[BCM] [NHI] [E1] [C10] Identifying Critical Business Functions

Chapter 10

What Are Institut Jantung Negara’s Critical Business Functions Concerning Business Continuity Management?

At the heart of any resilient healthcare institution lies a deep understanding of its core operations—those functions that must continue even in times of crisis to ensure patient safety and the continuity of care.

For Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) — Malaysia’s premier heart centre — these Critical Business Functions (CBFs) form the backbone of its Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework.

As a leading specialist heart hospital providing comprehensive cardiovascular and thoracic care, IJN serves thousands of patients annually. The scope of its services spans from high-risk emergency cardiac procedures and surgeries to outpatient follow-ups and patient rehabilitation.

In the context of BCM, the criticality of IJN’s business functions must be evaluated not just by their operational value but by their impact on life, health outcomes, public trust, and compliance with regulatory obligations.

Identifying IJN's Critical Business Functions

The following categories represent IJN’s most Critical Business Functions, which must be protected, supported, and rapidly restored in the event of a disruption:

CBF-1: Emergency and Inpatient Cardiac Care Services

Description: This function involves life-saving interventions such as cardiac catheterisation, angioplasty, and cardiothoracic surgeries.

Reason for Criticality: Any disruption can directly endanger patient lives and erode public confidence in IJN’s role as a national cardiac referral centre.

Continuity Objective: Ensure continuous operation of critical care wards, ICU, and on-call specialist teams within minimal recovery time.

CBF-2: Outpatient Clinics and Specialist Consultations

Description: Regular follow-ups, diagnostics, and non-emergency consultations conducted across multiple speciality clinics.

Reason for Criticality: These services manage chronic conditions and pre-/post-operative care. A prolonged disruption could lead to deteriorating patient conditions.

Continuity Objective: Restore core outpatient operations within 24 to 48 hours, with teleconsultation as an alternate mode.

CBF-3: Cardiac Diagnostic and Imaging Services

Description: Includes echocardiography, CT scans, MRIs, treadmill tests, and other diagnostic services essential for clinical decision-making.

Reason for Criticality: Diagnostics are foundational for emergency, inpatient, and surgical cases. Any delay affects the quality of treatment and timelines.

Continuity Objective: Maintain at least baseline diagnostic capabilities within core hours, prioritising emergency cases.

CBF-4: Pharmacy and Medication Supply Chain

Description: Management of critical medications for inpatient, outpatient, and surgical care, including cold chain items.

Reason for Criticality: Disruption may halt surgeries, ICU treatment, or lead to non-compliance with treatment protocols.

Continuity Objective: Secure pharmaceutical supply continuity through vendor agreements and backup stockholding policies.

CBF-5: Health Information Management and Electronic Medical Records (EMR)

Description: Central repository and access point for patient records, diagnostics, and treatment histories.

Reason for Criticality: Essential for informed clinical decisions. Data unavailability may result in treatment errors or delays.

Continuity Objective: Implement secure backup systems and offline EMR access protocols during IT outages.

CBF-6: Critical IT Infrastructure and Systems

Description: Includes hospital information systems, EMR platforms, patient queue systems, and interdepartmental communications.

Reason for Criticality: These systems ensure coordinated care, efficient patient flow, and the exchange of real-time information.

Continuity Objective: Restore critical systems within four hours via redundant data centres and failover systems.

CBF-7: Facilities and Biomedical Engineering

Description: Operation and maintenance of critical utilities including power, water, HVAC, surgical theatres, and life-support equipment.

Reason for Criticality: Patient care cannot continue safely without functioning physical infrastructure and equipment.

Continuity Objective: Ensure 24/7 engineering response, preventive maintenance, and backup generator readiness.

CBF-8: Supply Chain and Procurement Services

Description: Ensures the availability of medical consumables, surgical tools, PPE, and logistics for hospital operations.

Reason for Criticality: Disruptions can halt surgical procedures and patient treatment plans.

Continuity Objective: Maintain agreements with multiple vendors and inventory thresholds to buffer against delays.

CBF-9: Infection Control and Sterilisation Services

Description: Infection prevention procedures, including sterilisation of equipment and infection monitoring.

Reason for Criticality: Failure can lead to nosocomial outbreaks and pose patient safety hazards.

Continuity Objective: Maintain sterilisation services at full capacity during disruptions, with pre-identified alternate arrangements.

