7 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Managed Service Provider

Every healthcare practice has its own goals, needs, and challenges when it comes to technology. The right managed service provider can determine the failure or success of those IT goals. How do you find a MSP that understands your specialty and has a strong pulse on your needs? Let’s look at seven questions you should ask before partnering with a new IT provider.

1 – Does the MSP have a healthcare focus?

Working with a MSP that has a proven specialization in healthcare can dramatically reduce the steps to issue resolution and move through the ticket queue. By having a single vendor support your practice’s IT, you can consolidate issues to one call.

2 – Is the MSP active in the healthcare industry?

To really understand your business, the MSP must demonstrate involvement in the healthcare industry. What healthcare or specialty-specific events or conferences does the MSP attend? Are they active in the associations or communities you are a part of?

3 – What does the onboarding process entail?

Onboarding sets the foundation for the partnership with a MSP – for better or for worse. Make sure you get a clear answer on what happens during onboarding, who is involved, and what steps come afterwards.

4 – How are ticket escalations handled?

Escalation can be a hidden cost when working with an IT provider. Be sure to get information on how out-of-scope or complex IT requests are handled and if they incur additional costs. Even more important, you need to have the IT provider define what they consider to be an escalation. Is a nurse or physician calling outside of business hours considered an escalation? This could impact your ability to provide care and your IT bill.

5 – Does the MSP understand HIPAA compliance?

Challenge your potential IT partners on how they address HIPAA compliance – and possibly even other healthcare frameworks. They must have knowledge of the Security Rule as well as Privacy Rule to understand their responsibilities.

6 – Does the MSP have a strong security posture?

If a MSP has access to your data and systems, you need to understand their security posture. Perform your due diligence to ensure that they have proper controls implemented and stay up to date on security trends.

7 – Will the MSP be committed to your success?

How deeply does the MSP understand your business? You must have a discussion about your business objectives and growth plan so that you can determine if the MSP aligns with those goals.

At Dedicated IT, we welcome you to ask these questions and more when considering us as your IT provider. We consider our relationship with clients to be a valuable partnership that requires this type of transparency.