JKO The National Contingency Plan

1. Responsibilities of the contingency coordinator include being the primary person for everything EXCEPT: (found in Outlook Associates doc)
a. Communication
b. Training
c. Coordination
d. Control

Training

2. All of the following are key elements of contingency planning EXCEPT: (from Tips for Success doc)
a. Securing your system
b. System Back-ups
c. Assign a contingency coordinator
d. All of the above are elements of contingency planning.

d. All of the above are elements of contingency planning.

3. Which users should receive training on downtime procedures? (from Downtime Planning doc)
a. Clinical staff
b. Admissions
c. Providers
d. All employees

d. All Employees

Downtime in essence is the time during which a functional machine or system is not functioning properly or is otherwise unavailable to users.

True or False

True

2. Data back-up for the EMR should be done weekly

True or False

False

3. EHR unavailability, which will occur in every EHR-enabled healthcare environment, represents a significant potential patient safety hazard that directly affects patient care.

True or False

True

1. Planned downtime __________________ begins when or near the time dates for downtime are established.

communication

2. One person from your practice, along with one alternate, should be assigned the responsibility for ____________ ______________ in the event of a system problem or failure

contingency coordination

3. ____________ _____________ is due to system or environmental failures.

unscheduled downtime

1. Name 3 forms of communication that can be used to notify staff when downtime is planned?

a. (Answers: emails, newsletters, intranet sites, flyers posted at computer stations, online calendars, notification when the staff logs into the system; from AHIMA Downtime doc)

2. What is the difference between planned and unplanned downtime?

a. (Answer: planned downtime is scheduled and unplanned downtime occurs unexpectedly or on short notice; from AHIMA Downtime doc)

3. What are 3 examples of alternative workflows for clinical practice in a downtime event?

a. (Answers: document on paper forms, write prescriptions on paper order forms, and dictate through handheld tape recorders; From AHIMA Downtime doc)

1. When does planned downtime communication begin?
a. When or near the time dates for downtime are established
b. Never
c. At the beginning of EHR implementation
d. On the day of planned downtime

When or near the time dates for downtime are established

2. As soon as an unplanned downtime is discovered, notifications are sent immediately to?
a. Physicians
b. Staff
c. Leadership
d. All of the above

all of the above

3. Which of the following areas isn't included in the ONC SAFER Guides?
a. High Priority Practices
b. Contingency Planning
c. Security Rule Planning
d. Clinical Communication

c. Security Rule Planning

All system users should have regular training on downtime procedures.

True or False

True

During unplanned downtime, it is important that staff do not receive timely and effective information.

True or False

False

Developing a communication template will ensure quick and effective communication.

True or False

True

7. Unscheduled downtime is due to ___ or _____ _____

system or environmental failures

8. ________ downtime includes software or hardware upgrades that the practice does not schedule itself, such as those scheduled by the vendor.

8. Semi-planned

9. ________ may affect a single application or be system wide.

9. Downtime.

11. What do contingency plans describe?

Contingency plans describe the steps necessary to keep business going when unexpected problems occur and prevent one or more staff members from performing their usual tasks using automated practice systems.

12. List 3 key elements of a contingency plan.

• Establish System Back-up and Recovery Processes with the Vendor During the Implementation Period
• Maintain Accurate System Back-ups Nightly
• Test System Back-up and Recovery Processes Periodically
• Effectively Secure Your System
• Develop Interim Clinical and Operations Processes
• Periodically Test and Update Interim Clinical and Operations Processes
• Assign "Contingency Coordinator" Responsibilities

13. List the responsibilities of a contingency coordinator.

• contingency coordination in the event of a system problem or failure
• be the hub of communication, coordination, and control necessary to get the system back to full operations as quickly as possible
• maintaining and updating contingency process documentation, training new personnel on contingency processes and responsibilities, and coordinating periodic testing of contingency processes and controls for your practice

1. There are no planned downtimes. (Downtime Planning)
True or False

False

2. Which of the following is not a key element of a contingency plan? (Contingency Planning for EHR Systems)
a. Effectively Secure Your System
b. Maintain Accurate System Back-ups Bi-weekly
c. Test System Back-up and Recovery Processes Periodically
d. Develop Interim Clinical and Operations Processes

b. Maintain Accurate System Back-ups Bi-weekly

3. Organizations need to back up their systems daily. (Contingency Planning for EHR Systems)
True or False

True

4. The _____ ______should be assigned the responsibility for contingency coordination in the event of a system problem or failure.

Contingency Coordinator

5. Vendors do not need to have well-established back-up and recovery procedures for their EHR applications. (Contingency Planning for EHR Systems)
True or False

False

_____ drills are an effective way to prepare for system downtime and assess staff readiness.

Downtime

7. List 3 of the 7 key elements of a contingency plan.

Establish System Back-up and Recovery Processes with the Vendor During
Maintain Accurate System Back-ups nightly
Test System Back-up and Recovery Processes Periodically
Effectively Secure Your System
Develop Interim Clinical and Operations Processes
Periodically Test and Update Interim Clinical and Operations Processes
Assign "Contingency Coordinator" Responsibilities

8. What is a communication plan?

This is a plan used to inform staff and ensure frustration and confusion is minimized.