CBF-10: Command, Communication, and Coordination During Emergencies

Description: Crisis management leadership, internal communication systems, emergency drills, and coordination with national health authorities.

Reason for Criticality: Ensures effective incident response, minimises panic, and upholds public trust.

Continuity Objective: Maintain functional emergency response teams and communication channels at all times.

Table: Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) – Critical Business Functions for Business Continuity Management

CBF Code	Critical Business Function (CBF)	Description	Reason for Criticality	Continuity Objective
CBF-1	Emergency and Inpatient Cardiac Care Services	Life-saving interventions include cardiac catheterisation, angioplasty, and cardiac surgery.	Direct impact on patient survival; delays can be fatal and damage IJN’s national reputation.	Maintain continuous operations of ICU, emergency wards, and specialist coverage with minimal recovery time.
CBF-2	Outpatient Clinics and Specialist Consultations	Regular follow-ups, diagnostics, specialist consultations, and non-emergency assessments.	Delays can lead to deterioration of chronic cardiac conditions and disrupt continuity of care.	Resume services within 24–48 hours; activate teleconsultation options if physical clinics are unavailable.
CBF-3	Cardiac Diagnostic and Imaging Services	Includes echo, treadmill test, cardiac CT, MRI, and other non-invasive diagnostics.	Diagnostics support emergency and surgical cases; unavailability affects clinical decisions.	Prioritise emergency diagnostics; maintain critical operations during core hours.
CBF-4	Pharmacy and Medication Supply Chain	Medication supply and dispensation for inpatients, outpatients, and surgical cases.	Disruption could halt essential treatments, surgeries, or result in drug unavailability.	Ensure uninterrupted supply through alternate vendors and backup stock.
CBF-5	Health Information Management & Electronic Medical Records (EMR)	Storage and access to medical records, diagnostics, and treatment data.	Unavailable records risk patient safety and compromise the quality of care.	Implement EMR backup and offline access; prioritise rapid system recovery.
CBF-6	Critical IT Infrastructure and Systems	Hospital Information System (HIS), EMR, patient queue system, internal comms.	Core enabler of clinical coordination and operational efficiency; IT failures disrupt all units.	Achieve system recovery within 4 hours through redundancy and failover mechanisms.
CBF-7	Facilities and Biomedical Engineering	Maintenance of power, water, HVAC, surgical theatres, ICU, and life-support equipment.	Inoperable infrastructure endangers lives and prevents critical services from continuing.	Maintain emergency engineering teams and backup generators 24/7.
CBF-8	Supply Chain and Procurement Services	Acquisition of medical consumables, PPE, tools, and equipment.	Supply chain delays disrupt surgeries, procedures, and patient management.	Secure multi-vendor agreements; maintain minimum stock thresholds.
CBF-9	Infection Control and Sterilisation Services	Equipment sterilisation, infection tracking, and hygiene controls.	Infection outbreaks pose legal, reputational, and patient safety risks.	Maintain full sterilisation operations; pre-identify alternate sterilisation units.
CBF-10	Emergency Command, Communication, and Coordination	Crisis management teams, communication platforms, and stakeholder coordination.	Essential for executing timely responses, managing stakeholders, and containing incident escalation.	Ensure uninterrupted access to emergency comms and leadership command functions.

Integrating CBFs into BCM Strategy

The identification of these Critical Business Functions is not a one-off exercise. IJN’s BCM approach ensures that each CBF is mapped with:

Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs)
Minimum Resource Requirements
Interdependencies
Risk Assessments
Alternate Workarounds and Recovery Strategies

Through simulations, scenario-based planning, and cross-functional BCM teams, IJN ensures resilience in the face of pandemics, IT failures, facility outages, or supply chain interruptions.

Summing Up...

As Malaysia’s national heart institute, IJN bears a profound responsibility not just for the continuity of care but for setting a benchmark in healthcare resilience. Its Critical Business Functions are carefully defined to reflect both operational necessity and societal impact.

Embedding these functions into a robust BCM framework ensures that IJN remains unwavering in its mission—saving lives, even in the most trying of times. Through this clarity of purpose and commitment to continuity, IJN stands as a model of healthcare resilience in the region.

More Information About Business Continuity Management Courses

To learn more about the course and schedule, click the buttons below for the BCM-300 Business Continuity Management Implementer [B-3] course and the BCM-5000 Business Continuity Management Expert Implementer [B-5].