The healthcare industry has faced a staffing crisis since the start of the pandemic. While nursing tops the list, shortages also plague healthcare support staff, including IT and other technical positions.
At the same time, the pandemic accelerated the adoption of new digital tools, like telehealth, to address urgent diagnostic needs. These digital tools can help to bridge patient care gaps but require IT support and management—a nontrivial complication amid the talent shortage.
Here’s how one family healthcare center turned to Cox Business cloud solutions for an IT “workup.”
Overview
Our customer is a family medical center that provides personalized patient care and high-quality, comprehensive healthcare services like vaccinations, physical therapy, diagnostic imaging, urgent care, and more. The team includes 14 clinicians and dedicated support staff that serve patients at six physical locations across Kansas.
Challenge
Even before the pandemic, communications and collaboration between the practice’s six sites and distributed workforce were an ongoing challenge. Internal and external communications were largely ineffective because the team relied upon outdated, on-premises mail servers. And with no in-house IT department, growth and innovation stalled.
To address some of the IT challenges, the practice outsourced its IT services. Unfortunately, the IT company was slow and unreliable. The last straw was when the IT company planned to overcharge more than $65,000 for a new email server, licensing, and a migration surcharge but with no backup plan or user training as part of the deal.
Solution
The practice asked Cox Business to validate its concerns. Through our discovery process, we found that Microsoft 365 Business Premium was the best solution to address the practice’s requirements, including:
- Connecting with patients and teammates using Outlook, Exchange and Teams
- Managing sensitive patient files securely from anywhere
- Defending the business against cyberthreats with the help of advanced phishing and ransomware protections
- Controlling access to sensitive information
- Keeping all devices safe and up to date
Additionally, the Cox Business cloud solutions managed services team was able to provide configuration assistance, migration support, a complimentary year of email backup, training for staff, dedicated 24/7/365 support, and impressive SLAs.
Results
Cox Business delivered a reliable, cost-effective IT solution along with a $10,000 savings to the physicians’ practice.
Regrettably, the challenges faced by this practice aren’t unique; healthcare providers across the country are under enormous strain. Technology can alleviate many of their pain points when delivered and supported by the right managed services provider (MSP). In this case, best-fit solutions, and an MSP with the practice’s best interests at heart were just what the doctor ordered.
