Be prepared for the unexpected with a contingency plan

Preparing for the unexpected is a critical aspect of running a business, and physicians have some unique situations to consider.

WorkSafeBC requires that all businesses in British Columbia have an emergency plan—including medical clinics. Clinics should also strongly consider creating a business continuity plan. These tools ensure you can recover critical elements of your practice, such as medical records, during unexpected disruptions. Alongside protecting your practice, you can develop a personal contingency plan for yourself in the event you are suddenly unable to work.

This toolkit outlines the basic elements of emergency preparedness, business continuity, and personal contingency planning.

Your contingency plan objectives:

  • Identifying patients, and other parties who need to be notified during an adverse event
  • Creating a plan to help avoid confusion during a crisis by documenting, testing, and reviewing response and recovery procedures
  • Identifying essential services to your business and ensuring timely retrieval of critical records
  • Ensuring you and your business are prepared for the unexpected

Before you start: Think about events that may affect you:

Make a list of specific adverse events that pose a threat to your clinic such as fire, flood, power outage, facility damage, medical emergencies, extreme weather, prolonged absence, etc.

Has dealing with an adverse event affected your mental health? The Physician Health Program is available to support you.

Interested in COVID-19 specific information? See Doctors of BC’s Practice toolkit.

Contingency planning toolkit

All fillable templates in the below toolkit can be found in one easy-to-download template package.

Access information about the College's message on contingency planning for an unexpected office closure.

1. Assembling your emergency kits
2. Confirming your insurance coverage
  • Contact your current insurance provider to confirm you have adequate commercial insurance coverage. Learn more information about medical clinic insurance requirements.
  • If you do not have an insurance provider, you can get preferred rates from Westland Insurance* through ClubMD. *Member login required.
  • To protect your records, keep a safety box that includes:
    • Insurance company contact
    • Policy number
    • Copy of policy
    • Photos/video of practice and inventory
    • Any other important documents
  • Keep digital and physical copies of your policy off-site.
3. Documenting office procedures and assigning key roles and responsibilities
  • Prepare a plan outlining specific actions required to address the potential threats you have identified using the Office procedures template.
  • Assign specific roles and responsibilities to staff and identify alternates in case a lead role is unavailable. This list of key roles in disaster response can help you communicate your team's responsibilities.
  • Group practices should have governance agreement that includes contingency planning. Solo practitioners should consider making an alliance with another solo practitioner.
4. Creating contact lists and a communication plan
  • Create a staff contact list, including key roles and responsibilities, and indicate who will contact whom. Also, create a list of all external suppliers and vendors who will need to be notified during and after an adverse event.
  • Plan for how critical information will be communicated to staff, patients, and other key contacts. Use the Staff contact and communication plan template to start your contact lists and communication plan.
5. Identifying essential services
  • Identify the critical functions of your clinic (i.e., patient appointments/procedures, inputting medical records, etc.) and the essential services they depend on (i.e., receptionist, EMR, internet, electricity, water, etc.).
  • Consider how long your clinic could remain open without certain services, and list strategies to deal with the absence of those essential services using the Essential services template.
  • To maintain continuity of care and business functions before, during, and after an EMR downtime event occurs, the EMR downtime contingency plan instructions can help you complete your EMR downtime contingency Plan(DOC).
6. Completing a critical record inventory
  • Use the Critical records inventory template to help you document where critical files and information are stored and consider how you will access them during and after an adverse event. Contact your EMR vendor to coordinate appropriate recovery procedures. If your records need to be converted to digital files, connect with MedRecords.
  • Use the Closing practice resources to make a continuity plan for patient care and medical records if you are suddenly unable to practice.
7. Implementing and regularly reviewing your plans
8. Solidifying your personal contingency plans and estate

Emergency preparedness resources

Medical clinic preparedness planning
Divisions of Family Practice and Health Authorities
Evacuation information
General information
Natural disaster information
For your patients

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