What Healthcare Providers in Nashville Need to Know About Managed IT Services
Managed IT Services: Nashville Healthcare
According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, 66% of individuals have concerns about the security of their healthcare information when it is being transmitted electronically. What’s worse? That percentage hasn’t improved significantly since 2011, even though there have been dramatic improvements in infrastructure and security features in the past decade. Consumers routinely limit the information that is provided to their healthcare professionals simply to maintain the security of their data. There are still a significant number of healthcare organizations that lack the ability to securely provide routine data to patients, a value-add that can mean the difference between keeping a patient and losing them to a competing practice. With all the challenges around healthcare technology, it is more important than ever to select the right partner to provide managed IT services for your organization.
Enhanced Compliance and Reporting
Healthcare compliance and reporting requirements are extensive and ever-changing, making it crucial to work with an IT managed services provider who deeply understands the unique challenges that are involved in healthcare. Creating a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery strategy may be one of the first steps that your organization needs to take to ensure that your information is protected both in transit and at rest. Staying compliant with HIPAA and other government requirements involves detailed reporting structures and proactive network security — both of which may necessitate an in-depth review of your current technology infrastructure.
Innovative Cloud Solutions
Communicating with your team internally as well as with external patients and vendors securely will require innovative cloud solutions that maintain protection of the files while also being user-friendly for individuals on all sides of the file transaction. There are plenty of clunky solutions in the marketplace, but they can quickly frustrate staff members and healthcare consumers alike. Finding a solution that is simple yet provides a high degree of refinement in terms of protection requires a delicate balance.
Forward-Thinking Managed IT Services
Keeping your staff productive starts with having a reliable IT infrastructure that you can trust to simply work as expected. That can mean different things for your business, including;
- Easy access to Office 365 or other software tools
- Secure cloud-based storage and application hosting
- Managed endpoints for your network
- Telecommunications hosting and management
- Proactive Help Desk support for your staff members
- Project management of software upgrades or large IT projects
- Scheduled backup and secure disaster recovery solutions
- Compliance analysis, remediation and reporting
- Aggressive email-based and online blocking of malware and spam
Each healthcare business is different, and your managed IT services partner should be able to provide you with a detailed analysis of your specific needs and how to support your organization both now and in the future.
Understanding the Unique Needs of Healthcare Organizations
With recent surveys showing that up to 70% of employees will fail to make the right decision when it comes to cybersecurity, it is crucial that you have an IT managed services provider who understands the unique challenges inherent in maintaining patient data. Organizations may not realize the ongoing education that should occur as new staff members come on board as well as re-education for existing employees to maintain compliance with federal data privacy standards. There are new regulations coming on a regular basis, too — from GDPR in Europe to California’s recent release of the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA). The recent release of new data standards in California affects a broad swath of organizations and is likely to be the first of many privacy policies that organizations need to prepare for in the future.
Protecting your organization begins and ends with cybersecurity, but there is always a balance that also includes creating solutions that allow your team to be as productive as possible. When you want to work with a technology solutions provider in Nashville that truly understands the needs of healthcare organizations, contact SunRiver IT today at 615-646-2121 or fill out our quick online form for more information.