
Discover practical strategies and creative solutions to strengthen healthcare IT systems and keep patient care running smoothly, even in the face of a crisis.
At a Glance
- Resilient Disaster Recovery Plans: Developing robust Disaster Recovery Plans (DRPs) with clear recovery objectives, offsite backups, and redundancy ensures uninterrupted healthcare operations during natural disasters or technological disruptions.
- Enhanced Cybersecurity During Crises: Implementing disaster-specific cybersecurity protocols, such as incident response automation, secure VPNs, and real-time threat intelligence, helps protect critical systems and sensitive data under heightened vulnerabilities.
- IoT for Crisis Management: Leveraging IoT devices for real-time monitoring, equipment tracking, and patient data collection enhances decision-making, coordination, and outcomes during emergencies.
- Zero Trust Security for Crisis Response: Adopting a Zero Trust Security model ensures strict access controls, real-time threat monitoring, and operational flexibility, as seen in successful case studies like UMC Health System.
- Cross-Functional Crisis Response Teams: Creating multidisciplinary teams with clear roles and regular training strengthens readiness and ensures seamless operations during challenging times.
- Telehealth as a Contingency Plan: Ensuring platform interoperability, staff training, and cybersecurity enables telehealth solutions to maintain uninterrupted patient care when physical access to facilities is limited.
In today’s rapidly changing healthcare landscape, ensuring uninterrupted operations during natural disasters, pandemics, or system disruptions is more critical than ever. With advancing technologies, evolving regulations, and increasing patient care demands, healthcare leaders and professionals must remain both alert and adaptable. The BHS Connect team sees many good (and not so good) strategies, processes and systems meant to strengthen resilience and keep healthcare IT systems running smoothly during challenging times. We wanted to share a few of our favorite (good) ones.
Resilient Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP)
A comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is the cornerstone of healthcare IT resilience—much like a lifeboat on a ship. Just as a well-stocked lifeboat ensures survival during emergencies at sea, a robust DRP ensures that healthcare operations can stay afloat during technological or natural disasters. Effective DRPs should identify critical systems and data essential for patient care and operations, define clear recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), regularly test and update recovery protocols to reflect new systems and technologies, and include offsite backups and redundancies to ensure data availability even if primary systems fail.
For example, a midsized healthcare facility might rely on daily cloud backups of patient records to avoid data loss during a power outage. Similarly, a large organization can establish a secondary data center in a different geographic location to prevent disruptions during regional disasters such as hurricanes. By prioritizing preparedness, healthcare organizations can mitigate downtime, protect sensitive patient data, and ensure uninterrupted care delivery even when faced with the unexpected.
To give you a clearer picture, the BHS team has created a sample Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) as a helpful guide.
Strong Cybersecurity Protocols to Mitigate Risks During Crises
During crises like natural disasters, pandemics, or system failures, cybersecurity risks intensify as systems become more vulnerable to external threats. Disaster-specific cybersecurity protocols are designed to address these challenges head-on, prioritizing the protection of critical systems and data while adapting to rapidly evolving conditions.
These protocols emphasize enhanced threat monitoring to quickly identify and mitigate cyberattacks targeting stressed systems. They ensure emergency access controls are in place to prevent unauthorized access during heightened vulnerabilities and implement additional safeguards for critical backups to protect data integrity and availability. Secure, redundant communication channels are also a priority, allowing teams to maintain coordination without exposing sensitive information, even under pressure.
By addressing the unique vulnerabilities that arise during crises, disaster-specific protocols strengthen standard cybersecurity measures, ensuring healthcare organizations can sustain operations without compromising security. At BHS Connect, we believe a proactive approach is essential to staying secure in even the most challenging circumstances.
Proactive Steps Leaders Can Take to Mitigate Cybersecurity Risks During Crises:
- Incident Response Automation Tools: Leaders can Utilize tools like SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) to automate threat detection and response, reducing reaction time during crises.
- Cloud-Based Backup Solutions: Implement encrypted cloud storage solutions such as AWS Backup or Azure Backup to safeguard critical data and ensure quick recovery in emergencies.
- Secure Virtual Private Networks (VPNs): Deploy robust VPNs to enable secure remote access for staff during system failures or natural disasters, ensuring continuity in operations.
- Redundant Communication Channels: Set up secure communication platforms such as Signal or encrypted email services to maintain coordination without exposing sensitive information.
- Real-Time Threat Intelligence Feeds: Integrate platforms like ThreatConnect or Recorded Future to monitor emerging threats and provide actionable intelligence tailored to healthcare-specific risks.
Leverage IoT Devices for Real-Time Monitoring and Crisis Management
The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing healthcare by enabling real-time monitoring and data collection during crises. For healthcare facilities, IoT devices provide a strategic advantage by supporting remote monitoring of patient conditions. Wearable devices, for instance, can transmit real-time health metrics such as heart rate and oxygen levels directly to healthcare providers, reducing the need for in-person consultations. Environmental IoT sensors can also monitor conditions such as room temperature or air quality, ensuring a safe and functional environment for both patients and staff. Additionally, smart equipment tracking systems can alert staff to malfunctioning or misplaced devices, preventing disruptions during critical moments.
