Managed IT vs. In-House IT for Medical Practices: Cost Comparison

You’re growing your medical practice, the technology issues are piling up, and now you’re faced with the question: should we hire an IT person or outsource to a managed IT provider?

It’s one of the most common decisions medical practices in Tampa, Orlando, and Lakeland wrestle with — and getting it wrong can cost you tens of thousands of dollars a year in wasted spending or, worse, leave your practice exposed to HIPAA violations and security breaches.

This article breaks down the real costs, pros, and cons of each approach so you can make the right call for your practice.

The Quick Answer

For most medical practices with 5 to 50 employees, managed IT is the better value. You get a team of specialists (not one generalist), 24/7 coverage, built-in HIPAA compliance, and predictable monthly costs — all for less than what you’d pay one full-time IT hire.

In-house IT makes more sense once you’re large enough to need a dedicated IT department (usually 75+ employees) or have highly specialized systems that require constant hands-on attention.

Cost Breakdown: In-House IT Hire

Here’s what it actually costs to hire an IT person for a medical practice in Central Florida in 2026:

Direct costs

• Salary: $55,000–$75,000/year for a mid-level IT generalist in the Tampa/Orlando market
• Benefits: Health insurance, PTO, payroll taxes add 25–35% on top — another $15,000–$25,000
• Tools and software: Remote management, monitoring, ticketing, antivirus tools run $5,000–$10,000/year
• Training: Keeping certifications current costs $2,000–$5,000/year

Total: $77,000–$115,000 per year

What you get

• One person who knows your systems well
• On-site presence during business hours
• Direct control over priorities and scheduling

What you don’t get

• No 24/7 coverage — They work business hours. If something goes down at 8 PM or on a Saturday, you’re on your own.
• No vacation/sick backup — When they’re out, there’s nobody. Murphy’s Law says the server will crash during their two-week vacation.
• Limited expertise — One person can’t be an expert in networking, cybersecurity, HIPAA compliance, cloud infrastructure, EHR systems, and desktop support simultaneously. They’ll be strong in some areas and weak in others.
• No scalability — If you grow from 10 to 25 employees, one person gets overwhelmed. You either hire a second IT staff member or things start slipping.
• Turnover risk — If they leave, all institutional knowledge goes with them. Recruiting a replacement takes 2–4 months in this market.

Cost Breakdown: Managed IT Provider

Here’s what a managed IT service typically costs for a medical practice in Central Florida:

Direct costs

• Monthly fee: $150–$300 per user per month (all-inclusive)
• For a 10-person practice: $1,500–$3,000/month = $18,000–$36,000/year
• For a 20-person practice: $3,000–$6,000/month = $36,000–$72,000/year

What’s included

• Full team of specialists — Network engineers, security analysts, cloud experts, help desk technicians, and HIPAA compliance specialists
• 24/7 monitoring and support — Nights, weekends, holidays
• HIPAA compliance — Risk assessments, policy management, audit logging, encryption, staff training
• Cybersecurity — Endpoint protection, email security, firewall management, phishing protection
• Backup and disaster recovery — Automated, tested, and monitored
• EHR/EMR support — Troubleshooting, optimization, and vendor coordination
• Help desk — Staff can call or submit tickets for day-to-day issues
• Software and tools — Monitoring, management, and security tools included in the price

What you don’t get

• No dedicated on-site presence — Most issues are handled remotely. On-site visits are scheduled as needed or in emergencies. For some practices, this is a drawback.
• Less direct control — You submit tickets and requests rather than tapping someone on the shoulder. Good providers have fast response times, but it’s a different workflow.

Side-by-Side Comparison

When In-House IT Makes Sense

There are situations where hiring your own IT person is the right call:

• Large practice (75+ employees) — You need someone on-site full-time managing a complex environment
• Multi-location with on-site server rooms — Physical infrastructure that needs daily hands-on attention
• Custom-built systems — Proprietary software that only an internal team would understand deeply
• Hybrid approach — Many mid-size practices hire one internal IT coordinator AND use a managed provider. The internal person handles day-to-day issues and coordinates with the managed provider for security, compliance, and infrastructure.

When Managed IT Makes Sense

For most medical practices in Central Florida, managed IT is the clear winner when:

• You have 5–50 employees — One IT hire is too expensive, a full team is out of reach
• You need HIPAA compliance — And you don’t want to bet your compliance on one person’s knowledge
• You want predictable IT costs — No surprises, no overtime, no emergency repair bills
• You can’t afford downtime — 24/7 monitoring catches problems before patients arrive
• You’re growing — Adding 5 new users doesn’t require a new hire

The Hybrid Model: Best of Both Worlds

Some practices with 20–50 employees find a hybrid approach works best:

1. Hire one IT coordinator or office tech ($40,000–$55,000/year) for basic desktop support, printer issues, and being the on-site point of contact
2. Partner with a managed IT provider for cybersecurity, HIPAA compliance, network management, 24/7 monitoring, and strategic planning

This gives you on-site support for the simple stuff and a team of experts for everything that matters. The combined cost is still less than hiring two full-time IT staff, and you get far better coverage.

How to Decide: 3 Questions to Ask

1. “Can one person cover everything we need?” If your answer involves security, compliance, EHR, networking, backup, and help desk — the answer is no. No single hire covers all of that at a high level.
2. “What happens when our IT person is sick, on vacation, or quits?” If the answer is “we wait,” that’s a risk you’re accepting. With patient data and HIPAA on the line, it’s a big one.
3. “Do we need 24/7 coverage?” If a system failure at 2 AM on a Saturday would disrupt Monday’s patient schedule, you need round-the-clock monitoring. That’s nearly impossible with a single hire.

See What Managed IT Would Cost for Your Practice

iTech Plus provides managed IT for medical practices across Tampa, Orlando, Lakeland, and Central Florida. We’ll evaluate your current IT setup, show you exactly what’s included, and give you a clear monthly price — no hidden fees.

Get a free IT assessment or call us at (321) 221-7117 to see how managed IT compares to what you’re paying now.