There are many challenges healthcare businesses face in today’s world. From staffing issues to thinly stretched budgets and drug shortages, there are countless threats to patient care.
Perhaps one of the biggest threats to the healthcare sector is the prevalence of cyber attacks targeting the industry. Cyber attackers know that medical practices are responsible for protecting electronic health records (EHRs) under HIPAA regulation, so the stakes are higher.
Despite the many benefits of outsourcing cybersecurity and other IT operations, managed IT providers aren’t always the first choice for healthcare leadership. Here is a list of five reasons businesses in healthcare choose not to hire IT services, and some of the challenges they may face in IT outsourcing
1. Healthcare Facilities are Tight on Cash
The price of outsourcing IT is by far the most prevalent reason why health organizations don’t hire managed services. Leadership personnel tend to see the monthly costs per user and shudder, especially if they already have an in-house IT specialist.
Hospitals and other medical practices must be careful about their spending, as budgets are often spread thin already. However, the cost of hiring internally can quickly outpace the cost of outsourcing.
Not only are IT salaries climbing into the hundreds of thousands per year, but benefits packages are also becoming pricier with the rise in insurance costs nationwide. An analysis of individual IT salaries vs the fixed monthly cost of outsourced IT will reveal a large cost difference in the long run.
This is why healthcare IT/security companies are best suited for small organizations with limited IT budgets.
2. They Assume In-House IT Staff Have it Covered
Despite the looming cyber threats to data security in healthcare and the leg-up IT outsourcing can offer, many businesses still choose not to outsource IT. Many stick to the old-fashioned route by hiring in-house IT staff to handle technology issues.
However, countless companies are finding out the hard way that one or a few specialists won’t be enough to secure and optimize an entire organization’s IT posture. Cybersecurity readiness becomes more complicated every day as hackers refine their attack strategies.
This means that to keep pace with cybercrime, you’ll need multiple specialized IT staff members to fulfill both day-to-day troubleshooting and overall cybersecurity innovation.
One professional is unlikely to have the skill set to keep up with these demands. Especially for businesses outside of major cities, the talent pool is too small to produce IT candidates that meet necessary criteria.
3. Leadership Want to Retain Full Control Over IT Decisions
Understandably, healthcare leaders prefer to keep a watchful eye on all operations to ensure all activities adhere to their mission and values as an organization. This can cause them to pause when considering relinquishing control over IT to an outside vendor.
This demonstrates the importance of finding healthcare IT consulting services that customize solutions for each individual client. Your business has a unique mission statement for a reason to make you stand out. Therefore, your IT strategy should reflect your values in patient care, safety, privacy, and efficiency.
4. They Need Their IT to Coincide with Specific Healthcare Workflows
A provider should have specific familiarity with healthcare cybersecurity compliance standards. They should also cater services and healthcare technology to the unique values and priorities of each organization they serve.
This can be as simple as understanding basic security and compliance requirements, and as nuanced as knowing how patient care is affected by faulty vs streamlined technology. Healthcare interoperability or lack thereof can influence patient safety, satisfaction with care, and the ease with which providers can accomplish tasks.
This is why your IT provider must have experience working with clients in healthcare, so they understand how you need programs and workflows to integrate for optimal efficiency.
5. They Don’t Have the Time or Resources to Vet IT Providers
Recent cyber-attacks in the news showcase the security risks of giving outside vendors access to sensitive health information, due to their unknown cybersecurity policies. Understandably, healthcare entities are often wary of bringing in third-party companies to handle this data.
With busy schedules and enough issues to handle already, healthcare leadership might not want to go through the trouble of interviewing IT providers. To mitigate this, look for providers with ample resources explaining their cybersecurity philosophy.
For example, Zero Trust is a framework recommended by NIST that should be a baseline for outsourced IT offerings. When MSPs or MSSPs are upfront about their preferred security tools and infrastructure services, it shows their level of expertise and commitment to securing your business.
To read more about essential tools to include in your cybersecurity strategy, read our blog: Ask the Expert: 7 Cybersecurity Essentials To Check Off
How to Find Healthcare Cybersecurity Companies/IT Providers
Businesses hesitate to outsource IT for a wide range of reasons. To see more, read our article: Most Common Reasons Businesses Don’t Outsource IT Services.
When you're exploring MSPs or IT consulting for healthcare, ensure they are well-versed in:
- The healthcare industry as a whole
- Data protection compliance standards associated with HIPAA and other regulations
- Methods to defend against ransomware attacks that target healthcare
- HIPAA-compliant cloud-based communication platforms
- Data backup methods to safeguard sensitive data
If you're ready to optimize and secure your business while protecting patient data click the button below to get in touch with an IT expert.
