Any experienced channel partner knows that selling to certain verticals is more complicated than others, for various reasons. In many ways, the healthcare vertical offers some of the greatest challenges for the SMB IT solution provider, in part because of the endless number of privacy laws geared to protect patients. HIPAA, a series of legislation passed in the mid-1990s, isn’t new, but the transition to digital storage of patient health records puts VARs in a difficult position: Not only do they have to design and integrate secure systems, but they need to do so with a good understanding of HIPAA laws to ensure those systems comply with complex regulations.
As a result, the ever-growing healthcare market continues to offer opportunities for solution providers. And while many solution providers have shied away from the complexities of working in the healthcare vertical, others have dived in headfirst and snapped up clients ranging from larger clinics to small physician practices. Without a deep understanding of the security issues, however, these solution providers may be putting themselves and their clients at risk.
Illustrating this point, Scott Barlow, vice president of sales and marketing at Fairfax, Va-based wireless network provider Reflection Networks, highlighted some challenges partners face with security. For example, end-user customers often say that technologies such as email encryption are not needed, despite the fact that they work in the healthcare field. “You immediately recognize that there is a huge disconnect between a doctor using a Gmail account to communicate with patients and the regulations that are out there,” notes Barlow.
Clearly, as more verticals intersect with healthcare and privacy, a greater need for channel education on privacy compliance is necessary. Health IT (HIT) experts at EMRapproved, in Lake Bluff, Ill., have offered such HIPAA certification training, but a recently announced partnership with Reflexion Networks is poised to make this education widely available to the channel.
Reflexion is now offering EMRapproved’s 4MedPro Online HIT University Training Program to all of its reseller partners, which includes in-depth contextual content, video/audio review, as well as detailed quizzes and exams for healthcare professionals and those serving the healthcare industry. Under this program, Reflexion’s partners will be able to sell subscriptions to the 4MedProNetwork to their healthcare clients.
“IT solution providers have a major opportunity to help healthcare organizations comply with state and federal regulations concerning data security and privacy,” says Barlow. “We feel HIPAA security certification is so important [that] Reflexion’s entire sales and support staff has gone through the program and are now certified.”
Seemingly small in scope, the affordable and widely available certification could have a dramatic impact on the channel, opening up lucrative opportunities for channel professionals. “The training available through EMRapproved’s 4MedPro Online HIT University makes solution providers more knowledgeable about these requirements and hence better equipped to assist their healthcare clients,” says Barlow.
Time will tell what impact this has on the channel in the long term, but for now, partners would be well advised to have their teams trained. Healthcare may be the current privacy battleground, but expect the privacy war to spill over to many other verticals down the road.
