Managing your technology infrastructure as a small business owner, especially as a dental professional, can be challenging. Handling all your technology alone takes time away from what matters most – your patients.
When technological woes arise – such as your staff encountering a snag in the practice management software or the intraoral camera acting up – you try your best to identify the issues, but often do not have answers. Having an IT professional – such as an IT managed service provider – readily available to provide support, as well as manage your dental practice’s networks, applications, and cybersecurity is just what you need.
In this post, we are describing the role of a dental IT managed service provider (MSP) and how they can help maintain/support your dental practice’s technology infrastructure.
What is an IT Managed Service Provider?
Primarily, an MSP is a company that provides services. These services can range from managing technologies and offering tech support to providing administration assistance.
Often, an MSP that focuses on information technology services will add the word “IT” to their title to clarify their specialty. There are various forms of IT managed service providers, but a dental IT managed service provider has experience with dental software, healthcare cybersecurity, and HIPAA compliancy. In addition, they monitor your dental practice’s systems and provide issue resolution and support.
How do Dental IT Managed Service Providers Operate?
A dental IT managed service provider operates from their own headquarters and provides both in-person and remote support. Due to their flexibility, they can provide dental IT support to multiple dental professionals – including large and multiple-location dental practices.
Dental IT managed service providers work with your practice to assemble a Service Level Agreement (SLA), which is a document agreeing to the services/support the MSP will provide. This document includes the specifics of what the partnership will look like by outlining the agreement's details. For example, it is in this document where you may agree to pay for remote support only or a combination of remote and onsite support.
Dental IT managed service providers charge a monthly fee for their services and support outlined in an annual contract.
Typical Service and Support You Can Expect from a Dental IT Managed Service Provider
The typical services and support you can expect from an IT managed service provider vary based on provider. We will use the TotalCare offering here at Pact-One as an example. TotalCare includes:
- Network monitoring and alert response
- Inventory and lifecycle management
- Live client services team
- Remote, phone, AND local onsite support
- Emergency and on-call weekend support
- Multi-practice site support
- Data encryption
- Managed security updates
- Ransomware protection, web filtering, and intrusion prevention
- Managed HIPAA complaint backup disaster rapid recovery
- Practice management and dental imaging system updates
- Imaging/2D/3D
- Digital Panoramic X-ray systems, digital intraoral sensors, and intraoral cameras
- 3D scanners and 3D printers
- Digital signature pads
- Dedicated Client Success Manager that assists with ongoing IT strategy, budgeting, and internet cost analysis
Explore additional IT solutions tailored to support your practice here.
The Benefits of Partnering with a Dental IT Managed Service Provider
For many dental practices, it is often not feasible to hire an internal IT employee. Outsourcing to a dental IT managed service provider allows you to:
- Save money. Working with a dental IT MSP provides you with access to big-budget tools and infrastructure that monitor and support your technology without having to take on the full cost. In addition, you do not have to pay the salary of a full- or part-time in-house IT employee.
- Reduce risk and compliance violations. As a dental professional, you handle an incredible amount of patient data. A dental IT managed service provider has experience with your specific compliance requirements. They can work with you to reduce the risk of costly mistakes that could cause your business its reputation.
- Take a proactive approach. Being reactive by handling issues when they arise and threaten your ability to operate your dental practice can cause problems for your business overtime. A dental IT MSP forecasts and fixes problems before they affect your day-to-day business.
- Have continuous IT support. The days of troubleshooting technical issues are in the past. Most managed service providers offer on-demand support. Whether remote, onsite, or a combination of both, a dental IT managed service provider can provide you with the support needed to keep your operations running smoothly.
- Have a partner that has your best interests at heart. Working with an IT managed service provider that has expertise in the dental industry puts the focus on your practice. A dental IT MSP’s, such as Pact-One, specialty is your specialty – dental.
Pact-One provides dental professionals with IT solutions that are tailored to support their dental practice – reducing downtime, securing patient data, backup and disaster recovery planning, and HIPAA compliance guidance and training. Transform your practice with a true partner in technology and see what is possible - contact us today.
