THE DIGITAL PRACTICE
Considering the co-location option for your EHR system
The model takes the burden of maintenance off your hands while still giving you access to the servers.
By Peter Polack, MD, FACS
Previous installments of this column have dealt with the differences between an on-premise EHR system — running on servers located in your office — and a web-based EHR system, also known as software-as-a-service.
For many practices, especially smaller ones, the software-as-a-service model for EHR is compelling. They feature little or no up-front costs and no major hardware, such as servers, to purchase.
Co-location advantages
1. Little to no capital expenditures for hardware — multiple physical (or virtual) servers to run your various applications including EHR, EPM, and Optical, and a specialized, secured, air-conditioned environment with standby backup generator to house them.
2. Increased redundancy — a good data center will have data backed up to more than one facility as a failsafe.
3. Improved reliability — data centers typically refresh their hardware on a two- to five-year plan (as opposed to five to 10 years for the typical practice).
4. Scalability — the data storage grows as your practice grows without fear of “running out of space.”
Co-location disadvantages
1. Dependent on a fast internet connection, just like the software-as-a-service model — although in many cities, high-speed fiberoptic lines with redundancy can make a local connection more reliable.
2. May still require practice staff to maintain, depending on the arrangement.
3. Possible concerns about the data backup and who is responsible — again, depending on the arrangement.
REQUIRED MAINTENANCE
Many practices want more control over their data and don’t like the idea of being completely cut off from it if their Internet goes down. So, they have servers on-premise and store the EHR application and its associated data on them. The downside to this is the maintenance required for this hardware: a controlled, air-conditioned environment, security protocols, software licensing and updates, a robust backup power system or standby generator, just to name a few. If some natural catastrophe should befall your office, you could lose everything.
A THIRD OPTION
Co-location is a service that offers servers that belong (or are assigned) to the practice that are physically located elsewhere, usually in the same geographic area, but in a data center that is specifically constructed to host computer hardware. It is essentially like having your IT department in a secure location.
Depending on the arrangement, your IT people can have access to the center 24/7, but it is taken care of when they’re not there, day and night. OM
| Peter J. Polack, MD, FACS, is co-managing partner for Ocala Eye, a multi-subspecialty ophthalmology practice located in Ocala, Fla. He is also founder of Emedikon, an online practice resource for physicians and administrators. His e-mail is ppolack@ocalaeye.com |
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