How to find the RIGHT Information Technology Professional (IT NERD!) MGMA 2007 Annual Conference Presented by: Nancy Babbitt, FACMPE .

How to find the RIGHT Information Technology Professional (IT NERD!)

MGMA 2007 Annual Conference

Presented by:Nancy Babbitt, FACMPE

www.EHR4U2.com

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Learning Objectives:

You will be able to…. Assess your practice’s needs for IT

support Design checklists for selecting your

own IT professional or evaluating outside IT help

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Program outline Evaluate Needs Important Characteristics - IT

Professionals Pro’s and Con’s

In House Out Sourced

Checklists Lessons Learned

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Evaluating Needs

Are you spending your IT budget wisely? Are you getting the best value for your IT

dollar? Do you know what your Network Engineer

is doing? Can you check the quality of their work?

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What would be the impact… If you could leverage your existing

computer network to: Make you more competitive? Meet patient demands? Increase communications? Make your employees more productive

and self-sufficient? Automate your manual processes? Streamline operations among partners and

vendors?

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4 Case Studies Compare Your Practice

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Keith Lynn, CEO, Augusta ENT PC “The new era of medical practice

management via electronic interfaces has required managers to rethink our personnel needs for the success of the practice. The understanding of firewalls, email, viruses, and the multitude of regulations guarding the protection of patient information can be overwhelming. Just as the practice hires a nurse, billing person or a receptionist, each has special skills that contribute to the overall success of the practice.

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Quote Continued… In the day to day operation I must have all

of my computers up and running and someone to maintain it.

I started with 3 doctors, hired an IT person at 4 doctors and have 11 today with over 150 computers and 7 servers. The IT person typically can do more than work on computers, they could also be your trainer, etc. The technical schools are a good resource for locating a potential employee, cost $20,000-$25,000.”

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IT Support Costs -w/EHR’sRoswell Pediatric Center, P.C., 9 servers, 105 workstations, 35 printers/ scanners, VOIP, 20+

remote users Internal support:

IT Assistant each of 3 locations, .33 FTE Supervisor of Information Systems, .50 FTE Total 1.50 FTE internal IT support staff

Average Monthly cost $ 2,400.00 for Outside IT support for the last 5 years

One bad experience and our costs doubled in 6 months!

IT Assistant and Supervisor of IS Job Descriptions in Attachments

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Susan Smith, PNPSupervisor of Information SystemsRoswell Pediatric Center, P.C.

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Davies Ambulatory Care Winner1 FTE Physician - 4200 Annual Visit

Costs Initial OngoingEMR Software $ 1,500 per doc $300 per doc,

per yr includes technical

support and all upgrades

Hardware $ 10,000 $ 1,500 per yr

Installation $ 500 $ 500 per yr

Implementation

Support

Part of

Licensing$ 1,200 per yr Maintenance of computers and software other than EMR.

Interfaces $ 2,000 $ 500 per yr

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Davies Ambulatory Care Winner23 FTE Physicians – 12 FTE Mid-Level263,000 Annual Visits – Multi Specialty

30 Servers, 5 locations, EMR also connected to the Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Physical Therapy, Hospice, and Home Health.

IT Department has 5.5 FTE, annual operating budget is $400,000.

Capital acquisitions for hardware and depreciable items, without additional location expansion, range between $150,000-$200,00 annually.

http://www.himss.org/ASP/davies_primarycare.asp

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What’s right for your practice?

Outsourcing??

Hiring Your Own IT Professional??

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Physician EHR Purchase Rate

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Buying %

www.acgroup.org TEPR 2007, Ambulatory Care Market Trends

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IT SUPPORT COSTS $$$$Occupation Title Mean

Hourly Mean Annual

Computer Support Specialists

$20.86 $ 43,380

Network and Computer Systems Administrators

$30.39 $ 63,210

Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software

$40.54 $ 84,310

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics http://nyjobsource.com/sal/computer.html

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Competition Increasing Identify staff with an interest and skills Train in the basics

Some skills can be learned by following around the professionals

Some skills require certified training Options: Local Colleges/Technical

Schools, Microsoft training programs, Microsoft server classes – 2 days, $1,000.00PC troubleshootingRepairing Printers and Scanners

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Whatever your choice????

How Do You Know They Know Their Business…

Protect Your Practice

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No Professional Organization Membership/Education- Just For IT Professionals.

Polling organizations (Big Companies) KLAS survey reports,

www.healthcomputing.com, Full IT Outsourcing Study 2005

Dunn and Bradstreet, Customer Satisfaction Magazine/Newspaper sources

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Examples of Companies of Excellence….

Top rated D & B customer satisfaction surveys Starting November of 2003, Dun and Bradstreet

conducted a Customer Satisfaction/Past Performance Evaluation of our customers. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the best), TENCorp customers rated their satisfaction levels with the Company to be 1.03.

This evaluation was commissioned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for contract ITC16 and was rated as best of all companies surveyed!

