From navigating rapid team turnover and preparing for aggressive compliance requirements to managing cybersecurity, the healthcare industry is facing unprecedented pressure. With the help of a healthcare managed services provider, streamlining your workforce strategy and ensuring high-quality care delivery becomes possible.

What is a healthcare managed services provider?

A healthcare managed services provider (MSP) is a third-party partner in charge of remotely delivering administrative and operational support. Healthcare MSPs are typically hired to handle staffing, oversee the provision and maintenance of medical equipment or manage multi-vendor IT services. Depending on your organization’s needs, you could hire an MSP to handle one, two or all three services.

What sets healthcare MSPs apart from other MSPs?

Unlike other commercial or government managed service providers, healthcare MSPs are trained to support patient care in high-stakes, highly regulated medical environments. Understanding that system downtime can directly impact patient safety, managed IT services in healthcare monitor critical systems 24/7/365. They also handle more complex team issues, such as travel nurses, contingent staff and locum tenens.

Key offerings by healthcare MSPs:

  • Proactive IT systems: Offer a “think ahead” approach to potential tech and cybersecurity issues, rather than waiting to fix technological problems after they’ve already broken down
  • HIPAA compliance: Ensures all staff and systems meet expected regulatory standards to mitigate risk, bolster healthcare cybersecurity concerns and protect the company from legal issues
  • Workforce management: Handles the sourcing, vetting, interviewing, onboarding and invoicing of staff, both full-time and temporary
  • Strategic staffing forecasts: Utilize data trends to predict staffing needs, reduce turnover and optimize operations
  • Vendor communication: Consolidates and manages relationships with different staffing agencies to standardize the process and reduce managerial burden
  • Technology integration: Provides helpful management systems to track, report, analyze and protect staffing trends and patient records
  • Industry expertise: Provides a deep knowledge of the healthcare industry without needing additional training

How do MSPs handle HIPAA compliance?

When it comes to managed IT services in healthcare, providers face one challenge—MSP HIPAA compliance. As business associates, MSPs are required to comply with the standards and implementation details outlined in the Security Rule and Breach Notification Rule.

In most cases, HIPAA-compliant MSPs demonstrate compliance through regular risk assessments, technical safeguards and healthcare cybersecurity measures, specialized employee training and incident response training. Healthcare MSPs that fail to maintain agreed-upon compliance can face severe fines.

What are the benefits of working with a healthcare MSP?

Partnering with a healthcare MSP enables your organization to focus efforts on patient care, even in the face of disruption. At the very least, offloading administrative tasks and vendor management can reduce everyday workplace strain. Hiring outside your healthcare cybersecurity team can significantly impact your organization's success.

Healthcare MSP benefits:

  • Financial savings and control: Healthcare MSPs typically cost less than hiring or retraining in-house. With predictable pricing models and scalable service plans, outsourcing healthcare IT solutions helps you cut expenses and enables more efficient budgeting.
  • Improved compliance: Trained to meet HIPAA standards, MSPs can integrate robust healthcare cybersecurity measures into their IT systems. The ability to keep employee data safe and ensure staff meet credentialing requirements protects your organization from legal trouble.
  • Increased efficiency: Aligned with the goals of digital transformation, healthcare MSPs offer automated, cloud-native technology for scheduling, time tracking and payroll management—without the need for additional IT staff. This frees up more time for key administrators to work on achieving more strategic goals.
  • Access to talent pool: Rather than expanding your recruitment reach, healthcare MSPs bring a network of professionals who match your desired skills and attributes. With access to pre-vetted potential hires, matching talent to specific roles is simple.
  • Enhanced flexibility and scalability: Outsourcing to healthcare MSPs enables your organization to adapt to changing workforce demands. Your partner will draft tailored service level agreements (SLAs) to meet your unique needs.

When should you hire internal IT vs. healthcare MSPs?

Deciding whether it’s best to hire an MSP or onboard an in-house team to handle healthcare IT solutions is crucial. If your organization would benefit from day-to-day, on-site support deeply ingrained in your company culture, investing in an internal IT department might be best. Healthcare MSPs are better suited for rapidly growing firms that need 24/7, after-hours support and a specialized expertise in cybersecurity and HIPAA compliance.

Note: Many healthcare organizations choose to adopt a hybrid model. Outsourcing high-level monitoring and security tasks to experienced healthcare MSPs and hiring an internal manager for everyday, in-person IT tasks offers the perfect balance.

How to choose a healthcare MSP

As you start your search for a healthcare MSP, you’ll need to assess your team and understand what you want out of your partnership. Do you want someone who will address gaps in your healthcare cybersecurity measures? Could your existing infrastructure benefit from updated healthcare IT solutions? Once you know what you’re in the market for, it’s just a matter of meeting with different consulting firms.

Best questions to ask potential healthcare managed services providers:

  • Do you have prior, documented experience with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems?
  • Can you ensure interoperability in your work?
  • How do you meet MSP HIPAA compliance and other regulations?
  • What is your experience with healthcare cybersecurity and data protection?
  • Have you worked with organizations similar to ours in size and specialty?
  • Do you offer 24/7 support for technological emergencies?
  • What do your SLAs look like?
  • How do you handle system outages or downtime?
  • What is your pricing structure?

Why you should choose CGI to be your healthcare managed services partner

At CGI, we bring decades of comprehensive experience in the healthcare industry. With proven solutions, tools and platforms, such as CGI ProperPay and artificial intelligence, our healthcare MSPs can improve operational efficiency, enhance patient outcomes and reduce IT burdens for organizations of all sizes and backgrounds. If you want end-to-end services and healthcare IT solutions, CGI is the best option.

Connect with CGI managed services providers

These days, healthcare MSPs are vital to growth. If you wish to transform your organization, take the leap and connect with a CGI expert today.