9. ______and _______should be the first application/system to be brought back online because this function enters the patient encounter into the system, allowing other applications the ability to complete their portion of the downtime procedure.

registration, scheduling

10. Which of the following is not a question within the Downtime Communication Template? (Downtime Planning)
a. How long will the system be unavailable?
b. When will the downtime begin?
c. What changes are being made to the system, and what can the end user expect?
d. What departments do not need to be familiar with the policies affecting their area during downtime?

d. What departments do not need to be familiar with the policies affecting their area during downtime?

12. Which of the following are not characteristics of system access? (Contingency Planning for EHR Systems)
a. Effectively secure
b. Uses controlled passwords
c. Requires periodic changes to passwords
d. All of the above

all the above

your own words, describe contingency planning.

Contingency planning describes the process put in place to maintain workflows when unexpected problems occur that prevent end users from completing tasks within a system.

1) A downtime communication template answers all the following questions except?
a. What system will be down?
b. Why the system will be down?
c. Whose System will be down?
d. When will the downtime begin?

Why the system will be down?

2) Contingency planning for electronic health record systems should include all except:
a. Maintain accurate system back-ups nightly
b. Effectively secure your system
c. Test system start up periodically
d. Develop interim clinical and operations process

c. Test system start up periodically

3) The contingency planning SAFER Guide identifies________
a. Procedures for inpatient/outpatient clinics
b. Recommended safety practices associated with planned or unplanned EHR
c. Recommended to reduce the risk of medication errors
d. The security rule to develop policies and procedures regarding environmental factors.

b. Recommended safety practices associated with planned or unplanned EHR

1. Strategic plans describe the steps necessary to keep business going when unexpected problems occur and prevent one or more staff members from performing their usual tasks using automated practice systems

True or False

False

2. Unscheduled downtime is due to system or environmental failures

True or False

True

3. Clinical applications should be brought back online first after an EHR system goes down.

True or False

False

3. Clinical applications should be brought back online first after an EHR system goes down.

Journal Files

• ____________ _______ should be conducted at least once a year

Downtime Drills

• The Communication plan itself requires _______________ ___________ - it should be maintained in both electronic and paper form to increase its accessibility

Contingency Planning

1. List key elements and tasks of a contingency plan

2. List 5 areas the SAFER Guides are designed to help healthcare organizations conduct self-assessments to optimize the safety and safe use of electronic health records

• High Priority Practices
• Organizational Responsibilities
• Contingency Planning
• System Configuration
• System Interfaces
• Patient Identification
• Computerized Provider Order Entry
• with Decision Support
• Test Results Reporting and Follow-Up
• Clinician Communication

4. Explain downtime drills

• Drills are an effective way to prepare for system downtime and assess staff readiness. The team will physically visit various areas for the purpose of assessing staff knowledge of downtime procedures. This is done by asking the staff to explain the plan and their roles in downtime procedures.

1. What should be included in the downtime policies and procedures?
a. How the downtime and alternate processes are communicated
b. How physicians and staff document patient care
c. How change are captured
d. How systems are brought back up
e. How downtime documentation is transferred to the EHR once systems are live again
f. All the above

All the above

2. Which of the following is NOT a recommended practice for Phase 1 - Safe Health IT?
a. Hardware that runs applications critical to the organization's operation is duplicated
b. An electric generator and sufficient fuel are available to support the EHR during an extended power outage
c. Paper forms are available to replace key EHR functions during downtimes.
d. There is a comprehensive testing and monitoring strategy in place to prevent and manage EHR down-time events.

d. There is a comprehensive testing and monitoring strategy in place to prevent and manage EHR down-time events.

3. To support system back-up and recovery processes for you HER system, your system purchase should include all of these EXCEPT:
a. Hardware
b. Utilities
c. Journal files
d. Software

Journal Files

1. Contingency plans describe the steps necessary to keep business going when unexpected problems occur and prevent one or more staff members from performing their usual tasks using automated practice systems.
a. True
b. False

True

2. Downtime cannot be planned

True or False

False

3. The SAFER guides are intended to be used for legal compliance purposes.
a. True
b. False

False

1. _________ __________ should be controlled and periodically changed to prevent inappropriate access to the data and the system.

System passwords

2. The SAFER checklist is structured as a quick way to enter and print your __________.

Self-Assesment

_______ __________ are an effective way to prepare for system downtime and assess staff readiness.

Downtime drills

1. What are the responsibilities of the contingency coordinator?

Responsible for hub of coomunication, coordination, and control necessary to get system back to full operations; Have the authority to invoke contingency processes and communication when a system problem is detected; Maintains and updates contingency process documentation, trains new personnel on contingency processes and responsibilities, and coordinates periodic testing of contingency processes and controls

2. What is the function of the team worksheet according to the SAFER document?

The Team Worksheet helps organizations document the names and roles of the self-assessment team, as well as individual team members' activities.

3. What are the three plans need to include in downtime planning?

Communication plan, Clinical documentation plan, Charge capture and coding plan