Jul 24, 2018 4:40:00 PM
Benjamin Pure
The importance of network redundancy is simple: if you have only a single point of connection and it fails you, then you are completely “down” until that connection can be restored. Network redundancy simply means you have established secondary (or tertiary) methods of access to ensure that if any one point of connection fails, your operation can continue running seamlessly.
What medical offices need most from their answering service is a secure, reliable connection at all times, no matter what. Whether there is an emergency, a medical question, or an appointment change, downtime is not an acceptable option. In order to ensure uninterrupted availability, regardless of mitigating factors, answering service providers should regularly review, upgrade and enhance the redundancy of their network.
The multiple levels of network redundancy employed are sometimes referred to as five nines (99.999) uptime, as it is as close to perfection as can be expected. This should be the goal of all answering service providers and the expectation within the medical and health care industry.
A Critical Service in the Event of a Disaster
While redundancy is important for all businesses, it is especially important in the medical industry, as their must be a plan to manage disruptions that result in the case of natural disasters or other crises.
Not only would such an event amplify the volume of calls coming through answering service facilities, but the need to relay patient communication in such a situation becomes especially critical. Medical providers cannot afford to risk losing communication, as time lost can translate to lives lost.
Answering services are always advantageous to medical professionals, but in the event of a disaster, they become truly critical.
“When Our Office Had To Close For A Week Because Of Flooding, The Doctors Answer Did A Superb Job At Filling In. The Free Voicemail Allowed Us To Keep Our Patients Informed While Still Giving Them The Option To Reach Us For Emergencies. What Would We Have Done Without You??!!”
– George S., Practice Administrator, Heartland Cardiology
Medicine Never Sleeps – Neither Should Your Answering Service
Make sure that your answering service is prepared. At The Doctors Answer, in order to ensure unforeseen network failures or emergencies don’t cause any disruption in the answering services we provide our clients and their patients, we regularly review our technology and processes. In fact, this month we made several upgrades. Our servers are hosted at TierPoint Data Center, a secure facility providing end-to-end data, network, and cloud solutions featuring:
- Annual audits to ensure ongoing compliance with HIPAA standards
- Environmentally controlled, raised floor space to protect servers
- Power redundancy and multiple network security systems
- Fire detection and control system security
- 24x7x365 onsite personnel and video surveillance captured to DVR
Additionally, we operate three separate call centers. Each center can seamlessly process traffic from each of the other centers in case of an emergency at any one of the call center locations; each center acts as a back-up for the others. All of the call centers feature natural gas generators on the roof to ensure power and Ethernet connection redundancies from the four providers coming into our building.
Ensuring Redundancy For Your Medical Team
The Doctors Answer is a medical-only answering service, boasting over 25 years of experience providing medical, hospital, dental, and pharmacy offices with professional call answering services. Visit our website to learn more, or to sign up for answering services that are secure and reliable.