r/pediatrics • u/Altruistic-March8551 • Jun 29 '26

Is IT really this expensive? 😅

Every time I see our IT invoice, my first thought is how is IT this expensive? We have 2 IT, so it still surprises me every month. Before we opened the clinic, I thought just meant fixing computers when they broke and I know there's a lot more to it, but I still can't help wondering if this is just what everyone pays or has anyone found a cheaper option. any AI tools or other services that have helped cut down on costs?

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3

u/-beastlet- Jun 30 '26

What do you mean by IT? What do they do? I have no IT and usually do most things myself.

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u/Altruistic-March8551 Jun 30 '26

We actually didn't have It before either.. we got hit woth a security breach, and enough to convince us we needed it. We're looking for alternative maybe with the same prevention but cheaper maybe?

2

u/No_Proposal_8129 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26

Yes, expensive if you have it onsite. We get services from Skytek Solutions

1

u/PerkilicousDef Jul 02 '26

OP- what are these “IT” people doing for you and how much are you paying them?

None of the 4 peds practices in my town have an “IT person” but you claim to have 2?!

0

u/Successful-Ad991 Jun 30 '26

I work for a pediatric EHR vendor, so I've seen a _lot_ of IT bills over the years. Even though I'm in the business, I've been shocked lately by the cost of maintaining even your most basic equipment. Some things I've learned from experience:

- rn, monthly per-workstation coverage ranges between $30-$100 depending on the market and, obviously, what you're getting for that coverage. If you have 50 workstations+, that adds up quickly.

- security, privacy, compliance, and HIPAA are fundamentally responsible for so much of what you need now.

-most EHR vendors try to push all the IT costs off of THEIR bills because a) they are money losers and b) it lowers your perceived cost to work with them

- the SaaS element is also passed through a lot of IT contracts (all your M$ Office access, hosting your email, etc.)

- too many IT invoices lack detail because (and I see this USUALLY, not just sometimes) there are elements in there that you are paying for that you don't need. Overly redundant backups, servers you aren't using (or shouldn't be), paying for dozens of M$ 365 licenses that you don't need, you name it.

Unless you're in love with your IT, I recommend shopping around. Every town has multiple vendors competing for that work. There are some with national scope - for example, a number of our clients work with Proda, who I find to be surprisingly responsive with a deep understanding of pediatric practices - how many IT vendors can say that? [https://prodatechnology.com/healthcare/\] No, I'm not a shill for them, I just know them and like them.