At the rate it is going the healthcare industry will soon hit the $3 trillion annual mark. The system is bloated, inefficient and lacking in its capacity to adopt new technologies and use it efficiently in order to improve overall operations. One of the biggest problems within the healthcare industry is its inability to communicate effectively, and research conducted during a 10 year period has shown this lack of communication is responsible for 66 percent of medical errors. This study points out a problem that is endemic in the industry, and healthcare CEOs want to implement health information technology (HIT) to improve access to clinical information from nurses, pharmacists, physicians and administrators with an interdisciplinary perspective.
At almost $3 trillion, the healthcare market is having a difficult time finding the right talent in the fastest growing IT sector in the US. The PwC’s Health Research Institute report found “A significant and growing shortage of health information technology (HIT) workers appears greater than previously estimated.” “The healthcare industry is vying for a limited number of IT professionals – and many companies are scrambling to fill the talent void by recruiting technology specialists from other industries.”
When asked what skill sets they need most for their HIT implementations providers said:
- Nine percent data statistics and analytics
- 10 percent technology and architecture support
- 15 percent other/don’t know
- 28 percent system and data integration
- 37 percent clinical informatics
Two third of providers experienced IT staff shortages and 21 percent are apprehensive about their ability to find tech staff to complete an e-health system. The survey also asked CEOs about changes in their organization, threats and growth prospects over the next 12 months and they replied with:
- 51 percent are concerned by the speed of technology change
- 62 percent are concerned about the availability of skills
- 77 percent anticipate changes in talent strategies
- 79 percent anticipate an increase in technology investments in the coming year
Hospitals in the U.S. are required to fully implement electronic records by 2015 or face penalties. In an effort to push the more than 340,000 healthcare facilities participating in the Electronic Health Records Adoption Model (EMRAM) forward, more than $9.3 billion has been allocated for achieving stage one. By the end of 2012, more than 77 percent of US hospitals achieved stage three, and stage seven completions have increased by 63 percent, which is full implementation of electronic health records and secure CCD transaction.
The healthcare industry is facing stiff competition from every other industry in trying to recruit IT talent, and healthcare executives have to be innovative in recruiting talent if they want to keep up with organizations that have already completed many or all of their HIT objectives.
Edited by
Brooke Neuman
