--- title: The Three Hidden Costs of Downtime That Have Nothing to Do With Dollars - Interbit Data description: When people think about healthcare information system downtimes, they often immediately think about the impact on patient care. But, downtimes can be very costly in terms of both patient safety and dollars, especially if you don’t have a good business continuance plan, which we’ll outline below. But the financial costs are not the only costs. image: https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21178601/Imported_Blog_Media/bigstock-downtime-black-and-yellow-rou-129685802-1.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://interbitdata.com/blog/the-three-hidden-costs-of-downtime-that-have-nothing-to-do-with-dollars#main-content) [Knowledge Base Login](https://knowledge.interbitdata.com/en/knowledge)     [Support](https://interbitdata.com/support/) [![Interbit Logo](https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21178601/Interbit%202026/Interbit%20Logos/logo-interbit-retina-svg.svg) ![Interbit Logo](https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21178601/Interbit%202026/Interbit%20Logos/logo-interbit-retina-svg.svg)](https://interbitdata.com) - [Show submenu for Solutions Solutions](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/beacon) - [Beacon Downtime](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/beacon/downtime) - [Beacon Delivery](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/beacon/delivery) - [Beacon Navigator](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/beacon/navigator) - [PatientPath](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/patientpath) - [Blog](https://interbitdata.com/blog) - Show submenu for Resources Resources - [Events](https://interbitdata.com/resources/events/) - [Resources](https://interbitdata.com/resources/success-stories/) - Show submenu for About Us About Us - [Meet the Team](https://interbitdata.com/about/team) - [Partners](https://interbitdata.com/about/partners) Open main navigation Close main navigation - Show submenu for Solutions Solutions - Solutions - [Solutions](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/beacon) - [Beacon Downtime](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/beacon/downtime) - [Beacon Delivery](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/beacon/delivery) - [Beacon Navigator](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/beacon/navigator) - [PatientPath](https://interbitdata.com/solutions/patientpath) - [Blog](https://interbitdata.com/blog) - Show submenu for Resources Resources - Resources - [Events](https://interbitdata.com/resources/events/) - [Resources](https://interbitdata.com/resources/success-stories/) - Show submenu for About Us About Us - About Us - [Meet the Team](https://interbitdata.com/about/team) - [Partners](https://interbitdata.com/about/partners) - Search - [Request a Demo](https://interbitdata.com/request-a-demo) [Request a Demo](https://interbitdata.com/request-a-demo) Search [Blog](https://interbitdata.com/blog) Tags - [Healthcare Information Systems](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/healthcare-information-systems) - [IT Challenges](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/it-challenges) - [Business Continuity](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/business-continuity) - [Cybersecurity](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/cybersecurity) - [Company News](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/company-news) - [Cyberattack](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/cyberattack) - [Cyberattacks](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/cyberattacks) Search - [Healthcare Information Systems](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/healthcare-information-systems) - [IT Challenges](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/it-challenges) - [Business Continuity](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/business-continuity) - [Cybersecurity](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/cybersecurity) - [Company News](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/company-news) - [Cyberattack](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/cyberattack) - [Cyberattacks](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/cyberattacks) [Business Continuity,](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/business-continuity) [Healthcare Information Systems](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/healthcare-information-systems) # The Three Hidden Costs of Downtime That Have Nothing to Do With Dollars by [Arthur Young](https://interbitdata.com/blog/author/arthur-young) Oct 31, 2017 When people think about healthcare information system downtimes, they often immediately think about the impact on patient care and then secondarily, the financial costs. But, downtimes can be very costly beyond patient safety and dollars, especially if you don’t have a good business continuance plan. You might think of these as the hidden costs of