Explore the Benefits of Outsourced IT Services for the Health Sector
In the face of unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, managed services have emerged as a vital lifeline for healthcare systems worldwide. According to a CompTIA survey in 2020, one-third of companies regularly outsource some IT needs, and this trend has been particularly evident in the healthcare sector.
As healthcare IT teams grapple with managing systems and infrastructure during the pandemic, managed services have proven indispensable. These services ensure proper assessment, monitoring, and evolution of technology deployments, adhering to the latest security and HIPAA-compliant protocols.
One of the most significant impacts of managed services has been in accelerating digital innovation and deployment. For instance, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) helped build the 'HomeBound' digital healthcare system within 12 weeks, facilitating online consultation and remote patient monitoring during the pandemic's first wave. This rapid development and deployment of digital tools were crucial when traditional in-person care was severely disrupted.
Managed services have also supported the massive scale-up of telehealth services, increasing patient reach by 50 to 175 times. By providing the infrastructure, security, and technical management needed to sustain such high volumes of virtual care, managed services extended healthcare access remotely and enabled continuous monitoring of patients outside hospitals.
Furthermore, managed services have played a crucial role in workforce management and optimization. With healthcare systems facing critical staffing shortages due to COVID-19, AI-powered workforce management tools have helped improve scheduling, reduce administrative burdens, and optimize clinician deployment, especially in rural areas.
Infrastructure and integration support have also been key. Emerging healthcare technologies like mobile health (mHealth) applications for symptom tracking and clinical dashboards required integration with existing clinical workflows and infrastructure. Managed services have been instrumental in supporting system development, deployment, and ongoing management, ensuring these tools could function effectively in resource-constrained settings.
The pandemic has fostered unprecedented collaboration among global medical and technology experts, facilitated by managed IT services that provided cloud platforms, development environments, and secure communication channels. This collaboration allowed rapid prototyping, iteration, and scaling of innovative healthcare solutions.
In addition, managed services have been instrumental in ensuring healthcare leaders implement technology while maintaining compliance, data security, and policy adherence, crucial for sustainable innovation in health systems during and beyond the pandemic.
As the healthcare sector grapples with staff reductions, reduced budgets, and the deployment of new technologies for social distancing and sanitation, leaders may consider bringing in a partner to help manage IT operations. CDW, for example, is a third-party provider that can handle cloud deployments, data center solutions, mobile initiatives, collaboration tools, and security.
Managed services can potentially cut IT costs by up to 40 percent, according to a CDW white paper, making them a valuable asset for healthcare organisations seeking cost optimization. A strong ally in managed services offers foresight and strength to be ready for whatever comes next, handling systems and data center management, maintenance, upgrades, and virtualization efforts for remote work.
In summary, managed services have been instrumental in enabling healthcare systems to rapidly respond to COVID-19 by accelerating digital transformation, supporting telehealth and remote patient monitoring, optimizing workforce resources, integrating new technologies, and fostering innovation and collaboration under crisis conditions. These services address critical IT challenges such as system scalability, operational efficiency, and secure technology deployment that are essential to maintaining healthcare delivery during the pandemic.
Science and technology have been key drivers in the expansion of managed services in the health-and-wellness sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. By providing the infrastructure, security, and technical management needed for digital innovation, managed services have accelerated the development and deployment of digital tools like homebound health systems and mHealth applications.
In the face of reduced budgets and the need for social distancing measures, finance and business leaders in the healthcare industry may find managed services an attractive solution for cost optimization, potentially reducing IT costs by up to 40 percent, as indicated in a CDW white paper.
