VIDEO: Natural disaster preparedness, cybersecurity essential to practice management

Key takeaways:

• Emergency preparedness involves creating a plan and running drills.
• Remind employees how to use a fire extinguisher.
• Education is key to mitigate cybersecurity threats.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Allergy practices should take steps to be prepared in the event of a natural disaster or fire and to educate employees on how to mitigate cybersecurity threats, a speaker said here.

Shawn E. Hardee, MS, director of information technology at Allergy & ENT Associates in Houston, told attendees at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting that practice managers can prepare for natural disasters by creating a plan and running drills.

Tips include “having a business continuity plan, having a disaster preparedness plan and running drills for their employees so they can practice those steps ... and having alternate locations where employees can work in the event of a disaster,” Hardee said.

In terms of fire safety, running fire drills, having a collection point where attendance is taken, and providing reminders on how to use a fire extinguisher are key, he said.

“We all see fire extinguishers everywhere, but sometimes in the heat of the moment we might not actually remember [how to use them],” Hardee said, adding that he likes to use the PASS acronym as a reminder: Pull the pin, Aim the nozzle, Squeeze the handle, and Swing from side to side at the base of the fire.

Lastly, educating employees is the biggest step to take to mitigate cybersecurity threats, Hardee said.

“One of the biggest things we see in our practice is phishing attempts ... where a malicious actor sends an email or a text message to an employee trying to solicit information by getting them to respond to an email or click on a nefarious link,” Hardee said. “The malicious actor ... then gains access to the system and then they can do a lot of things that cause a lot of harm to the practice.”

These harms include exposing patient data and causing financial ruin to the practice.

“A lot of the times it is unfortunate, but it is sometimes easier to pay these ransoms vs. going through the steps to decrypt the data,” Hardee said.

“All of these topics are extremely important, especially in health care, where patient data is critical and the exposure can mean a lot of really terrible things to a lot of people,” he added.