Every healthcare operator eventually asks the same question: should we hire someone to handle IT, outsource it, or do some of both? The answer depends on size, complexity, budget and risk tolerance. There is no universal right choice, but there is a clear way to think it through.
This article lays out the tradeoffs without quoting prices, since costs vary widely by region and scope. Use it as a framework and collect actual quotes for your own situation.
Staff on site who know your people and building
Fast response to hands-on issues
Deep familiarity with your workflows over time
Coverage gaps. One person cannot cover vacations, illness, nights and weekends in a facility that never closes.
Breadth of skills. A single generalist is unlikely to be an expert in cybersecurity, networking, cloud, EHR integration and compliance all at once.
Turnover risk. If the person leaves, knowledge and passwords may leave with them.
Hidden costs. Salary is only part. Add benefits, training, tools, licenses and management time.
Tool investment. Monitoring, endpoint security, backup and ticketing platforms are often expensive for a single organization to buy on its own.
A team with different specialties, rather than one individual
Monitoring and after-hours coverage
Predictable monthly cost, often with defined service levels
Access to professional tools and processes
Easier scaling as you add locations
Less on-site presence unless the agreement includes visits
Quality varies by provider, so selection matters
A provider must learn your environment and clinical workflows
Poorly defined contracts can leave gray areas about what is covered
In a hybrid model, a small internal team or a single on-site person handles day-to-day needs and relationships, while an outside provider supplies security, monitoring, after-hours support, projects and backup coverage. Many mid-size operators find this combination effective, because it keeps local presence while filling gaps in depth and coverage.
How many locations and users do we have, and how complex are our systems?
What happens when our IT person is sick, on vacation or resigns?
Who handles security monitoring at 3 a.m.?
Do we need on-site support daily, weekly or only on demand?
What are we spending now, including hardware emergencies, ad hoc consultants and staff time lost to IT problems?
Which compliance tasks, such as risk analysis and policy review, are currently unassigned?
What does an hour of downtime cost us?
Whatever model you choose, include these categories:
Hardware replacement, planned on a cycle rather than at failure
Software and licensing, including EHR, email, productivity and security tools
Connectivity, including backup circuits
Security, such as endpoint protection, email filtering, backups and training
Compliance, including risk analysis and testing
Projects, such as network upgrades or Wi-Fi improvements
Contingency, for the unplanned
Seeing the whole picture often reveals that the "cheapest" option omits important items.
Ask for:
A written service agreement with response times by priority
A list of included and excluded services
Experience with healthcare and long-term care specifically
A willingness to sign a business associate agreement
References from similar organizations
Clear procedures for onboarding and offboarding the relationship, including who owns documentation and passwords
Choosing only on price
Leaving security as someone else's assumed job
Having no documentation of the environment
Keeping administrator credentials with only one person or vendor
Ignoring IT until something breaks
UnityCare IT provides managed IT and helpdesk services to healthcare organizations and also supplements in-house teams. If you are weighing options, we can review your environment and give you an honest picture of what each approach would involve, including cases where staying in-house makes sense.
Call or text: 405-285-3845
New customers: start@unitycareit.com
Existing customers: support@unitycareit.com
Address: UnityCare Technologies, 2524 N Broadway Ste 554, PMB 947974, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034-4172