Why your healthcare organization needs ongoing IT support and education

For your healthcare organization to thrive, a robust IT infrastructure is critical. The problem is, managing and monitoring your IT is a big task. There are numerous moving parts to keep track of to ensure your technology is secure. Falling short when it comes to IT support can put your organization at risk for problems such as data loss and regulatory issues.

This is why many organizations in the healthcare industry are turning to outside help for IT support. With ongoing support and education, your organization can benefit from secure, reliable, efficient IT systems and the peace of mind that comes with maintaining healthcare compliance.

Let’s take a look at what your healthcare organization stands to gain from partnering with the right provider.

HIPAA compliance

Maintaining healthcare compliance is likely one of the most arduous tasks your practice faces. The reality is, a lot of healthcare organizations struggle in this area. In 2019 alone, there were 418 HIPAA breaches. A compliance violation can be expensive — fines for a single violation range from $100 to $50,000.

In order to ensure your healthcare organization is compliant, you have to store patient data securely and have airtight control over who can access that data. This is challenging for two reasons. First, the rules and regulations surrounding data security in healthcare are always changing. Second, cyberattackers are always developing new ways to infiltrate systems, making it increasingly difficult to stay compliant.

With an IT support provider that specializes in HIPAA requirements, your organization can have confidence that you have an effective strategy in place. Look for a provider that offers a multi-layered HIPAA compliant cybersecurity framework, as well as consulting and training to ensure all your employees know how to follow best practices.

Securely stored electronic health records

Ninety-one percent of healthcare practices use cloud-based services; however, 47 percent don’t feel confident in their ability to keep data secure due to manual workflow processes.

An IT provider can store your electronic health records (EHR) off-site in the cloud using advanced security techniques. This way, you always know your patients’ electronic records are safe.

Prompt help desk support

Another key benefit of partnering with a healthcare IT solutions provider is help desk support. How much time does your staff lose when dealing with IT issues? How much more efficient would your operations be with technology that all of your administrative and medical staff could rely on?

With ongoing IT support, your staff will be able to get the IT help they need, when they need it. This will translate into fewer delays and better customer service.

And, when you work with an IT company specializing in healthcare, you can always get the support you need to ensure your HIPAA procedures are up to date.

Solid backup and disaster recovery plan

Using cloud-based technology makes keeping EHRs secure more feasible. In the event of a disaster, an attack on your on-premise system, or even an employee error, you’ll be able to access these records as long as your IT provider includes cloud-based storage and backups.

Because of the sensitive nature of healthcare data, your provider should use encrypted data backups and scalable data storage so you always have adequate space for patient records.

Hardware upgrades

You can also say goodbye to expensive and inefficient hardware upgrades. With a cloud-based solution, your provider will manage, maintain, and upgrade their own hardware, ensuring your practice is benefiting from industry-leading technology. When it is time to upgrade any of your on-site hardware such as staff devices, your provider can help you choose the most efficient upgrades.

Your practice doesn’t need to be burdened with IT

Allow your healthcare practice to focus on providing patients the best care possible. Your IT support can remove the challenges of maintaining healthcare compliance while helping your organization run more efficiently with a well-maintained, well-managed IT infrastructure.