Managed IT services are vital for any organization dealing in sensitive client information, but perhaps none more so than those in the healthcare industry. Outsourced managed IT services for healthcare organizations allow you to optimize patient care, streamline administrative processes, and remain HIPAA compliant.
While some healthcare professionals may be wary of handing reins over to outsiders, working with trusted managed service providers (MSPs) can significantly boost efficiency and reduce the threat of data breaches.
That’s because MSPs allow medical centers and other healthcare providers to hand over the often-confusing responsibility of managing a complex IT infrastructure to IT professionals whose sole focus is keeping you efficient, organized, protected, and compliant.
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The most trusted MSPs achieve this by relying on a solid People, Process, Technology (PPT) Framework (which optimizes the efficiency of an organization’s operations) and by delivering round-the-clock healthcare IT support.
There are countless reasons that managed IT services are crucial for healthcare professionals; here are the top five.
Managed IT Services for Healthcare Organizations: How Does Your Organization Stand to Benefit?
1. Ensure HIPAA Compliance
When the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996, the world was a very different place. Most organizations either hadn’t started or were at the very beginning of their digital transformations.
Since then, cloud technology, telehealth, and the increasing digitalization of electronic health records (EHRs) have drastically improved healthcare delivery but also complicated the task of safeguarding protected health information (PHI).
Failing to comply with HIPAA regulations can be dangerous—and costly—for healthcare providers. A good MSP will lessen the demands on your in-house IT team by putting measures in place that ensure your compliance and regularly assessing your infrastructure to determine whether any gaps or vulnerabilities remain.
2. Protect Your Data
Protecting your data isn’t just about compliance with HIPAA regulations. Data breaches can be catastrophic for organizations in any industry and not just healthcare. In fact, 60% of small companies shutter within six months of a breach.
Of course, the consequences are especially dire for organizations dealing with PHI.
MSPs will help you improve your healthcare IT security posture by conducting an assessment of the security of your network and devices, identifying the risks you currently face, and helping you address those risks.
An MSP can also help your team members participate in your defense through security awareness training.
3. Boost Efficiency and Reduce IT Costs
Most healthcare organizations don’t have the budget or resources to support the operating cost of an extensive in-house IT team; certainly not one large enough to effectively protect, support, and manage their IT infrastructure. MSPs, therefore, provide a cost-effective way to enjoy the IT resources of a much larger organization. A dedicated managed service provider offers more holistic IT risk protection and prevention.
IT disasters can strike at any time. That is why the best MSPs provide 24/7/365 support to ensure your organization is always prepared to rapidly address threats. Your managed services team can help you eliminate any single point of failure and therefore prevent devastating system failures.
Additionally, managed services providers can assist with business continuity planning, which results in increased uptime and optimal allocation of resources. Increased uptime and more efficient resource use mean short and long-term savings and less staff burnout.
4. Improve the Patient Experience
A well-managed IT infrastructure reduces stress for healthcare providers. It gives them a sense of continuity and peace of mind, knowing their technology will work when they need it. Preventing downtime also directly serves your customers, as anything that gets in the way of practitioners retrieving EHRs can delay treatment, appointments, or tests. This peace of mind and seamless workflow also transform the quality of the care that patients receive. High-functioning technology and a reliable IT service provider empowers providers to focus on what they do best: provide high-quality care to patients. This ultimately improves the patient experience.
| Learn How Else MSPs Can Help Your Practice |
5. Utilize the Latest in Cloud Technology
Cloud technology has revolutionized how we store, share and analyze patient data. When done properly, cloud-based storage saves organizations time, energy and headaches, while making data easier to share and interpret.
The processes of migrating to the cloud and protecting your cloud-based data can be incredibly fraught, however, which is another reason why organizations in healthcare rely on managed services providers to handle these tricky aspects for them.
The move toward the cloud goes back to improving patient experience. Cloud hosting allows for various healthcare providers—perhaps even across multiple centers or organizations—to securely share information that paints a clearer picture of a patient’s health, thus providing a more holistic healthcare experience.
Healthcare Managed Services Can Unlock Capabilities and Cost-Savings for Your Practice
Managed service providers for healthcare organizations are more than beneficial—they are, in fact, critical.
At True North, we offer customized managed services to healthcare IT providers so that they can concentrate on their patients. We’re passionate about helping our clients focus on what matters, and we’d love to help you do the same.
