Clinic Business Continuity Plan Guidelines

Plan for a rainy day by protecting your clinic with a working business continuity plan (BCP).

A BCP can help your clinic prepare for sudden events such as an EMR outage or last year’s devastating floods in southern Alberta.

The BCP outlines what you need to do to continue patient care and business operations during any kind of interruptions (e.g., power failures, natural disasters, system crashes and more).

Clinic Business Continuity Plan (BCP) Guidelines

To help get you started, we've prepared a sample BCP:

How can a business continuity plan help you?

A business continuity plan also helps your clinic to plan immediate and long-term responses to adverse events and disasters.

The BCP serves as a guide for recovery and:

  • Outlines temporary business activities required during interruptions.
  • Identifies procedures and resources needed to help in recovery.
  • Lists vendors, patients and other parties to notify in the event of a disaster.
  • Helps avoid confusion during crises by documenting, testing and reviewing recovery procedures.
  • Identifies alternative sources for supplies and other resources and potential locations.
  • Documents how to store, safeguard and retrieve vital records.

Review and test your BCP regularly to ensure it continues to support your clinic during disruptions.

Get more information

Contact your EMR vendor for more information about your BCP (each vendor will have a solution that supports its clients).

If you have any questions on the BCP, please contact the AMA’s Caroline Garland

Alberta Medical Association Mission: Advocate for and support Alberta physicians. Strengthen their leadership in the provision of sustainable quality care.