TENCorp has continued to provide this high level of service winning the highest rating in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

www.greenpages.com

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Magazine Article Industry praise for GreenPages

merger, CRN, the IT industry's most recognized magazine highlighted the customer and service benefits of the TENCorp / GreenPages transaction.

The article highlighted the additional customer support, competitive pricing, and expanded coverage as major benefits for customers

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HIMSS – Healthcare Information Management System Society

Is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 300 corporate members. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to ensuring quality patient care.

Annual Dues $140.00, local chapter only $30.00 Excellent Annual Conference for IT Professionals

www.himss.org

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CIO - Boot CampCollege of Healthcare Information Management Executives, CHIME

The Healthcare CIO, Chief Information Officer, Boot Camp is built around a research-based model of CIO success pioneered by CHIME, called the CIO Success Factors. The CIO Success Factor model is founded on seven critical and developable skills that study showed are inherent in successful healthcare CIOs.

Combining presentations, small group discussions, case-study, mentoring, and interactive problem solving, the Healthcare CIO Boot Camp’s learning methodology is practical, personal, and uniquely tailored to the needs of the participants.

3 days, Registration cost $2,995.00, limited to 40www.cio-chime.org

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Argument Can Be Made…

Can you find the perfect in house person?

That can provide the same benefits?

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College Degree – Important? Intern - Pursuing bachelors in computer science or a

related field, experience with Microsoft operating systems and basic PC configuration and repair.

Network Engineer - BA/BS, 1 year experience supporting Microsoft desktops and networks.

Associate Network Engineer - BA/BS, 3+ years experience including server administration.

Senior Network Engineer - BA/BS, 7+ years experience including servers, routers, network planning, project management.

Software Engineer - all levels, Visual Basic, VB.NET, Visual Studio, SQL Server, ASP.NET

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Sample Job Description Successful candidate will be part of an experienced team of

professionals providing IT services to Georgia businesses.

Must have experience in the following: Networking, Email systems, Firewalls, VPN, System Administration, Active Directory, and all aspects of PC support.

MUST have the following: 3+ years exp. Ability to troubleshoot IT problems. Organized and detail oriented; Good communications skills; Proven experience interacting with clients.

Prefer: 5+ years exp., MSCE or UNIX exp.

This is NOT an entry-level position. Salary history must be provided.

Please send resume and cover letter to:

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Typical Job Ad for IT Professional by an IT Firm -Benefits

We offer a full compliment of top notch benefits including: highly competitive salary, performance-based bonus program, health care benefits, dental, vision, life insurance, disability insurance, 401K plan,  medical expense account, ongoing technical training and Microsoft Certification. 

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COMMUNICATION IS KEY! English Language -- Knowledge of the structure and content of the

English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.Telecommunications -- Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.Mathematics -- Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.Oral Expression -- The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.Deductive Reasoning -- The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.Written Comprehension -- The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.Oral Comprehension -- The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.Problem Sensitivity -- The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Complete Computer Specialist Job Description in the Attachments

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Can Your Company Offer This?

Do you want a job... or a career?  At Healthcare IT Nerds you'll have a career path to higher value skills and compensation.  You'll learn valuable skills like how to manage clients and projects.  Because we are growing at a rate of 50% a year,  you'll have the  opportunity to advance along both technical and management tracks.

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Benefit Offered by an IT Firm

As part of our commitment to providing an optimal work/life balance to our employees, Healthcare IT Nerds’ provides onsite childcare as one of our many benefits. Our goal at the center is to provide the highest quality childcare in a safe, respectful and nurturing environment in which children can develop the life skills, habits and ideas needed to grow successfully in the world.

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Company Experience: Availability, mission critical products HIPAA Compliance / Disaster Recovery Healthcare Workflow Healthcare software

Practice Management Systems, Document Imaging Software

VOIP, Computer based telephones Electronic Health Records Interfaces, Spyware, Firewalls, Home and Remote

Users

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What to expect in your relationship?

Technical Expertise and Communication Awareness of Budget and Resources An advocate to cut through product hype

and maximize performance Long term planner, implementer, and

strategists.

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Expectations Continued…

Proactive industry watcher Keen ability to troubleshoot and solve problems. Provide scheduled upkeep of networked

systems, security policies, back up and virus protection systems, and preventative maintenance.

Be INTERESTED IN YOUR COMPANY’S “IT NEEDS”!

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Outsourcing Can Provide….

Access to high level skills when needed, while paying a reduced rate for help desk and repair services.

A business person who uses technology in a cost effective manner to solve business problems.

Help determine if a company is using their current technology to it’s fullest capacity and show how to maximize the products it already owns.

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Outsourcing Continued…

Help during implementations and upgrades

Strategic Insight into how new solutions and technologies can reduce cost and streamline operations.

Provide fast, cost effective emergency response when problems cannot be avoided.

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Pro’s to Outsourcing

Combined Expertise rather than relying on one individual

Defined Process make IT costs and performance more predictable an dependable

Track and Manage with sophisticated software

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Con’s To Outsourcing

Their priorities may not be your priorities Access depends on how much you pay Too many fingers in the pie, with the BIG

team approach

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Pro’s To Hiring Your Own Responsible only to your company On site all the time, reduces cost in lost

productivity If you are completely down Repairs to workstations, printers, etc. Reinstalling programs Re-entering lost data

Can do other job responsibilities, training new hires, etc.

