It certainly works for Walker Urgent and Family Care in Little River, S.C. Two years ago, the solo practice decided to automate, which naturally ramped up its IT needs. Too small for it to be financially feasible to bring an IT person on staff, but wanting the guidance of technical experts, the practice decided to outsource its IT needs. It chose a company called Computer Zone, which offers Medisoft practice management software, SpringCharts EMR, and automated billing and backup services.

Since then, they’ve experienced virtually no downtime. “One of the big positives is we don’t lose our charts anymore,” says Shenell Hamilton, office manager.

Walker Urgent and Family Care also avails itself of Computer Zone’s auto-posting service, which has greatly sped up insurance payment posting to its bank account. “We used to wait 30 to 120 days; now it’s about 14 days,” says Hamilton. She appreciates the peace of mind she now has knowing that a group of experts is there to support her practice’s IT needs: “Now we can spend time seeing patients and offering better services.”

Surely, such assurance is one major benefit of outsourcing. “A clinic is so entwined with its daily activities, they don’t want to be bothered,” explains Computer Zone co-owner Sandy Huggins. The company offers its services on either a per-call or maintenance contract basis. “After they buy the product, we have nothing left to give but support,” says Huggins. “We tell our clients that there’s nothing they can break that we can’t fix.”

Outsourced IT help is available in all sizes. McKesson, for instance, offers a broad range of IT services. It emphasizes connectivity, revenue cycle outsourcing, coding, driving claims, managing contracts, implementing EMRs, and providing practice management support. That may sound rather intimidating to a small practice, but Tom Leonard, senior vice president and general manager of McKesson’s Ambulatory Solutions Group, says that every client, regardless of size, has a “single point of contact” with whom to build a strong relationship.

So whether you prefer to employ an in-house IT specialist or pay for the support an outsourced IT services company can provide, the key is to choose a solution that best fits the specific financial and operational needs of your practice. Don’t rush when deciding. Choose carefully, and build a solid relationship with your IT experts based on open communication and trust. “Finding IT people is not difficult,” says Simmons. However, “Finding IT people who fit your organization takes time and effort.”

Shirley Grace is a senior writer for Physicians Practice. She can be reached at sgrace@physicianspractice.com.

This article originally appeared in the March 2008 issue of Physicians Practice.