Utilizing Your
Business Continuity
Plan
Key Terms
• Business Continuity Plan (BCP) – A comprehensive written plan
to maintain or resume business in the event of a disruption
• Critical Process – Business activity or information which could
not be interrupted or unavailable for several business days without
significantly jeopardizing operation of the organization
• Recovery Time Objective (RTO) – The maximum amount of
downtime that is allowable for a critical process before the impact
becomes severe enough to drastically hinder patient safety and/or
stop the continuation of business services
• Recovery Time Actual (RTA) – The actual time it takes to restore
an IS application
• Critical Records – Records or documents that, for legal,
regulatory, or operational reasons, cannot be irretrievably lost or
damaged without materially impairing the organization’s ability to
conduct business
Why Have a BCP?
• Purpose:
– The ultimate goal of Business Continuity Planning
is to resume business functions to a normal state
after a period of time post event
Why Have a BCP?
• Benefits
– Continuation of patient services
– Fulfill moral responsibility to protect:
 Employees
 The community
 The environment
– Facilitates compliance with regulatory requirements
Why Have a BCP?
• Enhances ability to reduce:
–
–
–
–
–
Disruptions to service delivery
Financial losses
Regulatory fines
Loss of market share
Damages to equipment
What is it?
• The Business Continuity Plan is a dynamic tool
utilized to maintain and/or resume business
operations
• Provides information regarding:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Critical Business Processes
Critical Equipment and Resources
IS Applications
Staff Positions
Critical Records
Departmental Dependencies
When Do You Use the BCP?
• The BCP will be used in emergencies and other
catastrophic events where the building or a department is
severely impacted:
– The loss of service poses significant physical,
operational, and business challenges and risks
– Continuity of the service, somewhere within the facility,
is integral to ongoing facility viability and community
support
• The BCP will be used in addition to the Emergency
Operations Plan (EOP) to resume/return business
functions to a normal state post-disaster
The BCP Tool
The Business Continuity Plan Tool is segmented into
multiple Microsoft Excel tabs:
• The Tiers tab
– Critical Processes are
prioritized into tiers based on
operational periods:








Tier 1 (0-2 hours)
Tier 2 (2-12 hours)
Tier 3 (12-24 hours)
Tier 4 (1-3 days)
Tier 5 (4-7 days)
Tier 6 (8-14 days)
Tier 7 (15-30 days)
Tier 8 (31+ days)
– Within each tier critical
business processes are
prioritized to rank their order of
importance
• The Department Tab
– Lists the specific critical business
processes and resources
needed to provide patient care
and continue operations
BCP: Tiers Tab
• Each Tier lists departments
alphabetically and prioritizes
their critical business functions
• During an incident, the Tiers Tab
can be used as a worksheet to
track which critical business
processes are operational and if
work-arounds are available
• The prioritization of critical
business functions aids the
Incident Commander, the
Planning Section Chief, and the
Business Continuity Branch
Director in establishing
operational objectives and
identifying resources
BCP: Department Tab
Department specific information
can be accessed two ways:
1. Navigate to the name of the
department to open specific
department tab
– For example, to go to the Emergency
Department, click on the Emergency
Department link (circled in green)
2. Use the Excel tabs
– Click on the desired department at
the bottom of Excel to open (orange
circle)
3. Print Entire Workbook
– Click on the Print All Worksheets
button to print all the department
worksheets (blue square)
* Hard copies, electronic copies, or
intranet copies are also available
through the Emergency
Management Coordinator
BCP: Critical Business Processes
• This view provides:
– Business Processes
– Established priorities
– RTO Tiers
• During an incident, the Tiers
Tab can also be used as a
worksheet to track which
critical business processes
are operational and if work
arounds are available
• Can print specific section by
clicking on the Print Critical
Bus. Process button
BCP: Critical Equipment or Resources
• This view denotes what
equipment/resources are needed
to ensure critical processes are
operational within specified
operational periods and includes:
– Type of Equipment
– Normal Levels
– RTOs
• During the incident, this
worksheet can be used to:
– Assess gaps between current
