Backups
If you have never restored it, you do not have a backup.
The USB in the front-desk drawer is a souvenir. HIPAA does not care that you “have a copy somewhere.” Ransomware does not care either. We make offices watch a restore — including the imaging database they forgot was a separate beast.
How offices get this wrong
- Unencrypted copies on local disks or a USB stick
- A cloud vendor with no Business Associate Agreement
- Jobs that fail silently for weeks
- Imaging databases left out of the job — charts without films
HIPAA asks for more than a copy: encryption, access control, a log, and proof you can recover. Ask your IT person for evidence of a successful restore. The only thing worse than losing data is thinking you’re protected when you’re not.