Technology and technological compliance are two extremely important elements of running any healthcare organization. However, the management of technology and compliance are not small tasks, especially when added on top of everything else it takes to manage a healthcare organization. Managed IT services can be the solution. Below are benefits of using IT services for healthcare organizations.
Compliance and Cybersecurity
Using a managed IT services provider that understands HIPAA compliance can be a great help to managing compliance needs. The MSP can not only help with compliance assessments, but can crossover and help mitigate the results of the assessment. If you leverage a compliance company for your assessments, their assistance stops at the post-assessment report, and your organization must come up with a game plan to implement the technology changes needed. Using IT services for healthcare organizations takes the burden of technology strategy off your shoulders.
Beyond assessments and improvements, leveraging an MSP with compliance experience means they can help your organization with ongoing compliance and cybersecurity needs. Since you utilize your IT services provider year round, they can help you complete monthly, quarterly, and bi-annual checklists, as well as assess your network continuously, so that you stay compliant. They can also help promote an ongoing culture of compliance within your organization, such as with continual social awareness training for employees. These types of proactive measures will help in the event that a cyber breach does occur, as penalties will likely be less due to the fact that your organization has taken preventative actions. This will also help maintain the requirements necessary for your organization to keep its cyber insurance.
IT Services and Strategic Planning
Every healthcare organization should have a disaster recovery, business continuity, and incident response plan. Partnering with an IT services provider that knows how to create these items and test them effectively will be extremely helpful to your organization. An MSP can also help you develop and implement policies such as your Written Information Security Policies (WISP). Having these plans in place, and testing them, will mean you are prepared for worst-case scenarios. As a healthcare organization with so much sensitive information, knowing how to handle a breach will be invaluable. Your MSP can walk you through the development and testing of response plans, and ensure you are following any compliance requirements as well.
Data storage is part of your disaster recovery and business continuity plans, but for many healthcare organizations, it can be a challenge to follow requirements for logging and auditing. Depending on your state requirements, you will need to keep records for at least 6 years. An MSP can help you get the right tools in place for backup and storage, such as a SIEM, and help create your logging and auditing retention plan.
Third Party Relationship Management
Your MSP can help manage your business associated agreements and relationship with vendors. They can ensure the appropriate records are maintained regarding your relationships with associates and vendors, and can also ensure that these organizations are meeting compliance requirements when it comes to their interactions with you. Using IT services for healthcare organizations means that in general, your MSP can often handle third party technology vendor interactions, such as when there is a technology issue involving one of your vendors. This is another area in which using IT services for healthcare means some of the heavy lifting of technology management is taken off your plate in order to focus on your organization’s goals.
Conclusion – Using IT Services for Healthcare Organizations Takes the Technology Burden Off of You
Leveraging IT services for healthcare organizations can be extremely helpful for juggling the many compliance, security, and management responsibilities that those in the healthcare industry have. It is important to note that your organization must find an MSP experienced with healthcare and healthcare compliance in order to fully leverage all of the benefits. If you find the right provider, however, it can be a great relief to maintaining compliance requirements and managing your technology.
