Healthcare facilities need to be able to print their own materials, whether that be patient documents or marketing materials to place in public areas. However, those printing and copying capabilities come at a cost that is detrimental to healthcare facilities’ bottom line. Unfortunately, this means that cost is eating into the budget for spending on patient care. Moreover, staff may not be receiving all the benefits of an optimized printing service. Fortunately, there is a solution: healthcare-managed print services (MPS).

Key Features of Healthcare Managed Print Services

Obviously, every managed printing service is going to be different. However, you can expect some key features of these services from most providers.

Printing Assessment:

Most providers will run a printing assessment of your facility. They will measure how items are printed, how many are printed, excessive printing, and many other factors. These metrics allow you to see how your organization functions with your printing need. You’ll then work with the managing printing service to optimize your workflow with your printing needs. All of this is done through that initial data.

Changes could be as simple as printing fewer documents in color and spending less on toner. It could be as drastic as reducing the number of printers and reducing the amount of paper you buy but becoming more efficient. 

Secure Printing:

Patient health data must be protected at all times, even when you are printing. MPS can give you security in multiple ways. This includes methods such as secure print and release, which requires someone to be physically at the device before the printer will print the document. You can also add more security features such as needing an ID or passcode to print documents.

Not only can you set up measures like this for printing patient documents, but you can use access restrictions on specific classifications of documents to prevent printing in color or to lower-level staff.

Remote Monitoring:

Just because you use a managed print service doesn’t mean you need someone to stay on-site at your facilities. MPS can monitor your printers remotely and even perform updates during downtimes. They’ll also be automatically notified if something goes wrong or if you need a restock of supplies.

Also, MPS can manage security threats remotely as well. Don’t be on your own if a cyber-security attack happens. While they can’t replace an IT team, MPS can help prevent vulnerabilities.

Print Volume Management:

Most healthcare facilities need to print hundreds of documents every single day. Not only that, but these printers need to be able to print multiple copies within seconds. Managed print services for healthcare can help you identify your average/max printing needs for any given day. Then, they can help you find a printer that will meet the needs of your print volume. Because of that earlier assessment, MPS can help manage print volumes and reduce unnecessary printing, which can result in cost savings.

Device Management:

Don't tie your IT team down in trying to manage complex printers. Instead, this can be handled by managed print services. Not only will they monitor the devices, but they also provide maintenance for those devices. You can have experts that work on printers all day every day to help your facilities. This can free up time for your IT team and make sure you get back up and running as quickly as possible. MPS can also help you decide whether you need a printer or a copier.

Document Management:

Providers of managed print services provide document management solutions, such as scanning, archiving, and retrieval.  This can assist healthcare businesses in streamlining their document management processes and lowering the possibility of lost or misplaced records.

Benefits of Managed Print Services for Healthcare Facilities

Now that we've knocked out some of the most important features, let's talk about the benefits of using a managed print service for healthcare.

Increased Efficiency

While it may seem impossible, managed print services can make your healthcare staff more efficient. Instead of having your IT team waste their time trying to manage multiple printers and fix broken ones, leave that to the pros.

Reduce Costs

Managed print service for healthcare can help reduce costs by maintaining your printers for you. You'll pay a monthly fee for their services, and they will help you maintain your printers as well as optimize your workflow. Companies have been known to save money just by optimizing toner usage and limiting the number of printers. Not to mention the price difference between buying a copier and leasing.

Improve Care

Looking to put more money into patient care? Cutting printing costs and optimizing workflow can help you do just this. When you work with managed print services, you can put your focus on managing the most important day-to-day functions rather than secondary needs like printing software. 

Protect Your Healthcare Facility

As mentioned above, managed print services help manage and monitor the security of your printers. Not only can you institute protocols to help protect documents, but MPS can routinely update your printers and keep them secure for your clinic. You don't have to leave yourself vulnerable.

Reduce Carbon Footprint

MPS are masters of spotting printing waste and eliminating it. You can reduce your carbon footprint by reducing your printing paper intake and excessive toner usage. Becoming greener doesn't mean you also save money.

Manage Multiple Location More Effectively

While it may be tempting to think that what works for one location will work for another, that's not true. Most locations have different printing needs and different printing requirements. MPS can help you better manage different locations and optimize your printing services. Not only will this help you save money, but it can also help you better support your multiple locations.

Need Managed Print Service for Your Healthcare Facility?

Looking for a reputable MPS that can handle your printing needs? Want to receive multiple quotes from highly reputable services? We've got your back! 360Connect can help! We help companies find high-quality suppliers every day! Just fill out our 1–2-minute form and we'll contact you to verify your information and needs. Then, up to 5 quotes will be headed your way. It's that simple!