Choosing a downtime solution is not the same as choosing most other healthcare software. The stakes are different. Most software supports operations when things are going well. A downtime solution only matters when things have gone wrong, and at that moment, there is no time to discover that it does not actually do what you needed it to do.
Evaluating downtime solution vendors requires a specific framework that goes beyond standard software procurement questions. The right questions to ask are about reliability under failure conditions, not performance under ideal ones.
1. Does It Integrate with Your Specific EHR and Stay Current?
The single most important technical question to ask any downtime solution vendor is how their system integrates with your EHR and how current the patient data will be when you actually need it. Some downtime solutions pull data on a schedule, which means the data on your workstations could be hours old when an outage begins. Others maintain a live or near-live feed.
Key questions to ask:
- Does the solution use an HL7 interface to continuously feed patient data, or does it sync on a scheduled basis?
- How current will the census, MAR, and patient history be at the moment of an outage?
- Does the vendor have documented integrations with your specific EHR platform, including your version?
- What happens to the data feed if the integration experiences a problem before the outage?
dbtech’s Downtime Solution maintains a continuous live data feed through an HL7 interface, ensuring that the patient information available on downtime workstations reflects the current state of the EHR. Integrations are documented for Epic, Cerner, MEDITECH, and other major platforms.
2. What Happens When the Internet Is Also Down?
This is one of the most important and most frequently overlooked questions in downtime vendor evaluations. Many downtime solutions are cloud-based or partially cloud-dependent. If the network outage that takes down your EHR also takes down your internet connection, a cloud-dependent downtime solution may be unavailable exactly when you need it most.
Questions to ask on this point:
- Is the solution hosted on-premise, in the cloud, or as a hybrid?
- If the internet is unavailable, can clinical staff still access patient data on the downtime workstations?
- Where is the patient data stored: locally on the workstation, on a local server, or in a cloud environment?
- Has the vendor tested the solution in a scenario where both the EHR and the internet are simultaneously unavailable?
dbtech’s solution is an on-premise system that stores patient data locally, meaning it remains accessible even when the internet is completely unavailable. The data does not depend on an external server or cloud connection to be usable during an outage.
3. Does It Support Electronic Workflows or Just Data Viewing?
There is a meaningful difference between a downtime solution that lets staff view patient data and one that lets them actually work during an outage. A view-only solution helps staff know what was in the record before the outage began. A full workflow solution lets them register new patients, complete and sign forms, print wristbands and labels, document care, and collect data in a format that integrates back into the EHR after recovery.
Evaluate whether the vendor’s solution supports:
- Electronic patient registration using downtime encounter numbers
- Barcoded wristband and label printing
- Electronic form completion and e-signature during the outage
- Barcode scanning for patient identification
- Structured data export back into the EHR after recovery, not just printouts or PDFs
dbtech’s eForms solution provides full electronic workflow capability during a downtime event, including interactive forms that mirror the organization’s existing workflows. Data collected during the outage is exported back into the EHR through the bi-directional HL7 interface, not re-entered manually.
4. What Does the Recovery Process Actually Look Like?
Vendors often spend most of their demonstration time on the downtime experience and very little on recovery. This is backwards from a buyer’s perspective. The recovery process is where many downtime solutions create more work than they save. Manual re-entry from paper forms or PDF exports can take days and introduce errors.
Questions to ask about recovery:
- How does data collected during the downtime period get back into the EHR?
- Is it a structured electronic export, or does staff need to manually re-enter information?
- How long does the reconciliation process typically take for an organization of your size?
- Can the vendor provide references from customers who have used the recovery process after a real outage?
5. How Does Pricing Scale with Your Organization?
Downtime solution pricing models vary significantly across vendors. Some charge per bed, some per workstation, and some charge a flat enterprise fee regardless of size. For smaller organizations, per-bed pricing can be prohibitively expensive. For larger organizations, per-workstation pricing may end up costing more than expected as deployment grows.
Things to evaluate in the pricing conversation:
- What is the per-unit cost at your current scale, and how does it change if you grow?
- Are there implementation fees, training fees, or annual maintenance fees on top of the base price?
- Is there a minimum commitment period, and what are the terms for scaling up or down?
- Does the pricing model allow you to start small and add stations as your preparedness program matures?
dbtech’s tiered pricing model is structured specifically to address this. Tier 1 covers 3 to 5 stations at $299 per station per month. Tier 2 covers 6 to 10 stations at $149 per station per month. Tier 3 covers 11 or more stations at $99 per station per month. Organizations can start at the tier that fits their current needs and scale as they grow.
6. What Does Ongoing Support Look Like?
A downtime solution is not a set-it-and-forget-it purchase. EHRs get upgraded. Staff turn over. Forms change. Downtime workstations need to be maintained and kept current with the workflows they are meant to support. Evaluate the vendor’s support model carefully:
- Is there a dedicated implementation team or a generic onboarding process?
- How are system updates and EHR version changes handled?
- What is the support response time for a critical issue during an actual downtime event?
- Does the vendor offer ongoing training for new staff, or is that a separate cost?
To see how dbtech approaches all of these areas, schedule a complimentary Downtime Audit Assessment or request a demo to walk through the solution in detail.