- Managed Service Provider (MSP) partnerships can provide valuable IT insights and relevant technical expertise, especially for smaller or recently merged healthcare systems
- Healthcare IT teams face many new challenges in managing systems and infrastructure to support uninterrupted care
- Part of the value of MSPs is that they can be scaled up or down, depending on demand, which can produce significant cost savings and increased operational efficiencies
MSPs make a difference in Healthcare IT
Regardless of a healthcare organization’s size and the project effort, a trusted partner can oversee critical functions that support care delivery. Healthcare IT teams now face many new challenges in managing systems and infrastructure to support uninterrupted care. They must also contend with:
- Reduced budgets
- Managing complex environments
- Evaluating and Adopting of new technologies
- Appropriate staffing and expertise
What are MSPs?
Partnerships with MSPs can provide valuable IT insights, especially for smaller or recently merged healthcare systems. By trusting a third party to handle cloud deployments, data center solutions, mobile initiatives, collaboration tools and security, organizations can focus on core business objectives.
“Being a trusted partner is why we created baytechIT in the first place,” said baytechIT President Patrick Streck, one of the nation’s only healthcare-centric MSPs. “The most efficient organizations recognize what they do well and focus on it. For the things that are not in their wheelhouse, they seek out a partner that does it better than they can while delivering greater value than cost.”
Cost Savings
Part of the value of MSPs is that they can be scaled up or down, depending on demand. Due to this flexibility, in some instances MSPs represent an opportunity for significant savings. This has become more significant after COVID-19 wiped out billions in revenue.
“For example, one of our clients was a large practice in Western Massachusetts,” Streck explained. “Prior to partnering with us, they had a small, full time IT staff with operating costs between $150,000 to $175,000 per year. However, after partnering with us, they were able to reduce their annual IT support expense to under $100,000 while realizing a higher level of support and service, and protecting the staff. In essence, that cost savings was tied to efficiency. For that client, their environment was complex, necessitating senior-level expertise. But that level of knowledge was only relevant at best 25% of the time. Essentially, they were overpaying. So our premise, ‘the right resource, right time’ premise, maximized value and coverage.”
The duties of managed services are many. This creative, strategic thinking is key for effective cost optimization.
Operational Efficiencies
But in other instances, MSPs offer increased operational efficiency. Beyond cost savings, MSPs help ensure organizations properly assess, monitor and evolve their technology deployments and related services, and that those services meet the latest security and HIPAA-compliant protocols.
MSPs offer Peace of Mind
Partners can rely on specialized engineers, 24/7 support and industry-specific expertise throughout the relationship. Perhaps more importantly, they can pivot amid a public health crisis that has IT teams working at full speed to enable high-quality care.
“For the things that are important, when I factor my time and the quality of the finished product, it is always better to go with a professional,” Streck said. “They will do it better, faster, and to a higher quality than me, giving me both peace of mind and allowing me to focus on the things that I do well. It’s worth every penny.”
MSPs are not a project-to-project arrangement. They are a partnership designed to meet the unique needs of each organization. When so much in the world has changed, a strong MSP partner that specializes in healthcare offers the foresight and strength to be ready for whatever comes next.
For more information on MSPs and the value they can bring healthcare IT departments, contact us at info@baytechIT.com for a complete infrastructure assessment at no charge/obligation.