Managed Service Providers are a valuable resource for meeting the Information Technology (IT) needs of an organization. They provide IT infrastructure and services and can be an important partner to healthcare administrators. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) supplement the work of healthcare IT personnel or serve as an outsourced IT department for organizations who may not have the resources to budget, staff and maintain an IT department.
Managed Services Providers provide expertise in network administration, monitoring, data storage and technical assistance. These services, sometimes referred to as IaaS, or Infrastructure as a Service, are usually offered on a pay for service basis. This is an advantage to healthcare administrators in budgeting because IT costs are known and predictable. Since much of this work can be done remotely, healthcare providers located in hard to reach areas can also take advantage of this service. A MSP makes it possible for any healthcare provider to have cost effective access to the highest level of expertise, technology and support.
Since salaries for IT Directors range from $75,000 to $125,000 or more annually, many healthcare organizations cannot afford their own in-house staff. Independent provider practices, behavioral health clinics, and rural health organizations can be hindered by budget, geography and availability of resources in securing the IT staff and skills needed to maintain hardware, oversee networks and manage data storage, especially electronic health records.
MSPs can supplement healthcare IT departments in larger organizations by providing additional personnel, expertise and equipment. Many providers offer round-the-clock network monitoring services and can be contracted to take over during off hours. This extends the availability of network resources without hiring additional personnel saving considerable costs.
Engaging a Managed Service Provider can reduce capital expenditures for IT infrastructure and hardware. The perpetual cycle of upgrading hardware and operating software is the responsibility of the MSP rather than the healthcare provider. Thus, healthcare administrators will realize a greater and a faster ROI (return on investment) for their IT dollars.
Another challenge for IT is maintaining knowledge and skills on ever-evolving technology in computers, servers, operating systems, and other platforms. Utilizing an MSP allows healthcare organizations to focus on the business of providing quality healthcare rather than chasing the latest technological advances. Rather than focusing on supporting the infrastructure for accomplishing those initiatives, in-house IT personnel can be a vital participant in ongoing initiatives to improve health care delivery and quality,
As healthcare organizations initiate and optimize IT technologies such as Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), Managed Service Providers become an even more valuable resource. MSPs offer consulting on network needs such as servers, processing capacity and data storage. An MSP is an integral technical partner in EHR implementations. They can provide storage for the massive amount of data and images involved in electronic health records. Data storage is an integral part of any IT initiative, MAP services can provide for redundancy of data and be part of a robust backup and disaster recovery plan in all facets of the IT infrastructure including, email, business applications and EHR implementations.
Many MSPs also provide Software as a Service (SaaS), offering programs to their clients on a subscription basis. Rather than having to purchase expensive software applications that may be sparingly used, the healthcare provider pays for only the applications needed and used. They have access to a wider range of applications and will certainly have more flexibility in finding programs most suitable to their needs. Also, the continual cycle of upgrading to the newest software version is eliminated since the MSP makes this investment.
The key benefits offered by IT Managed Service Providers to healthcare providers and administrators are:
- Proactive monitoring
- HIPAA Compliance
- Network Integrity
- Disaster Recovery
- Security
- Single source for all IT and telecommunications
- Proactive Service and Maintenance
- Eliminate or minimize downtime with defined service levels
- Costs known and stable
- Significantly Less Capital Expenditure for IT Systems
- Significantly Less Cost of On-going Service and Management
An IT Managed Service Provider can indeed be an invaluable partner to healthcare organizations large and small, Whether as a supplement to resident IT departments or as an outsourced provider of network needs, MSPs are an ally to the healthcare administrator overseeing the effort to provide quality healthcare.
Works Cited
Erickson, Jonathan. Cloud Computing and Virtualization. 23 June 2008. 30 September 2009 <http://www.ddj.com/hpc-high-performance-computing/208800138>.
Managed services. 2 October 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Managed_services>.
Top 10 Jobs in Information Technology. 1 October 2009. 1 October 2009 <http://www.careerbuilder.com/Article/CB-774-Who-Is-Hiring-Top-10-Jobs-in-Information-Technology>.