downtime. **![](https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/21178601/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/bigstock-downtime-black-and-yellow-rou-129685802-1.jpg?width=150&height=150&name=bigstock-downtime-black-and-yellow-rou-129685802-1.jpg)** **The Hidden Cost of Downtime** 1) The Cost to Patient Safety and Care 2) The Cost of Not Being HIPAA Compliant 3) The Impact on Your Reputation Before we look at the hidden costs, let’s look at the financial costs. These costs are not insignificant. In fact, we dedicated an entire article to them that you can [read here](https://interbitdata.com/costs-impact-hcis-downtimes/). Here’s a brief summary: • Average unplanned outage cost is $740,357\* • $8,851 per minute • Downtime is up 38% since 2010 • Unplanned Downtime occurs 2.7 times every two years on average ### **HIDDEN COST #1:** **Cost to Patient Safety and Care** When the HCIS goes down, hospitals without an electronic business continuity plan must operate the way hospitals used to operate — Manually. This is easier for nurses who were nursing prior to EMRs, but challenging for others. First, they have to track down the latest patient records (which often [looks like a 5K Fun Run](https://interbitdata.com/does-your-hcis-downtime-plan-resemble-a-5k-race/)). Here is what’s at risk during downtime for patients: • Clinicians are unable to access patient records, including medication records, lab results and other information needed to treat patients • Clinicians are unable to access the most up-to-date patient records • Medications may not be given on time, administered properly or given at all • Patient care is delayed as the staff goes through the manual downtime procedures • Workflows are altered (which, as stated, can be more challenging to nurses who weren’t nursing in the pre-EMR days) ### **HIDDEN COST #2: Cost of Not Being HIPAA Compliant** HIPAA “Security Guidelines” mandate that all healthcare organizations using healthcare data comply with business continuity standards. The penalties and fines for non-compliance are significant. You can read more about the specific guidelines [here](https://interbitdata.com/hipaa-mandate-maintaining-business-continuity-downtime/). ### **HIDDEN COST #3: Cost to Your Reputation** When your HCIS goes down, and it inevitably will, patient care is often delayed. The transfer of information that normally happens automatically with the HCIS running doesn’t occur, which means that important updates to treatment and medication are not easily accessed Diminished patient satisfaction can cause your HCAHPS scores to drop and create less-than-positive word of mouth that drives less traffic to your hospital. These hidden costs of downtime are real and can have a lasting impact on the financial health and reputation of a hospital. Not sure if you’re at risk? [These are the six telltale signs your data could be compromising patient care](https://interbitdata.com/6signs/). \*2016 Ponemon Institute study. Tags: [Business Continuity](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/business-continuity) [Healthcare Information Systems](https://interbitdata.com/blog/tag/healthcare-information-systems) **[Arthur Young](https://interbitdata.com/blog/author/arthur-young)** Oct 31, 2017 ## Related Articles [![Cybersecurity is Clinical Infrastructure:  Why Hospitals Need a Resilience Strategy](https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/21178601/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/iStock-963458566-Jul-28-2026-07-39-32-7419-PM.jpg?width=500&height=500&name=iStock-963458566-Jul-28-2026-07-39-32-7419-PM.jpg) Cybersecurity is Clinical Infrastructure:  Why Hospitals Need a Resilience Strategy](https://interbitdata.com/blog/time-to-reframe-the-shiny-object-in-healthcare-it) [![EHR report distribution: 3 workflow basics for hospital efficiency](https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/21178601/hubfs/Blog%20Post_EHR%20Report%20Distribution.png?width=500&height=500&name=Blog%20Post_EHR%20Report%20Distribution.png) EHR report distribution: 3 workflow basics for hospital efficiency](https://interbitdata.com/blog/ehr-report-distribution-workflow-basics-for-hospital-efficiency) [![Is Your Hospital ETDBW?](https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/21178601/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/patientpath-conversation-1.png?width=500&height=500&name=patientpath-conversation-1.png) Is Your Hospital ETDBW?](https://interbitdata.com/blog/is_your_hospital-etdbw) [![Ponemon: Business continuity management vital for data breach recovery](https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/21178601/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/IT-staff-computers-712-1.jpg?width=500&height=500&name=IT-staff-computers-712-1.jpg) Ponemon: Business continuity management vital for data breach recovery](https://interbitdata.com/blog/ponemon-business-continuity-management-vital-for-data-breach-recovery) [![Interbit Data, Inc.](https://21178601.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/21178601/Interbit%202026/Interbit%20Logos/logo-interbit-retina-svg.svg)](https://interbitdata.com/) Uptime, Downtime, Anytime! - - Keeping critical information moving securely and reliably for nearly 30 years. 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