inventory and actual need
– Evaluate relocation strategies
• To print this specific section click
on the print button
BCP: IS Technology Applications
• This section lists the IS
technology needs for the
departments
−
−
−
−
IS Resources
Work around availability
RTO Tiers
RTA
• During the incident, the
worksheet can be completed
to:
− Estimate IS Resources
needed
− Assess technology gaps
• Print by clicking the print
button
Print IS Technology Applications
BCP: Staff Positions
• This view lists the staff required for each operational
period:
–Staffing positions required based on RTO
–Identifies whether the staffing position has to be physically
present or can telecommute
• During the incident, worksheet can be used to:
–Track staffing requirements and assess gaps
• Click on the Print Staffing Positions button to print this
specific section
BCP: Critical Records
• Section lists the Critical Records • During the incident, worksheet
required for that department:
can be used to:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Type of Record
Relevance of records
Media Type
Physical Protection
Alternate or Backup Source
Function Without
Have Downtime Manual
Regulatory Requirements
Reporting Agency
Reporting Scheduling
RTO requirements
− Track critical records requirements and
assess gaps
• Print specific section by clicking
on the Print Critical Records
button
BCP: Departmental Dependencies
• This view provides a list of
“other” departments that
are needed to ensure that
the critical process is
operational,
• Information includes:
– Internal vs. external
– Location
– Contact information
• Print this section by
clicking on the Print
Dependencies button
How to Use the BCP:
Concept of Operations
Upon activation of HICS:
• The IC will:
– Provide initial briefing to Command Staff & Section Chiefs
– Facilitate a management meeting utilizing the Incident
Response Guide (IRG) to establish control objectives
• Each department will assess the status of their area to
determine continuity of operations by completing a
Department Status Form
– Upon completion, the form will be submitted to the Planning
Chief.
– The Planning Section will collect the Department Status Forms
and utilize the Department Status Summary form to report
information to the Incident Commander.
Department Status Forms
• Department Status Form
−Purpose: Documents
operational status of
departments: # of injuries,
staff census, general patient
census, utilities issues,
equipment needs
−Originator: Department
Managers
−When: onset of the incident
and prior to shift change
−Copies to: Upon completion,
the form will be submitted to
the Planning Chief
Department Status Summary
• Department Status Summary
–
–
–
–
Purpose: to assist in establishing operational objectives
Originator: Situation Unit Leader
When: onset of the incident and prior to shift change
Follow up: report to IC & Section Chiefs
BCP: Concept of Operations
• The Incident Commander may activate the
Business Continuity Branch to ensure continuity
of operations as needed
– The function of the Business Continuity Branch is
to assist impacted areas with ensuring that critical
business functions are maintained, restored, or
augmented to meet the designated Recovery Time
Objective (RTO) and recovery strategies outlined in
the areas’ business continuity and business
resumption plans
BCP: Concept of Operations
• The Business Continuity Branch activities
include:
– Evaluation of the impacted areas to ascertain
business function capability
– Facilitate the acquisition of and access to essential
recovery resources, including business records
(i.e., patient medical records, purchasing contract,
etc.)
BCP: Concept of Operations
• Support the Infrastructure and Security Branches
with needed movement or relocation to alternate
business operation sites
• Coordinate with the Logistics Section
Communication Unit Leader, IT/IS Unit Leader,
and the impacted area to restore business
functions and review technology requirements
• Assist other branches and impacted areas with
the restoring and resuming of normal operation
BCP: Concept of Operations
• The Planning Section Chief or Business Continuity
Branch Director, in collaboration with the manager(s)
from the impacted departments, will use the BCP to
identify resources needed to ensure continuity of
critical processes within the recovery time objectives
• The IAP will include recovery strategies as applicable
• Upon completion, the IAP will be approved by the
Incident Commander
• Section Chiefs will provide an operational briefing to
section members:
– Overview of IAP
– Assign task
– Assign roles
Questions
????