Most clinical practices are not prepared for a disaster, and failure to prepare for a disaster can have devastating consequences on a medical practice, the physicians, and the patients. Disaster Planning for the Clinical Practice describes the types of disasters that can affect medical practices, suggests steps for disaster planning, and identifies the necessary procedures for restarting the practice after a disaster has occurred. Natural disasters are not the most common casue of practice failure - man-made disasters such as computer crashes, power outages, and loss of electronic data are more likely to impact a medical practice. This book offers suggestions on the preparation of a disaster plan that can be easily implemented into any health practice, and discusses how to overcome both natural and man-made disasters. Each chapter features true disaster case studies, questions doctors or office managers need to answer, and step-by-step recommendations for the implementation of the disaster plan, as well as dozens of templates and forms ready for immediate use. This is an essential resource for all practices large, small, rural, and academic.Includes a user-friendly CD ROM with forms, questionnaires, and charts!

Neil Baum, MD, is a urologist in private practice and a clinical associate professor of urology at the Louisiana State University Medical School and the Tulane Medical School, both in New Orleans. He has served on the editorial boards of Postgraduate Medicine, Uro-Care, Medical Office Biller, Cost & Quality, Physician's Payment Update, and Physician's Marketing and Management and has been a monthly contributor to American Medical News and Health and Fitness. Dr. Baum is the author of several books – including Ecnetopmi – Impotence: It's Reversible, Take Charge of Your Medical Practice: Practical Practice Management for the Managed Care Market, Urology Office Manual, Effective Letters for the Health Care Profession, and Impotence: It's Curable.

President and CEO, Peak Performance Physicians, LLC, New Orleans, Louisiana