As healthcare leaders, it is impossible to overlook the impact the COVID-19 epidemic is having on businesses, both small and large. As the financial implications are still being tallied, an imperative to easing stress during any catastrophe is a good plan. You may ask, “what should a plan look like at a time like this?” We recommend the following basics towards building a good plan:
Assess. Take stock of your organization and look at:
• What systems will be affected?
• Who must be notified?
• When will specific actions be taken in order of priority?
• Where will your business operate?
• How will circumstances change the way your business would function?
Communicate. Clear and thorough communication with employees, vendors, and customers is necessary to make your contingency plan effective. Be sure to:
• Establish an emergency chain of command and assign roles and actions for each person
• Ensure emergency and contact information is routinely updated
• Assign someone to manage the immediate response to employee safety
• Practice or hold simulation sessions and allow for Q&A
• Stay connected to a common source of information and resources
Be responsive and responsible. The organization must be responsive to the needs of employees, vendors, and customers.
• Detail how your organization will execute a plan to encompass all important factors- employees, vendors, and customers
• Hold everyone accountable for their role, especially if plan execution falls short
Do not fear change. Observe the impact of your plan and lessons learned and make changes as needed for the greater good.
• During practice and simulation sessions it is important to note where changes will be made to enhance the process
• Make and document changes as soon as possible
• Post-disruption discuss and disclose the lessons learned with each occurrence
• Work on improving your plan- the next time around should be better
Our mission is to enable healthcare organizations to achieve optimal performance. The impact of COVID-19 is currently impacting our ability to deliver some services. However, our top priority is to support you and your organizations. We will continue to be available during this difficult time. PHS has activated the business contingency plan and we continue to operate remotely and onsite as necessary as we toil through challenges together.
