. They include:
* Business Impact Analysis
* Developing the Disaster Recovery Plan
* Testing the Disaster Recovery Plan
* Proposed Project Plan
The Business Impact Analysis is used to determine the impact on the hospital and the staff if a catastrophic failure occurs. Once this section is completed, the IT staff is able to identify all vulnerabilities. Once vulnerabilities are identified the IT staff can then develop a hospital disaster recovery plan to addresses potential security breeches. |
