BUSINESS PLANNING

  disaster preparedness

Are You Prepared for a Disaster?

How to protect your practice should a catastrophe strike

JOSHUA LAHIFF, O.D., CHEYENNE, WYO.

It was around 7:00 a.m. on a fateful May Saturday when my phone rang. I answered, and one of my associate doctors said, “I think our clinic is on fire.” In shock, and with an overwhelming sense of disbelief, I calmly replied, “What do you mean you think?” A few minutes later, my associate doctor confirmed the fire by sending a photo.

Upon arrival to the practice, I was met by a small group of firemen and frames lining the street gutters like plowed snow. The first thing the firemen told me was that our clinic was a “total loss.” Whatever was not burned in the fire was completely damaged by smoke and water, and all the computerized equipment and refractive systems had melted from the fire’s heat.

Though it felt like the end, our adventure was just beginning. Owning the building and the practice, we had two insurance policies that were supposed to kick in “immediately.” However, when dealing with insurance companies, we quickly learned that “immediately” is a relative term. We wanted to keep our associate doctor and our entire staff on board, which was not easy, but was the right thing to do, so we did it. One month later, we were able to relocate to a temporary location, and six months after that, we were able to bulldoze the burned building to start anew.

I am thankful for our insurance, as frustrating as the claim process may be. Based on my experience, here are my top tips on how you, too, can prepare your practice should the unthinkable happen.

Obtain proper insurance

Are you insured to cover what your building or tenant finish will cost with today’s construction costs in your area? Although you paid a certain amount for your building, that doesn’t mean you have enough coverage to replace it again. The lesson: Make sure you are insured for the replacement cost of your building or tenant improvements so that you can rebuild in the event of a disaster.

A proper insurance policy should also include loss of income to cover you during the rebuilding process and after you rebuild in case you aren’t as busy as you were or have a lag time between the disaster and when you are up and running again.

Business and personal property should also be included in your policy to cover your equipment and any personal property you own, including computers. If you are a landlord, make sure you are insured in case of complete loss for lost rents from your tenants so you are still able to pay the mortgage on your home while you are repairing or rebuilding your rental space.

Back up your computers

It’s important to back up your computers both onsite and offsite, and in a secure format online so you don’t lose any valuable information and so information is protected. A fire, among other disasters, is devastating, but so is a server crash or a virus that slips through your computer’s firewall and antivirus software.

Lucky for us, we had offsite backups that functioned properly during our fire, so we were able to retain our records despite losing our computers. Test your backup frequently, and correct any missteps that may be made by your backup before it is all you have left. For example, we back up our system once a week.

Also, make sure that your frame inventory documentation is backed up, which will provide proof for insurance companies should your stock need to be replaced.

Take pictures

Take pictures of everything you own, and store copies offsite or online. The last thing that you want to be doing after a disaster is coming up with a comprehensive list of everything you lost.

Develop a plan

Create a plan for your staff, giving them step-by-step instructions to follow in case of an emergency. It may not be a fire, but it could be a flood, tornado, earthquake or robbery that can seriously affect how you do business.

For example, include phone numbers to all utility companies, the fire department, police station, local newspaper and neighboring businesses. Lay out a plan on how to resume patient care, and include backup protocols for how to handle your patient information systems if they are down for several days. We print our schedules each day a week ahead in case of a computer outage; this includes patient phone numbers and appointment times, so that we can resume normal business in case of emergency. If you don’t have an automated recall system, consider one, as we were able to use our system to update all our patients via text e-mail and phone during our crisis.

Have equipment backups

Consider saving older equipment as you replace it so that if a disaster should occur, you can get back to seeing patients as soon as possible.

After our fire, we had to buy all new equipment, which costs time and money. Had we saved older equipment, we could have been up and running with our new location in a more timely fashion rather than waiting for insurance to help us out.

Be prepared to move on

Disasters can take a huge toll on you, both mentally and physically. But dwelling on them will only make the situation worse. Losing patients is the biggest concern when your practice is out of commission. The faster you can get up and running, the fewer patients you will lose to your competition. So be prepared to let go and move on, so you can get back to business as usual faster.

As active members of several local groups, it can be nice to get support from those you have given your time or money to in the past. After our fire, the Laramie downtown alliance helped us out tremendously with funding and support until we were back on our feet.

O.D.s can apply for a grant valuing up to $2,000 through to the AOA Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund. (Visit www.aoafoundation.org/ofdr). Although $2,000 may not seem like a lot, every bit helps, especially considering that insurance monies can take a long time to receive.

Utilize the press

The local press can be a great way to reach out to patients and the community. Our records were backed up offsite, so we were able to contact our clients via direct mail and an automated patient notification system. However, we also spread the word through the local newspaper, enabling us to notify our current patients and the community about what had happened, that we planned on rebuilding and how to get a hold of us in the meantime.

Using the press is also a great way to thank those who supported you when you were in need. We were able to send thank you messages in the local paper to the fire department, city emergency management and the police department.

Create new signage

After a disaster, signage is critical to getting back on your feet. Be sure to create new signage, and place it at your original location as well as your new or temporary site. This way, patients know where to go, what to do and whom to contact after the emergency.

Take care

Although this is a not a comprehensive list, it should at least “light a fire” and prompt you to prepare yourself and your practice for a disaster.

Be sure to contact your insurance professional and your attorney before you make any major decisions. And remember, your actions today could make or break you tomorrow. OM

Dr. Lahiff is a partner at Cheyenne Vision Clinic, associate professor at Illinois College of Optometry and Western University and clinical instructor at the University of Wyoming family practice residency in Cheyenne. Send comments to optometricmanagement@gmail.com.