Management Essentials

Technology Doesn’t Need to Cost So Much

Cutting small expenses can add up to big savings.

By Farrell “Toby” Tyson, MD, FACS

Ophthalmology has become increasingly more complex in the information technology (IT) age. Word processors and spreadsheets have evolved to include practice management software, electronic health records, human resource management and accounting and payroll software. As demands for efficiency, along with accompanying regulations, increase we must remain compliant. Now, software must be backed up by IT personnel, data pipes and servers, which all cost money. Over time, new options have started to develop to help practices to roll back these costs.

Making the Connection

First lets look at how we connect our practices to the rest of the world. Most of the time, we are connected through the Internet. Connecting to the Internet in our practices has usually required dedicated connections such as T1 (1.5 Mbit/s) or fiber lines. These connections sound robust, but you may be surprised to find out that your home Internet connection probably has at least 10 times the bandwidth. Most T1 connections run through old copper phone lines and cost about $500 a month.

Now, cable companies have begun getting into the business-class Internet arena offering bandwidth of 50 Mbit/s for around $200 a month. This competition is driving down the costs and increasing possibilities for physicians. Suddenly, cloud-based data storage and application hosting are truly feasible. The use of IP phone systems interconnected between offices for sharing graphic or media-intensive data is fast and reliable.

Operating Systems

Your IT person spends a lot of time putting out little fires at staff computers; a virus here or a lost connection there. Usually he’s just maintaining a functioning Windows environment. In our office, we find it cheaper to buy a new computer than to investigate the problem, eradicate the malware and restore the old software.

Now, we are venturing into off-site hosted application servers for the majority of our software needs. We no longer need powerful computers on every desk. In fact, all we need is a basic computer the size of a deck of cards to run Citrix or Terminal Services client software, such as Raspberry-Pi, to link to the cloud. These basic client computers run LINUX, a free operating system virtually immune to viruses or malware. It is stable and runs extremely fast on what may be considered obsolete hardware.

Reducing Software Costs

Hardware and operating systems aren’t the only financial burden in the IT department. Even our basic word processing and spreadsheet software can be costly when multiplying the cost over several computers. Consider saving cash by using open source or freeware versions of common software.

Open Office, for example, is a full suite of word processing and spreadsheet programs developed by Sun Microsystems. It is free to download and reads and writes all competitors’ file formats. Another option is Google Docs, an application suite hosted on the Web. Microsoft has also released its cloud-based product, Microsoft Office 360. All these options allow for access and manipulation of data through a basic Web browser instead of a dedicated workstation.

Backup Insurance

Many businesses have elected to back up information through cable providers and a back-up or fail-over T1 dedicated line through a phone provider. Today’s multiple WAN routers now allow for simple and cost-effective connection of your business’s network to multiple Internet providers. They are easily customizable and

Technology has always had a rule that as productivity or performance increased, the price would decrease. That means long-term contracts with your IT infrastructure are probably going to leave you at a disadvantage. Remember to renegotiate, and do it often. Technology can make your life simpler, but only if you research and implement it properly. OM

Farrell C. Tyson, MD, FACS, is a refractive cataract/glaucoma eye surgeon at the Cape Coral Eye Center in Florida. He may be reached at tysonfc@hotmail.com.