Long workdays, staff shortages, and cumbersome technology are among the many struggles contributing to today's high physician burnout rates. In the last year, more than 50 percent of U.S. doctors experienced at least one symptom of the condition, which can include mounting anxiety, exhaustion, and depression.

Burnout affects practices of all sizes and specialties, taking a toll not only on physicians but also on patient care and business overall. The healthcare industry loses more than $4.5 billion each year to burned-out medical staff.

Overcoming IT struggles

Fortunately, there's a solution to many of the business technology woes plaguing today's practices. The right IT can foster a better work experience and reduce staff stress and anxiety. Here is a look at three ways in which outsourced or managed IT can improve a physician's work experience.

Managed IT is the third-party management of business technology such as cybersecurity services, cloud storage and backup, and network infrastructure.

1. Technology that works right the first time. The last thing a physician wants to worry about is accessing medical records while treating a patient. Constant network slowness and data delays are nagging frustrations. The main culprit? Outdated servers and poor interoperability among misconfigured infrastructure such as firewalls and servers. Managed IT experts solve this problem in two ways: 1. ensuring hardware and software are properly configured and patched; 2. making application and file servers operate in tandem while living in a secure, redundant data center. Plus, the IT provider relieves the practice of large capital expenses such as upgrading hardware and maintaining software licenses.
   
2. Diminishes compliance and security fears. Peace of mind is one of the most valuable contributions that a managed IT provider can bring a healthcare organization and its staff. Yes, it can provide smart solutions for threat management, data protection and backup. But more importantly, an IT company experienced in healthcare security and HIPAA compliance can relieve the pressure physicians feel to ensure patient data is protected.
   
   
3. Enables remote work. The flexibility of working from anywhere is invaluable for exhausted doctors who want more work-life balance. When configured by IT specialists, tools such as Microsoft 365, VoIP and cloud computing empower the freedom to work remotely. From encrypted laptops to secure VPNs, managed IT adds a layer of flexibility that many growing practices lack.

4 HIPAA mistakes that can cost millions

Is your growing practice missing often-overlooked regulations? Few things are more damaging to a growing healthcare practice than a HIPAA breach. Business and IT leaders can ease their worries and safeguard their practices by making sure they are meeting these four commonly overlooked HIPAA requirements.