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How Fisher HealthCare Supports Your Operation During a Disaster

Fisher HealthCare, an unincorporated division of Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C. (“Fisher HealthCare”), maintains risk mitigation and business continuity plans and procedures across all relevant aspects of its operations. As a distributor, Fisher HealthCare maintains a highly diversified logistics network consisting of over 20 primary distribution centers, each of which is backed up by the others. As a whole, the loss of any one or two of Fisher HealthCare’s distribution centers would not have a material impact on its operations.

While failures in Fisher HealthCare’s system are rare and have been infrequent, Fisher HealthCare has implemented the following plans and procedures to ensure continuity of operations and minimal disruption of service:

Customer Service

Fisher HealthCare has in place a highly effective backup system for ensuring that customer service calls are completed, even in the event of a disaster. We employ an 800-number call-routing network, which automatically re-routes call traffic immediately from the affected location to one of Fisher HealthCare’s remaining customer service centers.

Transportation

Fisher HealthCare is able to provide quick response times for deliveries to customer sites in the event of a disaster due to the many contingency options we have in regard to transportation. Fisher HealthCare maintains a strong relationship with UPS, Federal Express, and other carriers so that we can ship products on short notice, whether by ground (truckload, LTL) or air (for disastrous conditions).

Warehousing / Production

Fisher HealthCare maintains a documented disaster plan to cover contingencies in warehousing and minimize effects on product availability and operations. Manual backup procedures exist, in the event that Fisher HealthCare’s automated systems fail within a warehouse, to maintain continued operations and service.

Recovery

Each major segment of Fisher HealthCare’s business maintains and updates disaster recovery plans suitable for its particular operation:

Data Backup

All of our system data is backed up nightly and weekly to protect against loss of data due to a power outage. Two backup copies are made: one backup copy remains on-site at Fisher HealthCare’s central offices in Pittsburgh, PA; the other copy is replicated off site to our SunGard disaster site in Philadelphia, PA.

Environmental Redundancy

If a power failure is detected, our battery power backup is immediately triggered and started. Next, our diesel generator is started with enough fuel on-site to operate for two weeks.

Disaster Recovery

Fisher HealthCare maintains a full-system disaster recovery agreement with SunGard Recovery Services, which is located off-site in Philadelphia, PA. Our recovery system is tested twice a year to ensure that it would be operational in the case of an actual disaster. In a “worst case” disaster, Fisher HealthCare’s system should be fully operational again in no more than 48 hours.

EDI System Redundancy

Fisher HealthCare’s EDI translator and data are backed up regularly using the above procedures. Fisher HealthCare’s primary value-added network (VAN), IBM Global Network, features “no single point of failure.” However, we also support three secondary VANs: GEIS, Sterling Commerce, and MCI (In the unlikely event of the failure of our primary VAN).

Contact Information

Contact information does not change during critical situations. Customers can always contact Fisher HealthCare through the following standard channels:

Phone: +1-800-640-0640
Fax: +1-800-290-0290
E-mail: FS.order@thermofisher.com
Internet Ordering: www.fisherhealthcare.com


Fisher HealthCare Disaster Preparedness

To learn more about Fisher HealthCare safety products and disaster solutions, download the Fisher HealthCare Disaster Preparedness Brochure.

Download the Brochure (PDF, 3.7MB)


Additional Resources

For a terrific resource on preparing your organization for a disaster situation, visit the Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management website to order the Disaster Preparedness Manual for Healthcare Materials Management Professionals.

Learn:

  • Who should be involved in the disaster planning process
  • What federal resources exist to help
  • Where to obtain supplies and equipment
  • How to optimize support for the hospital
  • Which procedures should be incorporated into a disaster program

The manual may also be ordered by calling +1-800-242-2626 and using the product code number 142940.