Health care organizations rely heavily on IT services, and the demand for IT support is on a steady incline. More specifically, the demand for Clinical Service Desk support is on the rise, due to the new systems and technical tools being used in the health care industry.

Clinical Service Desk staff are expected to be equipped with not only EHR knowledge but also with the knowledge and skills required to provide best-in-class support. An effective Clinical Service Desk operation can make or break the success of a new systems implementation. One way to gain the required skills and knowledge to provide the highest level of support is through the HDI Support Center Standard and best practices.

Benefits of HDI Certification

As a Service Desk provider, Phoenix holds HDI certified agents in high regard because of the number of benefits the HDI Support Center Standard provides a Clinical Service Desk, such as:

• The Clinical Service Desk manager and staff learn to better manage the day-to-day support operations in alignment with a health care organization’s goals.
• The Clinical Service Desk team is tasked with incident management and serves as an integral part of business relationship management. During every clinical support interaction with users, the clinical support staff projects a perception and a business image to their customers. HDI Support Standard prepares agents for these situations.
• HDI best practices emphasizes a level of professionalism and efficiency that agents must adhere to.
• The HDI best practices also assists Clinical Service Desk Managers with motivating, training, and building a culture that enhances their organization’s business success, increases overall productivity, and improves customer satisfaction.

Managing and exceeding customer expectations is challenging, but by establishing a proactive and customer-focused support center that follows the Service Level Management (SLM) strategy, the Service Desk is able to provide reliable, prompt, personalized, and consistent service.

Through HDI Standards, agents learn about the fundamentals of Service Level Management, how service level agreements (SLAs) are met to manage customer expectations and the necessity of having documented standard operating procedures (SOPs). The SLM process ensures that the health care organization’s business and IT departments understand each other’s roles and responsibilities. It also avoids unnecessary costs and increases efficiency which results in increased return on investment.

HDI standards, guidance, and best practices help with planning, design, development, and implementation of best-in-class Clinical Support Centers. IT Service Management (ITSM), IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), ISO 9000 framework and methodologies outline a standardized approach to developing the operational plans for Clinical Support Centers. It is necessary for the Clinical Service Desk staff to use these standards and documented processes to drive consistent service delivery.

Moreover, the ITIL processes help reduce the time spent on duplicate efforts, reinventing key activities, eliminating unnecessary complaints, and doing away with nonstandard approaches to routine IT tasks. All of which amounts to: (1) less time wasted, (2) less down time, (3) consistent work and (4) greater efficiency and effectiveness. This all translates into cost savings for the business and happier customers.

With the increasing demands on the health care industry to implement and use new technologies, effective and efficient IT support staff is required. It is our belief, at Phoenix Health Systems, that Clinical Service Desk staff should be HDI certified in order to provide the most effective service to users.

Learn about our outsourced Service Desk here or read more about additional strategies we employ to ensure a high-performing Service Desk.