The first question you might ask is, “Can I become ‘IT-savvy’ without years of training?” The short answer is no. But you can learn how to utilize the resources already within your reach to maximize your IT prowess. You can learn to ask the right types of questions, make the best possible decisions and have a strong impact on your facility. And all without getting a computer science degree!
4 questions for yourself
Before we get to the questions to ask your IT providers, you need to review your environment. There are questions you need to ask yourself and your board prior to engaging your providers. Your providers should be your key resource for accomplishing your plan but they need you and your board to define the scope of the plan first. Start with these four questions.
1. What are our current technology needs?
Simply put, start with what you have today. Do you have enough servers, computers, printers, scanners, phones, networking, etc., to effectively run your operations? How old are they? Are they under warranty?
If you haven’t done so already, start by taking an inventory of all of your technology including make, model, serial numbers, service tags and to whom they are assigned. You will also want to track the purchase date and warranty expiration date for all equipment. Luckily, if you don’t have this handy, this can be created fairly quickly. Most computer companies give you the ability to find out a computer’s age and warranty from their Web site.
You will also want to track all of your software. This task is a little more complicated, since it typically involves physically surveying each system. However, there are a few freely available software tools online for this task. Try searching online for Belarc Advisor, a free software tool for building a detailed profile of your installed hardware and software on each system.
Once you survey all of your equipment, evaluate the “health” of your systems. Are they all up-to-date with software patches? Do they have enough memory? Are they all working correctly? Try to give every system a letter grade based upon its age and quality. A new system with no issues might get an “A” while a three-year-old system that “seems a little slow” might get a “C-.” Then, give yourself an “F” for any systems you need but don’t have currently.
Hopefully, you’ll find yourself with a solid “B+” average or better. Most likely, you’ll have a “C-” or worse. But a “C-“ is still “average” and that’s better than many companies. Remember, our focus is on accurately assessing your current state so you can develop an appropriate plan. Don’t worry too much about a bad grade now because this process should bring up your grade!
2. What is our facility’s five-year plan for technology?
Now that you have a sense of where you are today, where are you headed? How often do you plan to upgrade your systems? Did you know you need to upgrade your systems? Is your facility or its needs expanding in the future?
As before, refer back to your technology survey for guidance. You should plan to upgrade or replace your computers and servers every 3-5 years. And that’s if they last that long. High-use systems, such as a computer used by the nursing staff every day, might only last 2-3 years. If you have a good IT provider, you might be able to make systems last longer. But you’re likely to trade more years of service for a significantly higher IT support cost per system.
3. How much IT support do we use currently and is it enough?
Rather than look at your IT costs first, start with how much time your IT provider spends on-site or working on your systems. When you have an issue, is it resolved quickly? Do you feel like they respond adequately and provide you with appropriate resources? How would you rate the quality of the IT support you receive?
Once you have a sense of service quality, take a look at your expenses. Do you find you’re running out of support hours each month? Or do you pay by the hour/issue? Do you feel like you’re spending more each month but getting less in return? This could be an issue with your provider, but it could also be a sign that you are attacking your issues individually rather than holistically. If all of your systems are five years old, expect your IT support costs to grow monthly.
4. How much can we “self-support” our IT issues?
This is closely related to the last question, but deserves special attention. Many facilities have a “super user” who is able to solve issues that might typically fall to your IT support company. While this can be a great solution to everyday problems, what happens if that person leaves? And who’s covering their job while they’re fixing technical issues?
There is always a real cost to self-support, even if it is a “sunk cost.” You will likely push yourself (or your staff) to support increasingly larger issues until you reach the point of failure. And every moment spent dealing with technical issues is a moment taken away from primary job tasks. Unless you have a portion of someone’s position dedicated to IT support, you should replace the self-support with support from your IT provider.
6 questions to ask your IT provider
Now that you have a better sense of your IT infrastructure, it’s time to turn your attention to your IT provider. The following questions, and the information you gather above, will give you the right framework to make informed decisions.
