Managed Print Archives - Page 2 of 3

Protecting public health and ensuring that patients get the best possible care in a crisis situation is a critical mission for the healthcare industry.

To accomplish this, hospitals and healthcare providers must protect their print infrastructure from downtime in the event of pandemics, natural disasters, and other events during which they must remain operating at full capacity.

Printer downtime can interfere with the transfer of essential information related to Electronic Health Records (EHRs), which can, in turn, have a negative effect on patient outcomes. Particularly during a widespread health crisis, fast and accurate communication of laboratory results to clinicians is necessary for effective intervention and care.

Print downtimes [1] can not only affect the reliability of this communication, but they can also disrupt clinical workflows, affect patient care, increase labor costs and the overall cost of care.

Fortunately, the deployment of a strong managed print services (MPS) program can relieve the burden of print downtime, saving time and money and preserving a high level of patient care and satisfaction.

The Benefits of Managed Print Services for the Healthcare Industry

Managed Print Services (MPS) allow healthcare providers the agility, flexibility, and productivity necessary to provide consistent, top-level care to patients in all scenarios.

1. Predictive Maintenance to Reduce — or Eliminate — Downtime

Healthcare professionals understand the importance of preventative care and how it can reduce costs and extend patient life span.

A strong MPS program applies the principle of preventative care to printer fleets with remotely monitored, predictive maintenance that catches — and corrects — issues before they impact productivity.

Using our exclusive PointMan Secure ^TM program, we manage your entire print environment ensuring that imaging units are repaired before they break to virtually eliminate downtime. Additionally, toners and inks are supplied automatically to ensure no disruptions in service and no time wasted waiting for delivery of necessary supplies.

2. HIPAA-Oriented Protocols for Increased Compliance and Security

Regulatory requirement compliance is essential in the healthcare industry.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act (HIPAA) outlines that all printers, copiers, multifunction printers, and fax machines must be secured and maintained according to strict guidelines, and with good reason.

As cybercriminals turn their attention to the healthcare industry, patient health information (PHI) and healthcare service disruption remains at increased risk. To mitigate this risk and stay within HIPAA guidelines, managed print services for healthcare provides an exceptionally secure print environment.

Encrypted software and data, strong authentication protocols, and monitoring and audit capabilities are all included in our PointMan Secure ^TM program to bring compliance, security, and peace of mind to your healthcare practice.

3. Cost and Time Savings for a Healthier Bottom Line

Even without the burden that health crises such as pandemics or natural disasters place on the system, healthcare providers don’t have time to properly manage the complexities of the print environment.

Additionally, self-management comes with hidden costs, including:

Older devices that require intense maintenance
High downtime on legacy systems resulting in productivity loss — and costs
Older hardware or operating systems that are incompatible with newer technology
The burden of upkeep on in-house IT personnel

Managed print services for healthcare takes aim at these costs and time constraints by developing a system that reduces the cost of operation and the stress on in-house staff.

Our PointMan Secure^TM services can help your practice save up to 30% of total print spend by providing complete maintenance, troubleshooting, and automated supply replenishment services.

Additionally, we help healthcare providers eliminate waste for additional cost savings by:

Providing supplies addressed to specific printers to eliminate waste and misuse
Toner that must reach pre-set remaining levels before a new cartridge is sent to avoid reorders when a cartridge is simply removed and shaken.
Remanufactured ink and toner choices that provide the same — or better — quality than OEM brands at a 20 to 35% cost savings.

Finally, our MPS program gives healthcare providers the option of extending asset life to defer capital expenditures for increased bottom-line health.

Invest in PointManagement Managed Print Services and Keep Your Organization Running Smoothly

We have years of experience delivering on-target, time- and cost-saving managed print services to the healthcare industry.

Our team of experts has in-depth understanding of the challenges and unique requirements of the industry that we can leverage to assess your current print environment and analyze functionality and current cost.

