2020 is Scary for Healthcare Small Business

This year has been nothing short of a nightmare, especially for small business healthcare. Operating costs have drastically increased. Telehealth requires additional equipment and training to be effective, and the unforeseen cost of PPE threatens profitability. With skyrocketing costs eating away at the budget, it would make sense that using an in-house IT staff would be the most affordable way to manage your network, right? Well, not so fast.

What are the Disadvantages of Only Using In-House IT?

So, why is only in-house IT so scary? Let’s explore:

  • Turnover: Have you calculated the cost to train and maintain your dedicated IT office personnel? What is your turnover rate for this position?
  • Productivity Cost: Is your office manager also in charge of tackling your IT management? What percentage of that individual’s time is spent putting out IT fires? How much more productive would they be if this task wasn’t on their plate?
  • Operating Outdated Break/Fix Model: Is your current setup capable for forecasting future needs and cost-effective ways to grow technologically, or are you fixing problems as they arise? Break/fix has proven more expensive than upfront monitoring and managing.
  • HIPAA Compliance: Healthcare is subject to dynamic guidelines and regulations, and inadvertent mistakes can lead to costly fines (up to $50K per incident). All it takes is one click on the wrong email to open the door to cyberattacks. Are you sure your network is fully protected and backed up when the bad guys strike?

 

How an MSP IT Makes it Less Scary

Partnership with a managed service provider (MSP) has the potential to bring many benefits to your small healthcare business. Above all else, a successful partnership should bring peace of mind knowing the following IT needs are met:

  • Access to top-of-the-line IT services (strength in all areas of IT)
  • Remote network monitoring around the clock
  • Identification and repair of potential problems before they affect you or your clients
  • Options for cloud computing, email hosting, hardware upgrades, VoIP phone systems, and much more, typically for a set fee every month
  • Disaster recovery and data restoration – because everyone will get hit with cyberattacks, it’s just a matter of when
  • HIPAA security risk assessment and ongoing evaluation

 

Fear Free IT Management

Deciding to partner with an MSP can be a decision you’ve been avoiding for any number of reasons. Fear of the associated expense, bad experiences with past MSPs, feeling overwhelmed at where to start, it can be anything. For an MSP partnership to truly be effective it must eliminate that fear and bring peace of mind to the business owner when it comes to technology.
One firm promising peace of mind over all things IT can seem like a promise that’s too good to be true. As a healthcare practice owner, what should you focus on in your search for the right MSP? For small business healthcare, the primary focus should be on choosing an MSP whose background is in HIPAA regulations. The MSP should have a rock-solid plan for analyzing your current compliance weaknesses and developing a plan to correct existing issues. After all, any MSP can offer cloud solutions, promise quick response times, present disaster recovery plans, etc. A thorough understanding of healthcare guidelines and the associated risks is the key component.
When an MSP offers more than just a blanket service of generic IT needs, then a true partnership with your practice’s success in mind is created.

IT Practice was created in 1996 with the goal of making IT fears a thing of your past. With more than 20 years of experience in network management and security we understand the intricacies of protecting medical professionals and their practices. Contact us with your questions or a hassle-free tech analysis at media@itpractice.com.

By Heather Bratcher
Heather is the Digital Marketing Specialist for IT Practice (www.itpractice.com), a Raleigh, NC based managed services provider specializing in medical and dental IT. She can be contacted at media@itpractice.com.

Published On: October 28th, 2020 / Categories: Business Continuity, HIPAA, Small Business / Tags: , , , /

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