Healthcare providers face unique challenges when it comes to managing their IT infrastructure. As a healthcare professional, you’re concerned with not only providing an excellent patient experience, but also keeping privileged data locked down tight. In this digital age, technology influences everything from care plans and prescriptions to strict HIPAA compliance and financial regulations.
Managed IT solutions for healthcare providers are almost always a wise decision. Whether you’re a small primary physician practice or a big-city hospital administrator, managed IT helps providers optimize ALL ASPECTS of tech infrastructure to:
- Reduce downtime
- Supercharge care capacity
- Improve patient data organization
- Enhance security
- Ensure regulatory compliance
Let’s explore some of these specific benefits of managed IT services for the healthcare industry.
How Managed IT Services for Healthcare Providers Makes Your Job Easier
As a healthcare decision-maker, you juggle thousands of responsibilities daily. It’s undoubtedly difficult to prioritize managing your IT – especially when lives are at stake! You must comply with stringent regulations, protect patient data from cyber threats, and ensure that their records are always available in real time.
Downtime and data breaches devastate healthcare systems. A well-managed IT infrastructure for healthcare provides relief and assurance, alleviating stress, and ensuring tech operates safely and efficiently. With managed IT services in place, healthcare providers can have peace of mind, knowing their technology will work seamlessly when they need it most.
Here are some ways managed IT solutions can benefit healthcare providers:
1. 24/7 Monitoring & Support
Managed IT solutions for healthcare providers can offer 24/7 monitoring and tech support. Any issues with the IT infrastructure can be detected and resolved quickly, minimizing service interruptions and ensuring critical systems are always available. As you know, the consequences of failure are dire. Managed IT providers can offer remote support, allowing healthcare providers to get help without the need for an on-site visit quickly if an issue arises.
2. HIPAA & HITECH Compliance
Healthcare providers these days coordinate care more than ever before. That requires the free sharing of electronic health records (EHRs) among professionals – and the related risk for patient information falling in the wrong hands. So you must comply with HIPAA and HITECH regulations to protect patient data.
Both confidential health records and billions of dollars in financial data are at risk. Managed IT providers can help healthcare providers implement policies and procedures to protect patient data, conduct regular security assessments, and provide staff training on information-handling best practices.
3. Enhanced Security
Crafty cybercriminals are always on the prowl for financial data and other information they can leverage. As a healthcare provider, you host a treasure trove of data, from social security numbers to bulk patient records that cybercriminals will use for sale or ransom.
Managed cybersecurity helps healthcare providers enhance their security posture and protect patient data from cyber threats. In many cases, they proactively hunt for cyber threats to eliminate risks before they begin. Managed IT providers help you implement advanced security measures like firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and antivirus software.
4. Cloud Services
The ability to access EHRs and other patient information seamlessly is crucial for efficient and effective healthcare. By leveraging cloud technology, healthcare organizations ensure the continuity of their IT infrastructure and an immense amount of patient data. Healthcare providers “moving to the cloud” gain peace of mind, knowing that their technology will be accessible and reliable whenever they need it.
Under the watchful eye of a managed IT firm, the cloud avoids treatment delays and test disruptions while streamlining appointment scheduling and patient communications.
5. Regular Updates & Patches
Regular data backups and software updates are critical for healthcare providers. Unpatched vulnerabilities and unfixed software in your devices create a prime opportunity for hackers and cybercriminals to exploit your systems. Furthermore, failing to address these issues can result in the deterioration of your daily operational software, leading to slowdowns and eventual system failures.
An experienced managed IT firm mitigates these risks by prioritizing regular data backups and operating system/supporting software updates. Data backups are a safety net for your critical patient information, EHRs, and other vital data to remain secure and accessible to your team. In the event of a data breach, system failure or another unforeseen disaster, backups enable swift recovery and ensure the continuity of patient care.
6. Scalability
Healthcare providers need to be able to scale IT infrastructure as the practice grows. Managed IT solutions for healthcare providers allow this to expand easily and efficiently – with an expert touch that always protects your patients (and you). Managed IT providers can help healthcare providers add new systems and devices, centralize and monitor entire networks, and implement new applications and software.
Exploring Managed IT for Healthcare Providers? We Can Walk You Through It!
By partnering with a managed IT provider, healthcare providers like you can focus on providing quality patient care, while leaving their IT infrastructure to the experts. By offloading IT management to a reliable service provider, you’re empowered to concentrate on what you do best: delivering quality, compassionate care.
If you’re interested in learning more about managed IT services, chat with the experts here at Acme Business in Olean, NY. We work alongside noted cybersecurity partners like SentinelOne, as well as data management systems by Kyocera, among many other products and services. Acme Business owner James Finch, Jr. also leads his team with a Level 4 Security Awareness certification, the highest offered by the Criminal Justice Information Services.
Call Acme Business at (716) 372-1325 and connect with us on LinkedIn. Our experts can tailor managed IT services to your unique health care practice needs.
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