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Con’s to hiring your own…

Hard to keep the good ones Competing with the job market

High Salaries Excellent and Unique Benefits No place to move up to, stagnant position,

unless your company is growing significantly Some are very specialized, may know

Windows NT but not Backup Software

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How to find the RIGHT company !

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Company Checklist How long has your company been in

business? How many contract clients do you support

on a monthly basis or annual basis? What size clients do you currently

support? Do you currently support any Healthcare

clients? Contact information for references.

What is your current client retention rate?

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Company Checklist continued… How many full time computer engineers do

you have? What is their education level? What is the highest education level? What is the lowest education level? What certifications do you require? What is your average turn over rate for

employees? How are new employees trained?

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Company Checklist continued… Are individual technicians assigned to

clients or a team? What incentives or procedures do you

have in place for technicians to: Reduce return calls or multiple trips Lower the amount of billable time Document procedures including problem

resolution Provide polite and courteous services to end

users

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Company Checklist continued… Does your company guarantee response

times to calls? Describe those guarantees and the

metrics used to derive them. How are requests and problems handled

and processed? What is the average resolution time

among open tickets?

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Company Checklist continued…

Is their a difference between critical and non critical calls?

What is your definition of a critical and non critical call?

How are our charges billed? Describe your companies use of remote

diagnostics and remote service?

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Company Checklist continued… What are your normal hours of operation?

Is service support available outside of those hours?

Do you require a signed contract? If yes, please provide a blank contract to review the terms.

Do you require a minimum length of commitment to a maintenance contract, 1 year, 2 year, 3 years ?

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Company Checklist continued… Do your technicians have experience with

_____? Fill in your major software programs names here, and include all of your back up software, connectivity hardware, special operating systems (UNIX), VOIP, etc.

Does your company have experience with HIPAA Privacy and Security standards?

Does your company have the ability to customize and implement a disaster recovery program for our company?

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Company Checklist continued… When an employee of yours is terminated, how

do you ensure they will no longer be able to access OUR network?

Do you guarantee return of our companies keys and personal property within 24 hours of discharge?

What proactive measures do you take to ensure up time?

What resources do you have available for clients to track and measure your performance?

Do you provide visibility into your process, if yes, how?

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Company Checklist continued… What resources do you have available to

clients to track their IT budget? How are services charged and what is the

charge? An agreed upon “maintenance contract” or only charged for used hours?

In a maintenance contract, can unused hours be rolled over?

If extra hours are needed for upgrades is there a charge?

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Individual Checklist How long have you been a Professional IT

Support person? How many clients have you had in the

past? What size clients have you supported? Have you supported any Healthcare

clients? Contact information for references.

Why did you leave your prior jobs?

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Individual Checklist continued…

What is your education level?

What certifications do you have?

Do you have experience documenting procedures including problem resolution

Can you provide polite and courteous services to end users?

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Individual Checklist continued… Will you be willing to ask for help in an area that

is not your specialty? Will you commit to keeping our computers

running 24/7? How will you handle, process, and prioritize

requests? What would you estimate your average ticket

resolution time to be? Will you be able to access our system remotely?

If yes, what expenses would you expect our company to pay for you?

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Individual Checklist continued… Do you have experience with _____? Fill

in your major software programs names here, and include all of your back up software, connectivity hardware, special operating systems (UNIX), VOIP, etc.

Does you have experience with HIPAA Privacy and Security standards?

Does you have the ability to customize and implement a disaster recovery program for our company?

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Individual Checklist continued… Do you have experience working with and

tracking an IT budget? What proactive measures do you take to

ensure up time? What resources do you have available for

us to track and measure your performance?

Do you provide visibility into your process, if yes, how?

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Employment – IT Professional

Employment agreement 90 day notice Confidentiality clause 2-3 year term Termination clause, withhold $ for return of

keys and physical property Defined Productivity and/or hours Are you going to pay hourly with overtime or

salaried.

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General Guidelines

Security Sweeps / Intrusion Testing Pay another company to try to break into your

system

Do tell your IT Professional you will be hiring another company to perform a Security Sweep annually, more often if problems are identified.

Do NOT tell your IT Professional when the other company will be performing the Security Sweep

Average Cost: $500.00 per IP Address

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Are you on the same page? Technology, a tool for increased

productivity Not a bottomless hole through which

money flows Who has control?

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Measures For Success

Hire through a network of qualified sources – list serves, same software, IPA, Hospital reference.

Have trial or test period for 30-60 days Communication Skills, Communication Skills,

Communication Skills Beware the Used Car Salesman

Don’t be afraid to get a 2nd opinion

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Attachments

Roswell Pediatric Center, P.C. - Job Descriptions IT Assistant –each location Supervisor of Information Systems

Job Description Computer Support Specialists

Sample Outside IT Contract