For larger healthcare entities, handling high patient volumes and complex care needs during disasters, IoT devices are an essential tool. IoT-enabled dashboards allow tracking of patient statuses across departments by integrating data from wearable devices, ICU monitors, and mobile medical equipment.
Here’s an example of how this can play out: IoT systems can notify staff when ventilators or infusion pumps require maintenance or when supply levels are running low, ensuring uninterrupted care delivery. In emergency rooms, real-time location tracking of critical devices like defibrillators helps reduce response times in life-threatening situations. These capabilities streamline decision-making, promote coordinated responses, and enhance overall patient outcomes during critical scenarios.
Prioritize a Zero Trust Security Model to Manage Access During Crises
During crises, the fluid nature of operations demands heightened security measures. Emergency or temporary access may need to be granted to additional users, making real-time identity verification and device security checks crucial. Threat monitoring is intensified to identify phishing or ransomware attempts targeting vulnerable systems. Contextual controls, such as geofencing and location-based restrictions, help mitigate risks by ensuring access is limited to authorized locations. Integrating Zero Trust principles into disaster recovery protocols further ensures a seamless balance between security and operational flexibility.
Want to see how this works during a crisis? Take the University Medical Center (UMC) Health System in Lubbock, Texas, for example. In September 2024, UMC, the only Level 1 trauma center within 400 miles, faced a ransomware attack that left its systems compromised. The IT outages forced the hospital to divert both emergency and non-emergency patients to other facilities, creating significant challenges.
To manage the crisis, UMC adopted a Zero Trust Security model to regain control and protect its systems. This included strict identity verification and device compliance checks for anyone accessing the network. Geofencing added an extra layer of security by ensuring only authorized personnel in specific locations could log in, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access. Additionally, the hospital ramped up real-time threat monitoring to catch and block phishing attempts aimed at employees during the recovery period.
By embedding Zero Trust principles into their disaster recovery efforts, UMC was able to protect patient data, restore essential services, and maintain operational flexibility under immense pressure. For more on Zero Trust from the BHS team, read here.
Establish a Cross-Functional Crisis Response Team
Collaborative crisis response is key to maintaining seamless operations during disasters. Establishing an effective response team begins with bringing together experts from IT, clinical, administrative, and facilities management fields. Clear roles and responsibilities must be assigned to each team member, ensuring everyone understands their specific contributions during a crisis. Regular training sessions and simulations are also essential to enhance readiness and foster teamwork. A well-coordinated response team can act swiftly and efficiently, minimizing disruptions and safeguarding patient care when it matters most.
Here’s what this looks like in practice:
- IT Experts: Manage the functionality and security of healthcare IT systems, including ensuring uptime for critical applications and addressing cyber threats.
- Clinical Leaders: Provide input on prioritizing patient care needs and ensuring the availability of essential medical resources.
- Administrative Staff: Coordinate logistics, such as communication with stakeholders, scheduling, and maintaining regulatory compliance.
- Facilities Management: Ensure the physical safety and operational readiness of the healthcare environment, including utilities and backup systems.
For training ideas, take a look at FEMA’s National Preparedness Course Catalog and free training resources, which offer guidance on building resilient teams and improving disaster preparedness.
Implement Telehealth as a Contingency for Patient Care
Telehealth has become a critical tool for maintaining patient care during crises. Best practices for implementing telehealth solutions include ensuring platform interoperability with existing systems, training staff and patients on the use of telehealth technologies, developing contingency plans for scaling telehealth services during surges, and prioritizing cybersecurity to protect patient privacy during virtual visits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, many healthcare providers relied on telehealth platforms like Doxy.me and Amwell to continue patient consultations safely and efficiently. These platforms enabled providers to rapidly scale services, maintain regulatory compliance, and protect sensitive patient data.
For comprehensive guidance on implementing telehealth effectively, refer to trusted resources like the American Telemedicine Association’s The ATA Telehealth Essentials Guide for Healthcare Providers or the CDC’s telehealth guidance CDC Yellow Book for healthcare providers. These resources offer insights to help healthcare organizations assess readiness, plan, and implement effective telehealth technologies. This resource offers numerous tools and insights to help healthcare organizations assess readiness, plan, select, implement, and effectively use telehealth technologies.
Telehealth ensures the delivery of patient care remains uninterrupted, even when access to physical healthcare facilities is limited, making it a vital component of modern crisis response.
Final Thoughts
At BHS, we believe that at the heart of healthcare IT resilience lies a simple yet profound truth: preparation is everything. By focusing on practical, thoughtful strategies like disaster recovery planning, robust cybersecurity, and innovative tools such as IoT devices and telehealth, organizations can not only survive crises but also emerge stronger. Each step—whether it’s forming a cross-functional team or adopting a Zero Trust security model—reflects a commitment to protecting what matters most: patient care and safety.