iSalus Healthcare is a fully web-based application. This means that access to the application is highly dependent on having a strong internet connection. In terms of access to the system, there are three primary failure points to be aware of and some recommendations to mitigate the impact when a failure occurs.
Failure Point 1: The Internet in your office
In order to access OfficeEMR, you must be able to connect to the internet. That starts in your office. You may be connecting via wi-fi or your computer may be plugged directly into an Ethernet port. Both of these types of connections will allow you to connect to the internet if it is up and running. Having an experienced local IT team configure, test, and maintain the internet connection in your office is critical and necessary when switching to a cloud based EMR/PM.
Recommendation:
- Have an experienced local IT team setup, test and configure your internet.
- Download the OfficeEMR Mobile Application
Basic Troubleshooting
Q: How do I know the internet in my office is the problem?
A: The first thing to try is going to some other website. If you can access other websites, but not OfficeEMR, the problem may not be your internet and it is time to start reaching out to iSalus Healthcare.
Q: I know that I have a problem with the internet in my office, what do I do?
A: The first thing to do is to contact your local IT team. There are a number things that may cause this that they should be able to work through. They may restart your router, or a number of other things. If they still can not fix it, they may reach out to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to see if the problem is with them.
Q: What can I do if my internet is down and I need to access patient data?
A: The best option here is to pull out your smartphone and download the OfficeEMR Mobile™ application from the Apple App store or Google Play Store. Accessing the application from your phone means that you may be able to use your cellular connection to connect to the internet rather than the wi-fi in your office that is having a hard time. This will provide limited access to patient records, your schedule and other features, but may help you at least somewhat move forward with your day while your IT team fixes your internet.
Failure Point 2: The Internet between your office and iSalus
Between your office and iSalus Healthcare’s cloud, there is a complicated infrastructure that is maintained by various companies that make the internet “work”. In order for you to access the internet at all, you must connect with one of these companies, known as Internet Service Providers (ISP’s). When using a web-based application, it is highly recommended to get the best possible internet connection that you can for your needs and budget. OfficeEMR’s speed and responsiveness is highly dependent on how fast your internet connection is. Another good thing to consider is acquiring a second, lower quality connection with a different ISP. This would allow you to quickly switch connections from one ISP to the other in the event that one was not functioning.
Recommendation
- Purchase a high-quality internet connection that fits in your budget.
- Consider connecting to a second Internet Service Provider if that fits in your budget.
Basic Troubleshooting
Q: When should I call my ISP to see if they are having issue?
A: If your local IT team assess your internet problem and determines that the issue is not with the equipment at your office, you should reach out to your ISP. They will be able to work with you to determine if they have an issue on their end.
Q: Why would my ISP have a problem?
A: It is important to remember that the internet is a complicated infrastructure of wires, computers, and other things. One common issue is that a wire may be severed – possibly due to nearby construction. These types of mistakes along with a host of other issues may cause the internet to stop working in your office.
Failure Point 3: The iSalus Healthcare Data Center
OfficeEMR’s cloud-based application is hosted in a Tier 1 data center that is monitored and maintained by a team of professionals 24 hours a days, 7 days a week. Our team is constantly on the lookout for issues and are ready and able to solve problems as they arise. Additionally, everything in our data-center – electricity, internet, servers, hard drives, etc… - are all redundant. This means that if one thing fails, there is a backup already there waiting to take over. For example, the data center receives power from 3 separate power grids in 3 different cities. If one power-grid were to fail, the data center is automatically switched over to the second one. These types of fail safes ensure a consistent and stable connection at all times. Under extremely rare scenarios, something may happen that truly brings the application down. In this event, a large team of individuals will be working on nothing but fixing the problem and getting things back online for you. We proudly maintain a 99.999% planned up time.
Basic Troubleshooting:
Q: What should I do if I think OfficeEMR is down?
A: The first thing to do is call iSalus and ask. It is likely that our team is already aware of the issue and we can provide guidance on our plan and timeline to fix the problem. In the rare times that this has occurred in the past, the system is usually back up and running in 10-15 minutes.
Q: Can I access the system during these times?
A: No, when the system is truly down, there is no way to access the data. This is why we spend so much time and energy ensuring that this does not happen.
Q: Where can I learn more about the iSalus Healthcare Data Center?
A: Check out this video!
