Your Reality
Your clinical environment is not a stand-alone island, but more like a web of intricate connections and interfaces. What is important to imaging is not typically the responsibility of IT, and therefore does not take priority when a problem arises. In today’s complex business environment, a problem may be outside of your internal IT department’s scope but is absolutely important to your operation and your role.
* Remote workforce – A remote workforce is common. In many cases, their connection to your environment could be monitored, but often is not.
* Public healthcare exchanges – You may be sharing data with a healthcare exchange. Timely transmissions is expected.
* Private healthcare exchanges – You may be sending and receiving data and images via a private exchange such as Nuance Powershare.
* Vendors – Your vendors may be connected to monitor aspects of their own equipment. You need to know if their ability to connect is compromised.
* Customers – Customers may be sending you data and waiting on results. Monitoring this two-way connection is outside of your IT’s scope, but absolutely should be monitored.
* Offsite processing – It is common to use offsite resources, all of which need to be monitored to ensure your operation. Examples include AI processing, speech processing, analytics, image storage, billing, DICOM, and HL7 function.
* Access to your websites - It is important to monitor the public’s ability to connect to your websites for general information, scheduling, registration, forms, and to receive orders.
* Access to other clinical practices – Access to labs, ePrescribe, and other practices is common.
* Remote site connectivity – just because a remote site is physically connected does not imply it is logically connected, or that speed between the locations is stable and adequate throughout the day.
Staffing
A remote IT workforce, or a limited on-site IT workforce is now the norm, and not likely to change post-Covid. As a result it is critical that issues are detected and pinpointed quickly, so an on-site IT resource is as productive and efficient as possible regarding resolution. Correct monitoring thresholds, coupled with a correct notification scheme will reduce the dependency on on-site personnel.
Staffing Turnover
Turnover will happen and legacy knowledge will be lost. Having organized, updated documentation is more critical than ever.