Overview
Healthcare IT consultants provide cost-effective expertise, expand your team’s capabilities, and ensure project success with InterSystems technologies such as HealthShare, HealthConnect, IRIS Data Platform, Ensemble. Many EHR and Lab Systems run on InterSystems Technology, as does much of the Department of Veterans Affairs VistA System.
Why Healthcare Organizations Are Turning to Specialized IT Consultants
If you’re responsible for healthcare IT, you already know the pressure of balancing limited staff with growing technical demands. From system upgrades to interoperability projects, the need for specialized skills often outpaces what internal teams can handle alone.
That’s especially true for organizations running on InterSystems platforms, where experienced developers and integration specialists can be difficult to find. Engaging specialized healthcare IT consultants offers a practical way to close those gaps quickly and cost-effectively.
Whether you’re running a hospital network, government health agency, or HIT software provider, working with consultants gives you faster access to specialized talent, lowers long-term costs, and frees your internal resources to focus on mission-critical care delivery.
Let’s break down five specific reasons why utilizing specialized healthcare IT consultants may be the most practical and strategic choice.
1. Fill InterSystems and HIE Roles Without Delay
Recruiting for HealthShare, HealthConnect, Ensemble, InterSystems IRIS Data Platform, or VA VistA-based projects is a challenge, even for experienced HR teams. These platforms require a niche skillset that’s not readily available in the general IT hiring pool.
Specialized healthcare IT consultants allow you to:
- Quickly bring in certified IRIS Data Platform and HealthShare developers
- Fill critical HIE integration roles with consultants experienced in HL7 and FHIR
- Tap into consultants who have worked in VA, IHS, and DoD environments
Henry Elliott & Company has supported InterSystems-based implementations for over 30 years. With a bench of 50+ technical consultants, the firm offers immediate access to experts who’ve already worked with technologies like HealthShare, HealthConnect, Ensemble, IRIS Data Platform, VA VistA, and more.
2. Reduce the Cost of Full-Time Hiring
Full-time employees come with long-term commitments: salaries, benefits, onboarding, training, and often, idle time between projects. Engaging healthcare IT consultants helps control these costs while giving you the coverage you need.
Here’s how:
- Pay only for what you need. Whether it’s a three-month system upgrade or a year-long HIE deployment, healthcare IT consultants offer cost predictability.
- Avoid overhiring. You don’t need to keep a full roster of highly specialized developers on staff when your workload doesn’t justify it.
- Minimize overhead. Contract consultants don’t require the same investment in internal management or HR infrastructure.
Even for complex, multi-phase projects, healthcare IT consultants give you a clearer view of ROI by aligning their expertise directly with project needs.
3. Scale Teams Up or Down Without Risk
Healthcare IT needs are dynamic. Today it’s a software migration; tomorrow it’s integrating a new claims system. Staff augmentation with healthcare IT consultants gives you the flexibility to adjust your team without the risks of hiring and firing.
Consultants can:
- Scale quickly for new implementations
- Wind down without disruption after go-live
- Pivot to new priorities (e.g., supporting CMS changes or new telehealth systems)
With the right partner, you can flex your IT capacity while maintaining continuity and institutional knowledge.
4. Tap Into Strategic Leadership and Program Management
Many organizations first consider consultants for technical expertise, but they can also deliver program and project leadership across the full lifecycle of a healthcare IT initiative.
At Henry Elliott, project managers bring:
- Deep familiarity with InterSystems platforms, HL7/FHIR workflows, and multi-vendor environments
- Budget and resource planning capabilities tailored to healthcare clients
- Experience managing both federal and commercial implementations
These healthcare IT consultants work closely with executive sponsors, internal stakeholders, and vendor teams to ensure every outcome supports clinical priorities and business objectives.
5. Bridge Talent Gaps in Interoperability and Emerging Tech
The healthcare IT landscape continues to evolve: cloud migration, analytics, cybersecurity, and patient-facing apps are just a few areas where systems must stay compliant and connected.
Healthcare IT consultants help fill these emerging gaps:
- Need Cloud Engineers and Interface Developers? Specialized consultants can deliver that hybrid expertise.
- Missing internal knowledge about interfaces? Healthcare IT consultants can support these transitions.
Rather than upskilling internal teams from scratch, healthcare organizations benefit from bringing in targeted expertise ready to contribute on day one.
Who Typically Engages Healthcare IT Consultants?
In most healthcare organizations, the decision to bring in external expertise comes from a combination of:
- CIOs or VPs of IT, looking to meet deadlines and control costs
- Clinical Informatics Leads, who need project execution support
- Project Sponsors, overseeing grant-funded or compliance-driven initiatives
Healthcare IT consultants add capacity to your internal IT team and introduce specialized skills that support security, uptime, and compliance without the burden of long-term hiring.
What to Look for in a Healthcare IT Consulting Partner
Not all firms are equipped to support the nuances of healthcare environments. Look for a partner that:
- Has proven experience with InterSystems platforms
- Can supply both individual consultants and full implementation teams
- Understands federal and state healthcare environments, including VA, IHS, and DoD systems
- Offers flexible engagement models, from short-term contracts to ongoing staff augmentation
Henry Elliott & Company has done all of the above for clients across the public and private healthcare sectors. Whether you need a single developer or an end-to-end project team, they provide consultants who already speak your language — HL7, IRIS Data Platform, FHIR, and beyond.
Final Thoughts
Utilizing specialized healthcare IT consultants gives your organization access to the right expertise at the right time, without overstretching internal resources. With decades of experience and a deep bench of InterSystems-trained consultants, Henry Elliott & Company is positioned to help healthcare organizations meet technical challenges with confidence and flexibility.
How Can We Help You?
Start a conversation with us at Henry Elliott & Company to secure the specialized healthcare IT expertise your organization needs, from staff augmentation to full project support. Contact us by filling out this form or calling (781) 416-9900.
Read More: