For years, one of the most common reasons healthcare organizations gave for not having a dedicated downtime solution was cost. The perception that robust downtime preparedness required enterprise-level investment put it out of reach for smaller facilities and created a budget hurdle that delayed purchasing decisions at larger ones. dbtech’s tiered pricing model was designed specifically to remove that barrier.
The reality is that the cost of being unprepared for a downtime event almost always exceeds the cost of the solution. Research cited by the American Hospital Association places the average cost of EHR downtime at $7,500 to $7,900 per minute for healthcare organizations. The question for most facilities is not whether they can afford a downtime solution. It is whether they can afford not to have one.
How dbtech’s Three Tiers Are Structured
dbtech’s downtime solution is available in three pricing tiers, each calibrated to a different scale of deployment. The structure is straightforward:
- Tier 1 is designed for organizations deploying 3 to 5 downtime stations, priced at $299 per station per month
- Tier 2 is for organizations with 6 to 10 stations, priced at $149 per station per month
- Tier 3 covers organizations with 11 or more stations, priced at $99 per station per month
The per-station cost decreases as the number of stations increases, which means organizations that commit to broader deployment are rewarded with a lower unit cost. All tiers include the same core capabilities: continuous HL7 data feeds, electronic patient registration, barcoded wristband and label printing, access to the MAR and patient census, and integration with the EHR for post-outage data recovery. You can review the full tier structure on the dbtech Downtime Tier Pricing page.
Who Tier 1 Is For
Tier 1 is the entry point for organizations that are implementing a downtime solution for the first time or that have a small footprint with a limited number of critical access points. This tier is well suited for:
- Small community hospitals or critical access hospitals that need coverage in their ED, nursing unit, and registration area
- Ambulatory surgery centers or specialty clinics that have one or two high-priority registration points
- Organizations that want to pilot the solution in a single department before expanding
- Facilities that are earlier in their downtime preparedness journey and want to start with a manageable scope
At $299 per station per month for 3 to 5 stations, Tier 1 provides a predictable monthly cost that fits into most operational budgets without requiring a capital expenditure justification. The low barrier to entry means organizations can get protected now and expand later, rather than delaying implementation while waiting for a larger budget approval.
Who Tier 2 Is For
Tier 2 is designed for mid-size organizations that need coverage across multiple departments or floors. At 6 to 10 stations, this tier is appropriate for:
- Community hospitals with multiple nursing units plus ED and registration coverage
- Multi-department ambulatory networks that have expanded beyond a single location
- Organizations that ran a Tier 1 pilot and are ready to extend coverage across the full facility
- Facilities where the initial assessment identified more access points than a 5-station deployment could cover
The $149 per station pricing at this tier represents a meaningful cost reduction per unit compared to Tier 1 while delivering the same full-featured capability. For a 10-station deployment, the monthly investment is $1,490, which for most healthcare organizations is well within the range of operational budget rather than capital.
Who Tier 3 Is For
Tier 3 is for larger health systems, multi-site organizations, and any facility that requires broad coverage across many departments and locations. At $99 per station per month for 11 or more stations, this tier delivers enterprise-scale coverage at a cost that reflects the volume of the commitment. Tier 3 is the right choice for:
- Regional health systems covering multiple campuses
- Large acute care hospitals with extensive nursing units, specialty departments, and multiple registration points
- Organizations building out a comprehensive downtime program across their entire footprint
- Multi-site networks where consistent downtime readiness across all locations is a priority
The per-station cost at Tier 3 makes it feasible to deploy workstations in departments that might not seem like high priorities individually but matter in aggregate during a facility-wide outage, including pharmacy, lab, and ancillary service areas.
Scalability That Matches How Organizations Actually Grow
One of the most practical features of the tiered model is that it reflects how healthcare organizations actually approach downtime preparedness. Very few facilities go from zero to a fully deployed enterprise solution in a single procurement cycle. Most start with the highest-priority departments, validate that the solution works for their workflows, and then expand. The tier structure is built to support that path:
- Start at Tier 1 with the departments that would be most impacted by a downtime event
- Evaluate the solution’s performance during planned maintenance windows
- Expand to Tier 2 or Tier 3 as the program matures and budget allows
- Scale station count up or down as the organization’s needs change without being locked into a pricing model that does not fit the current footprint
The Cost of Waiting
The financial case for downtime preparedness does not require complex modeling. Consider what a three-hour unplanned EHR outage costs in lost productivity, delayed billing, paper-based documentation errors, and staff time spent on post-outage reconciliation. For most facilities, a single major downtime event costs more than a year of downtime solution subscription fees. The math is not close.
Beyond the direct financial cost, the regulatory cost of inadequate downtime preparedness, including findings from Joint Commission surveys, CMS Conditions of Participation reviews, and state health department inspections, adds an additional layer of exposure that has nothing to do with the outage itself.
To find out which tier is right for your organization and how many stations you would need to cover your highest-priority departments, schedule a complimentary Downtime Audit Assessment with dbtech’s team or request a demo to see the solution in action.