Amid the pandemic, attracting and retaining top talent has become a critical issue for hospitals and health systems. While much of the conversation has focused on clinical staff shortages, talent needs extend more broadly across organizations. For example, many healthcare technology teams are struggling to provide adequate IT support, properly maintain medical devices and equipment, and keep up with the demand for new and modernized training assets within their Learning Management System.
To overcome these operational barriers, many organizations are turning to technology solutions partners for help. Becker’s Hospital Review recently spoke with three technology experts from Futura Healthcare about what healthcare leaders should consider when creating an effective IT partnership:
• David Gulian, CEO, Futura Healthcare
• Michael Gwardyak, VP, Delivery, Futura Healthcare
• Michael Talerico, Senior VP, Futura Healthcare
Integrating new technology into the healthcare environment is extremely complex
Given the shrinking margins faced by hospitals and health systems, the cost of new technology solutions is a concern. Healthcare leaders are focused on upfront costs, as well as the total cost of ownership.
"As organizations evaluate new technologies, many look at the scalability of the solutions and how resource intensive they will be to deploy and then maintain on an ongoing basis,” Mr. Talerico said. “From a deployment perspective, healthcare IT teams are also concerned about compatibility and interoperability with legacy hardware and software."
Many health systems take the conventional path of turning to very large health IT companies for help, but they often find that this approach has serious drawbacks. "The story of David and Goliath is a good analogy,” Mr. Gulian said. “When it comes to IT partners, size can actually be a great weakness. Many large health IT companies have multiple layers of management, which lead to slow decision-making and 20th-century responses to 21st-century needs."
In addition, large health IT companies often suffer from both overconfidence and complacency. Many (large health IT companies) don’t invest the time and resources required to fully understand their customers’ specific needs and rarely consider or suggest unconventional or “out-of-the-box” solutions for the same reasons.
True health IT partnerships are based on deep experience, customer-centricity and trust
Health technology partners need a thorough understanding of their clients' IT infrastructure, paired with knowledge of emerging trends and compliance issues. They must have the ability to deliver integrated solutions based on customer needs that leverage a full spectrum of assets, ranging from hardware to devices, equipment and software applications.
"Futura's highly skilled consultants and technicians are battle tested and industry-wise," Mr. Gwardyak said. "In addition, members of our senior management team are involved with every client engagement. We’ve earned trust, respect, credibility and recognition across the industry, as evidenced by our top KLAS ranking for HIT Staffing."
Futura is a one-source healthcare solutions provider
For over 20 years, Futura has worked closely with leading healthcare institutions to deliver customized solutions. It is one of the few organizations in the industry that offers both pointof-care technology solutions and advisory and consulting solutions for hospitals and health systems. Futura also provides services related to strategic cost management, patient and clinical engagement, custom e-learning and managed services.
At Futura, the client relationship is of paramount importance. Teams focus on ethical, honest, and open dialog with customers, and proposals are realistic and based on fair, competitive pricing. In many cases, customers find that the services and solutions provided by Futura are more cost efficient than managing the work in-house.
"Futura converts the impossible to the routine," Mr. Talerico said. "We ensure that organizations have the right hardware, devices and equipment to match their workflows, budgets and timelines. We place collaborative, hands-on managers onsite at clients to provide ongoing support and oversight. This extends the life of assets and frees up clinical staff to focus on mission-critical responsibilities and patient care."
Health systems across the nation face the dual challenge of providing quality patient care while functioning as a costefficient business. Success requires a delicate balancing act in an environment with shrinking margins and high patient expectations. It is critical that these healthcare organizations find a trusted technology solutions partner that offers the agility and resourcefulness exhibited by David when battling Goliath.
Conclusion
Futura Healthcare's North Star is the desire to listen, assess, partner, build trust and deliver solutions that create value for hospitals and health systems. "We are inquisitive and always looking to improve operations, save money and accelerate workflows for our clients," Mr. Gulian said. "Our goal is to become a trusted advisor and to know our customers so well that we can finish their sentences for them."