When people depend on your business to take care of them during life-and-death situations, the last thing you should worry about is the health of your IT system.
Unfortunately, IT troubles aren’t something new to the healthcare industry. There have been many cases concerning healthcare facilities and devices malfunctioning due to technology troubles leading to errors in patient data records. Some issues we have received in ITS are old systems causing lags, unsecured networks, few communications options, and slow internet connections.
These problems caused doctors and other medical professionals to make the wrong healthcare decisions, resulting in adverse events. And for a business where many lives are at stake, there should be no room for these tech problems.
Enter Managed IT Service Providers (MSPs).
MSPs can help monitor your tech regularly to make sure it runs optimally and resolve issues as soon as possible, so it doesn't affect your operations.
For example, at ITS, we’ve had clients from the healthcare industry reach out to us regarding malfunctioning IT systems. One of our clients, Nevada Oral and Facial Surgery, a Las Vegas-based clinic, turned to ITS for help when they experienced network interruptions.
Since their practice heavily relies on technology, they can’t afford to be offline or have system lags even for a few minutes. ITS was able to troubleshoot the issues and took time-consuming tasks off of the doctors' and healthcare workers’ plates. In return, Nevada Oral and Facial Surgery could dedicate 100% of its time and attention to patient care.
That is just one of the few things an MSP can help you with. We’ll delve into the other benefits you can get when working with an IT service provider in the healthcare industry, namely:
- Improved quality of patient care
- Boosted operational efficiency
- Lowered costs
- Secured networks
By the end of this article, you'll better understand how these benefits can help boost your business's profitability and your team's productivity.
1. Improved quality of patient care
The advancement in medical technology–from the betterment of surgical techniques to the invention of new devices–has long been advantageous to the healthcare industry. Through the years, it has helped increase the life expectancy of patients in care. But to maintain its functionality, reliable IT is called for.
A Healthcare MSP ensures that communication between healthcare providers is intact and machines work correctly by taking care of your business network while you take care of the patients.
2. Boosted operational efficiency
Along with the improvement in the quality of patient care, a robust IT also enhances work productivity and effectiveness by:
- Automating records
Instead of a conventional and manual record-keeping process, technology helps medical practitioners collect, store, and retrieve patient data with ease through a comprehensive Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. This allows easy access to the database across different healthcare settings and helps avoid documentation problems. - Reducing errors
Errors are inevitable. However, one mistake could cost you a precious life in this industry. Having the proper support helps you avoid that.
A reliable IT Service Provider ensures that your organization is equipped to run devices, including the input and verification of codes. Thus, leading to fewer medical errors. Reduced errors mean better patient outcomes. - Allowing seamless collaboration
When your network is working correctly, communication between healthcare workers is uninterrupted, and everyone will be able to access information when needed. This makes way for your team to provide the best possible patient care.
3. Lowered costs
The right Healthcare MSP can save you money and time. Implementing new technologies in your system can streamline your business processes, cut costs by a large margin, improve turnaround time, and significantly lessen downtime.
As mentioned above, you can also work more efficiently by automating repetitive tasks. This saves you time by focusing on essential functions like patient care and safety rather than filing and organizing charts and doing other manual tasks. Virtual consultations also let doctors see more patients in the same timeframe than face-to-face appointments.
This eventually results in lower healthcare costs, higher profit, and a better customer experience.
4. Secured networks
Healthcare providers hold sensitive patient data, so it is crucial to protect their network from any risk.
Two possible dangers await your business, cybersecurity and physical risk, and a Healthcare MSP can help protect you from both.
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Network security and privacy
Once you learn and understand your environment and the risks, you will better know how to protect your organization. The NIST CSF provides a comprehensive look at information security, which you can access anytime. However, healthcare organizations need a partner with the tools to implement it efficiently and effectively.
A Healthcare MSP secures your network by developing suitable cybersecurity solutions–that are fully compliant with government regulations–for your IT infrastructure. These solutions will help protect your investments in equipment and ensure the privacy of health care records.
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Disaster recovery
If a natural calamity occurs or a fire breaks out, IT Service Providers can recover lost files without much difficulty with a comprehensive Disaster Recovery (DR) Plan.
The plan includes:- An alternative communication plan in case telephones and emails are inaccessible,
- A list of disaster recovery sites,
- Response procedures,
- a Recovery Time Objective (RTO),
- and hardware and software inventory, among others.
Read “9 Ways to Build a Reliable IT Disaster Recovery Plan.”
Ready to choose the right Healthcare MSP for your business?
IT Service Providers oversee the backbone of your business technology so you can get the burden off your back and focus on giving the patients the best care. To sum up, the benefit of having one, here is a quick list:
- Healthcare MSP improves the quality of patient care,
- Boost operational efficiency
- Lower costs, and
- Secure networks
Once you clearly understand how your business can benefit from hiring a reliable IT provider, the next step might be overwhelming, but it is the most important–choosing the right one for you. Because let's face it, the actual process of selecting which IT service to obtain isn't an overnight decision.
At ITS, we help hundreds of clients make intelligent choices about their technology. If you’re still undecided, our post on the key factors to consider when choosing the Best IT Service Provider might help.
