November 06, 2025
If you only had time to ask
your IT vendor three things this week, let them be these:
1.
"How do you
alert us if something goes down?"
2.
"Do you test
our backups? How often?"
3.
"Can we see a
report of our system health each month?"
Why these? Because when
something breaks, it's too late to ask questions.
A 2023 survey by the HIPAA
Journal found that 62% of healthcare cyber incidents could have been caught
sooner with better monitoring or clear communication between providers and
their IT vendors.
Your IT provider isn't just a
vendor. They're part of your care team. They help protect the other kind
of patient record—data.
"You wouldn't skip rounds on
your residents. Don't skip rounds on your tech."
Let's take those questions
one by one:
How do they alert you? Some providers send emails that only go to one
person. Others set up text alerts, dashboard flags, or even auto-call trees.
Make sure your response plan fits your facilities' real-life routines.
Do they test your backups? It's one thing to have a system to back up your data.
It's another thing to know those backups work when you need them. Ask for a
test restore. It's like a fire drill, but for your files.
Can you see system health
reports? You don't need to understand
all the tech lingo. Ask for one page, once a month. Look for signs of slowness,
failure, or repeated alerts. It can help you catch patterns before they become
problems.
You can also ask about
support response time. "How fast do you respond to after-hours issues?" and "Do
you guarantee resolution within a certain time?" The IT industry average is between 30 and 60
minutes - how does your team/provider compare? Do they regularly share their
times?
And don't forget to ask who's
monitoring your vendor. Do they have checks and balances in place? Are they
meeting service level agreements?
Bonus tip? Invite your IT
provider to do a walk-through of your building once a year. Let them see where
nurses log in, where Wi-Fi fails, and what your daily workflow really looks
like. Hint: IT should be a part of your annual Risk/HIPAA Risk assessment to
review access to systems/records.
These three questions (plus a
few bonus ones) could save you time, money, and trust. Let them start a
conversation—not just about technology, but about your peace of mind.
If you have questions about your IT operations
or compliance requirements, call us and we will be happy to help you get
started.
Interested in a conversation or want to learn more? Contact us here.
