Health Information Compliance Alert

2 broad-stroke efforts protect your electronic and paper medical records.

Bottom line: You need plans "to recover from a variety of different disasters and levels of disasters, ranging from a [computer] hardware failure to a building destroyed by fire, flood, etc.," stresses Jim Sheldon-Dean, principal and director of compliance services for Lewis Creek Systems LLC in Charlotte, Vt.

Many nursing facilities either don't back up their computerized data at all or "not nearly often enough," says Pam Campbell, RN, C, with LTC Solutions in Camdenton, Mo. And they don't check to see if they have a viable backup. "A lot of times, facilities will back up corrupted data over their last good backup," Campbell says. To play it safe, the facility should have multiple backup data sets, she urges.

Key: "The primary idea behind effective backup is to keep the data offsite," says Nathan Lake, RN, RN, BSN, MSHA, in Seattle, Wash. Some companies will pick up the facility's backup tapes, he says. "Or you can store the data electronically offsite, as long as the data are encrypted and the company storing it meets healthcare storage requirements," he adds.

"If you can't store it offsite, put it in a fireproof, water proof case. And store it in another part of the building."

You also need "good documentation of your systems and processes so you know what to recreate if they get destroyed," advises Sheldon-Dean.

Take the next step: Some facilities are removing old computerized data and storing it in an archive, notes Lake. This approach also speeds up your computer system.

Instead: Secure the paper records on a higher floor in an area protected by fire protection systems designed for paper records, advises Sheldon-Dean. As an extra precaution, consider having a service come in to scan and digitize your paper records, which can be a cost-effective way to protect the information, he adds. Then secure the digitized records offsite or in a fire and waterproof container.

Real-world tip: Taking paper medical records with you during an evacuation can also protect them from damage -- and give you the information required to provide resident care. That's the strategy that The Palace Care and Rehab used during flash flooding, reports the Red Boiling Springs facility's administrator, Rita Crabtree.