1. Based on our internal review, how well do you believe we are meeting our need and goals?
Start your conversation with your current or potential IT provider by reviewing your existing systems. Admittedly, your review may not be as thorough or as technically-savvy as theirs, but the typical customer has little to no idea how well their systems function currently. You’re showing your provider how seriously you take this issue and how committed you are to finding the right answers, not whether or not you are technically-savvy.
Don’t worry about appearing ignorant or ill-informed about technology. Your provider is paid to be an expert in technology, not you. Keep an open, engaged mind and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your provider should be your technology advocate and, as such, have a responsibility to make sure you understand.
2. What experience do you have supporting ASCs and other medical facilities?
While your provider may have extensive experience with other businesses, there are unique challenges to supporting medical facilities from an IT perspective. For instance, if your provider has little understanding of how HIPAA affects their work for you, you might want to look elsewhere for support. Your systems, even those which are “non-medical,” require knowledge and expertise specific to the medical community. Look for a provider who’s “been there, done that” with regards to medical facilities support.
You want to make sure your provider is equipped to meet your specific needs as an ASC. If it is struggling to resolve your issues, the clock is probably still running. It’s better to pay an experienced tech a higher rate to solve an issue quickly than end up paying your local provider even more overall.
3. Can you support my applications or just my hardware and operating system?
There is a huge difference between supporting your applications and supporting the servers on which the applications live. When your clinical applications aren’t working correctly, you need a provider who can help you diagnose the problem fully. If they only support “the box” (servers) there’s little chance they can fully resolve your issue without contacting your software provider first — and costing you more money.
Looking for an IT provider who has medical facility experience will help you to address this issue. Alternately, you should make sure you are well-connected to user groups for your clinical software. These groups can be of immense help when your systems stop working.
4. How large and experienced is your team?
Let’s face it: Sometimes the best techs in the world don’t have all of the answers. You want to know what resources your provider can call upon to meet your needs. If it is a two-person shop, it may not be available when you need them. But even the largest companies may struggle to meet your needs if they constantly send out new techs to support you. Look for a balance of size and experience that meets your needs.
5. Who on your team will work with us to define our needs and verify they are met?
Talk with your provider about your need for a “technology advisor” who can help you to make good technology decisions both now and in the future. Your provider should be willing (and able) to meet with you annually to review your technology needs and goals, how well it meets your expectations and requirements and what it can do to improve in the coming year.
Be sure to ask your provider about its service level agreement (SLA). This is the written commitment to you for how quickly and completely it will meet your needs. If you need around-the-clock support with a minimum response time of 30 minutes, that needs to be documented in the SLA. Remember, there is a cost for this kind of support and the speed of first response, so make sure you know your needs before you ask for an SLA that is out of your price range.
6. Can you provide us with three references from ASCs or medical facilities?
Just like with a potential hire, references are a time-consuming but critical step in your process. While few companies are likely to send you a bad reference, it does happen. Make sure to ask the references how well the provider helped to define and meet their needs. Ask about response times, overall quality of support and how satisfied they are as a client. Ask also about the provider’s understanding of the specific issues related to medical facilities.
While you may choose to use a provider who does not have experience with medical facilities, you should still seek out references from current clients.
Selecting and working with an IT provider can be daunting, confusing or just plain irritating to the non-technical. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Armed with a little bit of information about your systems, needs and goals, you can make well-informed decisions about technology. And those decisions will improve your quality of service and maximize your technology spending.
And, if you’re lucky, some of this technology white noise will start to make sense to you!
— Stephen Campbell is COO of Mavicor. Harry Cook is chief analyst for Mavicor. Mavicor is a leading ASC technology management company specializing in ASC application services, systems integration and consulting services, as well as the procurement and management of hardware and software. Contact Mr. Campbell at scampbell@mavicor.com . Contact Mr. Cook at hcook@mavicor.com . Learn more about Mavicor at www.mavicor.com.
