Contingency Planning
Contingency planning accounts for unexpected events or disruptions by identifying risks and creating a detailed action plan to minimize their impact. Key components of contingency planning include identifying potential risks, establishing an emergency response plan, and creating a recovery plan to resume normal operations. The ultimate goal is to build resilience and ensure an organization can continue to function during a crisis, such as a natural disaster, cyberattack, or financial downturn.
Disaster preparedness: Develop a plan for natural disasters, fires, or pandemics that include backup locations, data storage, and agreements with other facilities for patient coverage.
Staffing and practice closure: Plan for staff shortages, strikes, or the sudden, unexpected closure of a practice due to illness or incapacity. This includes designating an individual to manage practice closure and ensuring continuity of care for patients.
Telehealth emergencies: For remote sessions, document the patient's location, keep local emergency numbers (police, fire, crisis units) readily available, and obtain a local emergency contact's contact information with the patient's permission. Have a plan for what to do when a telehealth call is disconnected during an emergency.
Cyberattacks/Electronic Health Record Downtime: Involves identifying critical risks, preparing an emergency response to contain threats, and establishing recovery steps to restore systems and maintain operations. It ensures rapid detection, clear communication, and secure restoration through backups and continuity measures. The ultimate goal is resilience—minimizing disruption while protecting data, operations, and stakeholder trust.
Resources
Electronic Health Records and Downtime Procedures | U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
The resources in this Topic Collection include guidance and lessons learned specific to EHR
Contingency Planning for Nonprofits | Meegle
Frameworks and examples for building contingency plans.
Put on Your Thinking Map: Create a Contingency Map in 5 Steps | Nonprofit Risk Management Center
Contingency Mapping: A five-step guide to visualizing and preparing for disruptions.
Planning: Response & Recovery | CISA
Free, government-backed guidance that’s highly practical for nonprofits with limited resources. It includes templates and checklists that don’t require expensive tools.
Electronic Health Records and Downtime Procedures | U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
The resources in this Topic Collection include guidance and lessons learned specific to EHR
This toolkit is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Organizations should consult their own qualified advisors before implementing any strategy or recommendation contained herein. InUnity Alliance makes no warranties regarding the completeness or suitability of this material and assumes no liability for outcomes resulting from its use.