Between meeting with patients, performing procedures, and managing the office, you have a lot on your plate as a dental care professional. You simply don't have the time to focus on technology tasks, nor do you have the level of expertise needed to maintain and monitor your practice's IT infrastructure. As such, it's best to leave tech-related tasks to those who do, like Healthy IT.
Here are five technology tasks that IT experts can handle for your dental practice:
1. Implementing new technologies
Using new technologies in your dental office can significantly improve workflow and staff performance. These technologies can make the most mundane tasks easier and faster to complete, which frees up your time for more important aspects of patient care. By letting an IT expert take care of the installation and other tasks, you can ensure that everything is done correctly and swiftly.
Dental IT support professionals can also provide valuable training to your staff on how to properly use the new system. They have the necessary experience to teach everyone exactly what they need to know, from how to correctly document information in electronic health record (EHR) systems to how best to utilize digital imaging software. This can help your staff become more efficient when using technological tools, or boost their confidence when learning to use new ones.
Related reading: Use digital tools to maximize your dental practice’s efficiency
2. Fixing faulty backups
Backup solutions are critical for any dental practice or healthcare facility in maintaining the security and integrity of patient data. Without backups, it can be difficult to recover from a breach or other IT-related incidents. Ensuring properly functioning backups, however, is a tough job. You shouldn't have to get bogged down in the minute details of overseeing disk space, RAM, and security vulnerabilities.
Leave the job to IT professionals who are trained to monitor data backups and ensure they're running smoothly and securely. These professionals are also able to detect any issues early, so they don't cause major issues like downtime. By letting an IT team take charge of this task, you can rest assured that all patient information is being backed up properly and secure against potential breaches.
3. Maintaining network security
The consequences of a data breach can be disastrous to any dental practice or healthcare facility. Not only can it lead to financial losses, but it can also diminish patients' trust in your practice. This is why it's essential to have the right network security measures put in place and managed by IT professionals.
IT experts are familiar with all aspects of network security, from firewalls and antivirus programs to encryption and password protocols. They also have the expertise necessary to properly maintain these systems so that your data is always secure, even during an emergency.
4. Performing a comprehensive risk assessment for compliance
Compliance with dental healthcare regulations is a complex and multifaceted process, with risk assessment being its crucial first step. A comprehensive risk assessment helps identify potential areas of noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as gauge the practice’s ability to handle those risks.
Technology professionals can ensure an accurate risk assessment for your dental practice. They are trained to understand the latest healthcare regulations and have the expertise necessary to properly assess potential risks associated with a dental practice. They are also able to provide recommendations for mitigating those risks, as well as help ensure that the practice remains compliant.
5. Buying new computers or replacing old PC components
Shopping for and replacing computers or components can be daunting, even for IT professionals. These tasks require knowledge of the latest hardware and software technologies, as well as an understanding of how each component works together to give your practice the best performance. Unfortunately, many dental healthcare workers lack technical expertise and may not be able to make the best purchasing decisions.
That’s why it’s best to leave this task to experts who are familiar with both the latest hardware and software technologies, as well as how these components work together. Having trained IT professionals do this task gives you the peace of mind that your practice is using the right equipment for the job and that your systems are running as efficiently as possible.
Outsourcing these and other IT-related responsibilities allows you to focus on providing quality patient care without sacrificing accuracy or timeliness in managing technological needs. If this is what you need for your practice, give us a call.