aitp - hit sig - managed services for healthcare

Best Practices for Healthcare IT

Viyas Sundaram

AITP Long Island Chapter Meeting

April 27, 2010

mindSHIFT Confidential We make IT work for your business.®2

What’s the Difference?


Shifting Perspective

Both paintings are of the same chair … just from different perspectives.

Like the chair, IT for Healthcare is identical to IT for other sectors but requires a different support perspective.

All firms have the same high level configuration, switches, routers, desktops, servers … but even though they have the same “chairs,” they are utilized differently and subsequently require a different architecture and support methodology.


Poll

Show of Hands

What’s Most Important?

Email support?

End-user support?

Infrastructure support?

Application support?


Healthcare IT Strategy Drivers

Key Drivers for Medical and Healthcare Firms

1. Improved patient outcomes

2. Revenue

3. Compliance


IT Priorities for Healthcare Firms

1. Applications

Practice management

EHR

Medical billing

2. Infrastructure

3. End-user support

4. Email/collaboration



Healthcare IT Driver Best Practice

Applications

1. Determine mission-critical applications

2. Map solution to match new workflow

3. Optimize performance

4. Create redundancy and disaster recovery (DR)

Infrastructure

End-user support

Collaboration




Applications

Infrastructure

1. Identify infrastructure requirements: security, uptime, compliance, support

2. Map your network architecture and equipment to those requirements

3. Proactively manage & monitor infrastructure

4. Ensure 24x7 support

5. Enable redundancy and DR

End-user support

Collaboration




Applications

Infrastructure

End-user support

1. Proactive patch management and security management of all desktops, laptops, and mobile devices

2. Identify service-level requirements for end users

3. Provide a real-time 24x7 live Help Desk

4. Enable technology that improves productivity (e.g., smartphones, iPad)

5. Periodically review Help Desk metrics

Collaboration




Applications

Infrastructure

End-user support

Collaboration

1. Enable secure collaboration

2. Provide versatile, secure access to patient data

3. Enable secure remote access


To Outsource or Not to Outsource ...

IT PriorityThis Is the Question …

In-House IT Outsourced IT

Applications Workflow Customized Standard

InfrastructureLive 24x7 infrastructure coverage

Cross Trained Personnel

Clear Division of Labor

End-user support

Applications Customized > 75% vanilla off-the-shelf

CollaborationHow long do you need to be deep?

Ongoing A finite period


We Know!

You are special.

You are different.

But even as special as you are, you can use the following universal methodology.

Before Engaging in Any IT Strategy:



1. Get a clear and intricate understanding of your own business requirements

2. Identify vendors that marry their solution to your business not ask you to mold your business to their solution

3. Identify and ensure Service Level Agreements (SLA) meet your uptime needs

4. Identify the appropriate mix of in-house vs. outsourced IT services

5. Invest in yourself



Invest in yourself

Ask your peers

Leverage your vendor’s knowledge

Join the AITP Healthcare SIG

HIMSS

MGMA

Local education offerings


Q & A

Thank you.

Viyas SundaramRegional VP, mindSHIFT

[email protected]

aitp - hit sig - managed services for healthcare

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