How physician practices can avoid a power outage

Clement Feng

Here’s what we know. Physician practices can’t provide patient care or generate revenue when they are forced to close due to a power outage. Quite simply, a power outage is a disruption that no medical practice can afford because they interrupt patient treatment, impact recovery timelines and hurt the bottom line.

Without electricity, everything stops working from lights, heat and air conditioning to equipment, computers and phones. That means real-time patient care comes to an immediate halt and so does the ability to reschedule and make new appointments, process billings or continue managing patient records. Whether caused by harsh weather events, mandated rolling black or brown-outs or an unreliable grid — power outages cause tremendous strain, especially when the average length is more than five hours nationally.

And, if the outage happens during the winter months with freezing temperatures, your office may be susceptible to burst pipes, which can damage or destroy floors, walls, equipment, files, computers, furniture and more. Sadly, some practices may discover their insurance does not cover this type of damage, which will create another financial crisis for the business.

Yet, it is possible for healthcare offices and physician practices to plan and avert worst case scenarios. Back-up energy systems are now more affordable and even more efficient and long-lasting. Standby generators and battery storage systems are two potential power solutions to consider. Here’s what they are and how they work.

Permanent standby generators are installed outdoors so they don’t take up office space and the noise will be muted so it won’t distract patients. The best location is typically at the back of the building. Professional installation is a must since the equipment needs to be installed on a concrete slab at least five feet away from windows, doors and fresh air intakes. Connecting to a natural gas line is usually the most convenient fuel source but a standby generator can also use liquid propane or diesel. In either case, a standby generator is connected to the electrical panel by an automatic transfer switch (ATS), which monitors the utility line and immediately recognizes when power is lost. When that happens, it will trigger the unit to automatically start within seconds so business can continue without interruption.

Patients will never know the power went out – it is that fast and seamless.

After utility power returns, the standby generator will recognize it and automatically switch off. In addition, the generator conducts an automatic weekly self-test so it’s always ready to kick in whenever the next outage occurs.

As far as what size unit your practice will need, that depends on how much of the office you need to keep functioning. Working with an installer, you can determine how the back-up power is distributed and what it will power during an outage. Typically, a second electrical sub-panel will be required and all critical elements are put on it so the generator will back up those items.

Ultimately, when you have a standby generator, you can designate how the backup power is distributed in your building from room locations to the equipment, so your professional staff can continue business as usual.

Battery backup systems are most often associated with solar panels, yet they don’t have to be paired with solar to work. While it isn’t as widely known, battery systems can collect and store energy from the grid or a generator and then this energy can be tapped when power is needed. Battery backup systems require an inverter with an integrated ATS to sense a grid outage and switch between the primary power source and the backup battery system. The batteries can be hung on the wall of a storage room or outside attached to the side of your building. And similar to the generator, the power interruption may be hard to detect since the switchover is almost instantaneous and silent. When the batteries are depleted, they will need to be recharged, which can be done with grid power, solar power or your generator.

Whether you choose battery storage or a standby generator, both will activate immediately to help keep pre-determined essential operations up and running. One of the biggest factors in choosing which type of system is how long your power outages typically last. If your practice is located in a part of the country where prolonged outages are known to occur, a generator is often preferred. Otherwise, if typical outage activity is frequent but in shorter durations, then a battery system may be the ideal solution.

Physician practices can stay open and keep operating even when power is down in the area. Don’t be left in the dark—prepare your business – the time is now.

Clement Feng is Vice President of Product Management for Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of standby generators and battery storage systems. He can be reached on LinkedIn.