This analysis will assist us in recommending the perfect MPS solution to help you save money, secure your data, minimize downtime and lower the frustration level of your staff, allowing you to focus on your ultimate goal — exceptional patient care.

Ready to see how a PointManagement MPS solution can help you manage your print environment to keep your practice running smoothly? Contact a PointManagement MPS consultant and get an assessment today!

While printing and cloud services appear to star in opposing roles along the enterprise infrastructure spectrum, they are beginning to edge closer together in a move that allows businesses to realize more efficiency and simplified management.

Printing can’t be entirely virtualized, since the whole point is to take virtual information and translate it into a physical form, i.e., a piece of paper.

However, cloud printing is a tool that helps business drastically simplify processes across the diverse hardscape of a widely distributed computer network. It does this by allowing employees to print — effortlessly — from any device and any location, even mobile.

And it’s this very specific capability that’s the catalyst responsible for the upward trend in the use of cloud printing services in 2020.

The Differences Between Print Technologies

But what is cloud printing and how does it differ from more traditional printing styles such as wired and wireless?

Wired printers connect a series of computers and printers over a local area network (LAN). This type of system is best for computers that are running the same operating system. However, it requires the installation of individual drivers for each printer and device, which must be carefully updated for optimal function and security.

Wi-Fi enabled printers, on the other hand, connect to the network via an internal Wi-Fi so devices can connect directly — and wirelessly — with printers.

However, the sending device must be close enough to the printer to pick up the Wi-Fi signal and each device must still have the appropriate printer driver installed in order to work properly. Again, drivers must be properly installed and updated regularly to avoid disruption of service.

With cloud printing services, the need for individual devices to be equipped with printer drivers is completely removed. Printing can be performed seamlessly across any mix of hardware and accessed effortlessly from all devices, regardless of location.

Additionally, cloud printing can overcome the complexity of a variety of hardware or a mix of operating systems to keep user experience fluid — and positive.

Benefits of Cloud Printing Services

Cloud infrastructure continues to grow, and experts predict the global cloud print market will expand to $628 million by the year 2025.

Much of this impetus is due to the vast array of benefits cloud printing services in a managed print environment bring to the workplace.

1. Cost Savings

Instead of the high cost of buying and maintaining on-premise servers and print devices, cloud printing allows for print environments to be paid for via subscription — meaning owners pay for print capacity rather than infrastructure.

Ultimately, this assists business in reducing up-front capital spending on hardware and infrastructure while concurrently removing the burden — and associated costs — of procurement.

Savings are also realized as cloud printing allows for the reduction of in-house IT service professionals — or for the current IT staff to focus on more mission-critical initiatives.

2. Simplified IT Management

As mentioned, removing the need for installation — and constant updating — of printer drivers eliminates an enormous workload from the shoulders of your in-house IT team, allowing them to concentrate on more vital priorities.

3. Tighter Security

With the elimination of print servers, cloud printing reduces physical access points for increased security.

Additionally, cloud printing employs high-level authentication technology to provide additional security in the cloud and, with the application of a universal printer driver solution reduces the need for constant updates and patches on individual equipment.

4. Better UX

The combination of predictive maintenance services powered by AI, and auto replenishment features for supplies, lowers staff frustration and ensures the highest level of uptime. With problems detected and managed before they impact users, the user experience — and accompanying productivity — gets a big boost.

Leverage the Power of Cloud Printing for Your Business

Smart businesses are taking a closer look at the advantages of cloud printing to gain access to the superior scalability, cost savings, and other benefits that can help them maintain a competitive edge in today’s variable markets.

In a bid to reduce the complexity and cost of keeping up with changes in technology, more companies are opting to move their printing to the cloud for a better experience, heightened productivity, and to solve some of the management and maintenance headaches seen with more traditional print technologies.

Are you ready to see how cloud printing services can help you manage your print environment for greater security, control, and savings? Contact a PointManagement MPS expert today!