Should Physicians Have an IT Consultant? When?

More and more of the paperwork the doctor does is becoming digitized. Some doctors prefer the extensive involvement of technology in medicine. They prefer electronic health records (EHRs) to writing on paper and they prefer having everything accessible to them on their screens. Other doctors prefer things the old way. They like to write on paper like they’re used to and having everything in documents. They just don’t like the restrictions forced on them by software and for people who didn’t grow up using technology the transition can be somewhat tough. Some doctors don’t even like to use email to communicate with patients and answer questions or concerns.

It’s without a doubt that technology will become a massive part of medicine sooner or later. Perhaps in a few years paper records will become obsolete and everything will become digitalized. The question is: can all doctors adapt to this change? One way for this to happen is by hiring IT consultants in a doctor’s office. This might be able to make the transition smoother for doctors who are less comfortable with technology and at the same time might take a few responsibilities off their shoulder giving them time to focus on the actual medicine. It’s not all good, however, if a doctor relies too much on his or her IT consultant and doesn’t learn to operate things on their own. There’s also a selection process in order to hire the best possible fit for the job.

Whether or not doctors like it, technology is taking over medicine. First we have EHRs that allow all of a patient’s physicians to view a that patient’s record each in his or her own office. Instead of having to ask a patient about their allergies yourself, you can simply refer to their EHR which has been around for years and will already contain all previous relevant medical data to the patient. It will have previous examinations, history, tests, and treatments. This makes everything easier for the whole team and allows them to coordinate together in a more efficient and time saving manor. There’s also the utilization of email and social networks to connect to patients. Instead of coming in and waiting an hour to see you, patients could simply send simple questions to you via email. If you think it’s worth them coming in then you can tell them that over email or if it’s not then you can simply answer them.

You might have a social media page that you use to post information and news on as well which might need regular maintenance. Of course one of the most useful changes you can make to your practice is to link your computers with those of your assistants and staff. That way when a patient’s data is updated on any computer in the office that update is reflected on all the others which can save a lot of time. Basically technology is here to stay and using it correctly can save time for everyone especially you.

Unfortunately it’s not all sunshine when it comes to implementing technology to your practice and office. A lot of doctors complain about how much time technology wastes and that it keeps them from doing what they really love: treating patients. Doctors became doctors because they want to talk to people and help them in order to relieve their pain. They don’t dream about spending time inputting data into a computer. Many doctors report that electronic records take too much time to fill in and that the software can be a bit too rigid in some areas giving them less room for maneuverability. Add to that time used to update and maintain a social media page and a doctor will barely have time to see patients.

Here’s where hiring an IT consultant would be great. They can take care of a lot of that and allow you more time with patients so you can focus on what you love and do best. Of course you don’t need a permanent consultant to create a sharing network between the devices in the office, but it helps to have someone constantly available to fix any issues that arise. Wouldn’t it be better to have someone who can fix things immediately rather than have patients wait while you call someone and they make it to your office? An IT consultant will also be of great aid when it comes to managing your online pages. You could set up a month’s posts and send them to him/her and give them a schedule of when to post each article or link. They can also show you how to make the most out of the software you have and maybe even how to overcome any limitations you face while using the software. The important thing is to not rely on them one hundred percent.

Cybersecurity is another concern you should have in mind. Patient’s files are incredibly valuable and them falling in the wrong hands can have terrible consequences especially for the patient. Having someone on board who knows how to set up a protected system and find ways to keep your files and data secure is a huge plus.

An IT consultant won’t sit in on your patient visits and record what a patient says for you. After all it’s not part of their job description and they would have no idea what’s important and what’s not. You also need to know how to run things in case the consultant is out sick or on vacation. Having one around is of great help, but don’t count on them 100%.

In order to minimize problems that can occur you need to make sure you hire the right person for the job. Of course your best option would be to hire someone with previous experience in a healthcare setting. The software at your office is significantly different from that in an accounting firm or a law firm for example. It’s best to hire someone who can hit the ground running rather than someone who still needs to figure out how things are done in a doctor’s office. You also need to make sure that they’re friendly and pleasant to work with. The last thing you need is someone who gets in fights and arguments with other members of your office. It’s also important to hire someone who is available and fixes problems when needed. One time at a doctor’s office, the doctor had a problem with his computer. Upon calling the IT department the issue was fixed immediately and remotely. No one even had to come inside the office in order to fix it. It’s important to hire someone who works smart and knows what the job’s about.

Hiring a person who takes initiative and always looks for ways to do things better and in a more efficient way is always the right thing to do. It can be hard to tell through an interview but you can call an applicant’s former employers or have them start a trial period so that you can figure out the type of person they are.

There’s nothing wrong with hiring someone to make your life easier. If it was wrong then you shouldn’t hire anyone in your office and just do everything yourself instead. Why hire a receptionist then? Being a doctor is about helping people and spending as much time as possible with your patients. If other things are getting in the way of that then you need to either get rid of them or hire someone to do them if that’s possible. Since there’s no way of getting rid of technology altogether then hiring someone to manage it is one of the best decisions you can make.