The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the healthcare system hard. The Wall Street Journal reports that the surge in coronavirus cases in parts of the U.S. has hospitals groaning under the strain of new patients. Hospitals are on the front lines of this crisis. While the pandemic is raging on, hospitals’ primary focus is to provide patient care and find ways to stop the transmission of COVID-19 or at least slow it down.
Hospitals need all systems running 24/7. Healthcare providers and especially patients cannot afford any downtime. In the pressure of treating patients, other important business functions have been pushed to the side because of the overload. However, a working print environment and proper document management are critical to having a functioning hospital system. Patients’ records and files need to be accurate and ready to be transferred to other departments and even to the insurance providers without any problems or delays. During this pandemic, these systems and processes are crucial. Providing effective care for patients relies on an efficient document management process.
Although hospitals have adopted an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system, the majority of healthcare providers still rely heavily on printed paper files and bills. Many hospital staff opts to use forms and documents to collect patient signatures for consent to medical procedures and other legal matters. Basically, hospital staff still use paper for intake forms, financial responsibility records, informed consent documentation, cost estimates, billings and receipts, correspondence between patients and insurance providers, and even for printing out backup files of Electronic Health Records.
When one of the printers, scanners, or multi-function devices breaks down, it causes major problems for the medical staff, hospital administrative staff, and most especially, the patients. Printing is essential when it comes to collecting the medical information needed and moving these files across departments, documenting cases, and even corresponding with insurance providers. The reality today is that hospitals cannot spare any more human resources or assign staff with the additional work of spending time and attention to printing equipment and documentation processes. Now more than ever, hospitals need to outsource print management. Managing and maintaining printing equipment is critical for the hospital to function but is a burden when the hospitals are already overloaded with patients. That’s why hiring a managed print services provider is the best option.
Managed print services are scalable and flexible solutions provided by third-party organizations to manage and optimize the hospital’s print infrastructure, document workflows, and paper output. They cover all aspects of the printing environment including devices such as printers, scanners, faxes, and copiers.
Key Benefits of Managed Print Services to Hospital Operations
Managed print services to relieve hospital and medical staff of print management tasks. With the staffing shortage, this pandemic has caused, outsourcing print services can reduce the burden on staff and free up individuals for other essential duties. More importantly, hospital staff can focus on providing care for their patients without having to worry about printers and other equipment breaking down or running low on supplies.
Managed print services can help hospitals streamline their documentation processes to maximize patient care and minimize print management costs. The managed print services consultant can assist the hospital by providing a stable and predictable solution to costs with no capital investment required. This allows the hospital to identify the budget and channel funds to where it’s needed the most to contain this health crisis.
A managed print services consultant can pinpoint what specific techniques and devices are essential to the hospital staff’s needs and ensure that the equipment will perform all the required functions without any hitches.
How Managed Print Services Providers Assist Hospitals
To ensure that the hospital’s printing needs are met, managed print services providers perform the following tasks:
- Assess the hospital’s current printing usage and need to determine which units are obsolete, need to be repaired or completely replaced.
- Develop a hospital-wide printing policy that meets staff needs while reducing waste and removing inefficient practices.
- Maximize existing equipment so that it can be utilized at full capacity. The managed print services consultant can recommend changes in usage such as transferring lightly used equipment to busier departments or identifying how many people can share a particular printer.
- Manage the inventory of supplies to ensure that there won’t be lacking inventory or a closet full of unused ink toners and cartridges somewhere. Managed print services providers also offer automatic supplies fulfillment and monitor the supply level of your devices. In the event that the hospital is low on toner and ink, the provider will ship a new cartridge before the devices run out.
- Provide regular maintenance, service, and repair of all print hardware. Managed print services will keep the hospital’s printers and other devices up and running at all times so as not to disrupt operations.
- Replace obsolete hardware and equipment that have no use in the hospital system and recommend new devices that use less ink and electricity and are more affordable if necessary.
- Monitor and track print usage per department or device to identify areas where there is unnecessary waste that can be eliminated.
As one of the nation’s top managed print services provider, OneDOC Managed Print Services philosophy is simple – to provide our clients with day-to-day print and copy support, streamlined and efficient services, and reduced costs. Our team of MPS advisors are seasoned professionals who will analyze and recommend tactical approaches designed to support each hospital’s strategic goals. One DOC’s unique business model is not pressured by equipment quota. We work with your staff and your needs to achieve cost reduction and productivity targets by monitoring and analyzing your system and fleet. We pinpoint areas for improvement, make recommendations, and discuss all your options right away. Your time and money will not be wasted. By choosing OneDOC, you will get automatic supplies fulfillment for ink cartridges and toners, fleet reduction, and optimization and optimization in all your printing and documentation processes. We also offer national sales and service coverage. Our sales team works directly with you, regardless of location, to ensure your satisfaction. OneDOC’s team certified technicians are dispatched across the country, direct to your doorstep.
Call us today, 1.844.633.3050 (National Toll-Free), or email us at onedoc@mpsok.com. Let’s get to work!