Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks of having patients' sensitive medical information stowed away in cluttered filing cabinets is that the data is rendered destructible by floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires or a number of other natural disasters. During such instances, practices that use reliable web based chiropractic software are often able to retain their valuable library of patient information.  

According to a recent report in Kaiser Health News, the Moore Medical Center in Oklahoma was destroyed when a tornado struck the city in May, displacing about 30 patients who had to be transferred to a nearby facility. Fortunately, all staff, patients and visitors survived the ordeal, and the individuals undergoing care were able to seamlessly continue their treatment in other health clinics. 

In addition to swift response from rescuers involved, one factor that helped ensure a safe transfer was the medical center's use of EHR software, the news source reported. John Meharg, director of health information technology at Norman Regional Health System, one of the two facilities to which the Moore patients were transferred, spoke to Kaiser Health News about the event.

"The transfer was totally seamless," Meharg told the source. "We're very fortunate that we're a little ahead of the game."

While the event of a natural disaster is relatively unlikely, events like the one in Moore underscore the need for preparedness—not to mention, it can take a lot less than a tornado to put data at risk.

The EHR Institute states that practices should take measures to protect the data stored on web based medical software in the event of a lightning strike or electrical outage. This can be as simple as backing up information using cloud technology or even just an external hard drive, depending on the size of a practice.