There’s no denying that having a solid IT solution in place can dramatically increase your dental practice’s efficiency, especially when it comes to your administrative and operational functions. However, incorporating IT into your practice means you’ll have to properly manage and maintain it. This can be unfeasible for some dental practices, whether due to space or cost constraints. You can hire an IT technician to handle your IT, but in most cases, the responsibility is far too great or complex for just one person to handle. This is why managed IT services providers (MSPs) are often the best solution for dental practices.
What exactly is an MSP?
In simplest terms, MSPs refer to third-party organizations that run the management and operation of the entire IT function on behalf of their clients. They effectively allow dental practices to have a full, dedicated IT team. MSPs handle all IT-related tasks including troubleshooting, maintenance, employee support, and even long-term planning. MSPs are usually contracted for a fixed, term-based fee that is usually a fraction of what it costs to keep an equivalent IT team on payroll.
Benefits of MSPs
Partnering with a leading MSP like Pact-One Solutions offers a host of benefits to your dental practice, including:
1. Compliance with HIPAA regulations
Since dental practices are part of the healthcare sector, any IT capabilities they use to conduct business must abide by strict regulations, particularly those enforced by HIPAA. In addition to the requisite technical skills, an understanding of and familiarity with these regulations is thus required to administer IT functions on behalf of these practices.
Fortunately, there are MSPs that specialize in the healthcare sector who boast such expertise. These MSPs will not only ensure that IT systems used for your practice are configured with HIPAA best practices at the point of implementation but can also help keep abreast of changes and developments in regulations and so your systems can be adjusted accordingly.
2. Responsive dental IT support
Having a team dedicated to your practice’s IT functions means that issues can be addressed as soon as they occur. MSPs often offer dedicated, round-the-clock service that ensures progress is being made toward fixing any problems and enables a seamless experience for the practice’s staff and patients. Staff members are also guaranteed accessibility to IT expertise and support when they need it; they no longer have to wait to be serviced by an overburdened internal IT team.
3. Proactive IT maintenance
The services of an MSP don’t stop at addressing issues. When you partner with an MSP, they take over every facet of running your IT capabilities, including maintenance and planning for the future. The MSP will take scaling and other developments into consideration when deciding when to invest in new equipment or platforms, thus enabling your practice to stay up to date with industry standards and to provide the best experience for patients.
4. Reduced overhead costs
Contracting an MSP means access to services that would otherwise require your practice to employ a robust dedicated internal IT team. With an MSP, you won't have to train your own technicians, which saves you considerable costs as well as time and effort.
Plus, managed services are usually charged at an affordable flat monthly rate depending on how many devices or users your practice has. In contrast, hiring just one in-house technician can set your practice back $82,000 a year. Working with an MSP therefore can a more cost-effective bang for your buck.
5. More time to focus on your dental practice
Dental practitioners are focused on providing excellent and quality care to their patients. This is true of the doctors who directly administer services as well as the admin staff members who also work to ensure a smooth patient experience. Outsourcing IT capabilities thus ensures that the burden of maintaining business-critical technical systems doesn’t fall on people whose expertise lies in these primary areas.
6. Access to enterprise-grade solutions
Thanks to the scalability and cost-effectiveness of MSPs, your practice has access to state-of-the-art platforms and systems that can have a significant impact on your practice’s operational efficiency. This may mean shorter wait times for practices trying to pull up certain files or documentation, greater flexibility for patients in terms of accessing their medical or payment history, and simpler and easier processes for admin staff.
The benefits an MSP can offer a dental practice are tremendous. Pact-One is a leading managed IT services provider whose primary goal is to remove the burden of IT for all clients. Start your worry-free IT journey today by getting your free assessment.
