Industry News
Check back often to stay up-to-date on the latest news related to careers in health information.
EHR training at Penn State proves win-win for students, docs
Student training of doctors on EHRs has proven to be beneficial for both sides.
Many career opportunities available for healthcare management students
"A healthcare management degree will lead to an exciting life long career where ever you want to take it."
University introduces four degree programs to help treat aging Boomers
It is a great time to be in healthcare IT - New software, ICD-10 and EHR implementation will create around 3.2 million new wage and salary jobs by 2018.
Medical coders bracing for disruption, high demand
Major changes are coming for coders during the implementation of ICD-10, but those who enter now, and those who stick it out will be high in demand.
ONC: We Agree to Stage 2 Meaningful Use Delay
Farzad Mostashari, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology, has announced his support for delaying Stage 2 of electronic health records meaningful use by one year to 2014 for providers who attest to Stage 1 in 2011.
Ambulatory EHR market predicted to hit $3B by 2013
Good news for HIM and HIT professionals as the industry continues to grow.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel: Allscripts to offer 300 jobs in Chicago
Chicago-based Allscripts, the leading global provider of electronic health records and information systems to hospitals and doctors, will hire 300 more employees by the end of 2012 and build an “innovation center” in 14,000 square feet of additional space at the Merchandise Mart.
Health IT grads to improve healthcare
HIM and HIT professionals are making a difference in the healthcare system.
AHIMA touts HIT Pro exams as a way to increase workforce
Leaders of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) are working with the federal government on ways to increase the much needed healthcare IT workforce.
Federal panel votes to delay Stage 2 meaningful use by a year
The Health IT Policy Committee, an advisory panel to the federal government, is divided over the start date for Stage 2 meaningful use requirements, voting 12-5 June 8 to delay Stage 2 by one year – from 2013 to 2014.
ONC adds disciplinary measures to EHR accreditor rules
HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has published in the Federal Registar a proposed rule creating a disciplinary and removal process for a key organization in the federal health information technology incentive payment program.
Looking Past the Sticker Price
Many recent grads are too fast to accept a job solely based on salary. Experts warn to make sure you're really looking at what all the options offer.
Two Finalists Announced for HIMSS Public Health Davies Award
Citing the beneficial role such health IT systems play in public health surveillance and management, HIMSS announces two finalists for its HIMSS Public Health Davies Award of Excellence.
Demand for Health Information Technology Professionals to Increase
A recent study, “Telehealth and Healthcare Informatics,” by William Hersh, M.D., professor and chair of the department of medical informatics and clinical epidemiology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), says a 40 percent hike in information technology (IT) workforce will be needed to move U.S. health care toward a paperless system that is able to control costs and reduce medical errors.
ONC applauds Community College Consortia grads
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology announced today that 2,280 health information technology professionals will graduate this month from the Community College Consortia to Educate Health IT Professionals program, with 3,000 graduates expected by the end of summer.
March a record month for healthcare jobs
In March healthcare added another 37,000 jobs -- the most so far this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
ONC community-college program sees first graduating class
More than 3,000 health information technology professionals will graduate this month from 82 community-college programs funded by HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
Top 10 apps for HIT students and professionals
Hertencia Bowe, the national health information management program coordinator for Rasmussen College, spoke to Healthcare IT News about some smartphone apps that can help students and professionals be "more knowledgeable, prepared and organized when they're on the job."
Nashville the place to go for health IT jobs
Musicians may not be the only talent flocking to Nashville, according to a new report that finds significant job growth there in health IT.
TCC offering gives students an edge in expanding field
In these times when good jobs are coveted, Tidewater Community College will graduate a wave of students this week who are pioneers in an emerging field.
In which areas do organizations plan to hire staff for the transition to e-health records?
Fifty-eight percent of surveyed health IT professionals believe their organization will need to hire clinical informatics professionals as the industry transitions from paper-based records to electronic health technology.
IT certifications increasingly important to hiring process
Employers want to rely on professional certifications when hiring IT workers, but find credential evaluation and validation issues to be challenging, according to a recent study from CompTIA, the non-profit IT trade association for the information technology industry.
Job seekers must change search habits to get in the health IT game
Job candidates with IT experience or interest are not broadening their searches to include jobs in the healthcare IT field, even though experts say it is ripe with opportunity, according to MedZilla.com.
Celebrate National Cancer Registrars Week April 11-15
NCRW will honor the central role of cancer registrars in the nation's cancer prevention, treatment and research programs.
Rule Change Prompts Need for Medical Coders
Health care organizations are gearing up for a revolution in the way medical procedures are classified. The federal government will require them to begin using a new and much more precise medical coding system in October 2013, and preparations are already underway.
Sebelius: Health IT among 'Most Promising Frontiers' for US Economy
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT Director David Blumenthal took to the stage at one of the largest healthcare conferences to preach the gospel of health IT not only as a health issue but as a driver of economic growth.
Michigan jobs: 8 big metro-area hospitals to hire 14,000 workers this year
Nicole Everett had to wait two years just to get into a Baker College program to become an ultrasound technician. But her patience paid off last fall, when she began her new part-time job in the field with full benefits at Hutzel Women's Hospital in Detroit.
Grants target transition from hospital to home
The Center for Technology and Aging has awarded a total of $500,000 to California, Indiana, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington to help each state evaluate the benefits of technologies, such as personal health records and EHRs, for improving patients' transitions from hospitals to their homes or other settings.
Developing skills for a new era
As the healthcare industry transitions to an electronic record system, the way health information is being collected, processed, and used is being radically reinvented.
$7M awarded to train health IT workers in Ohio
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) in Cleveland will bolster its academic health information technology program with $7,116,493 awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Students in SFC fast-track programs find jobs await them
How much programs cost, how long they take and how much money a graduate can expect to make
Hospitals, clinics hustle to launch e-record systems
In a technologically interconnected world where yesterday's unimagined innovation is today's standard office tool, the idea of electronic health records seems obvious.
ONC announces new funding initiatives in open letter from Dr. Blumenthal
A Message from Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Health IT growth drives rising technology confidence overall
With all of the collaborative efforts between the healthcare and technology sectors in recent months--both the GE-Intel collaboration and the IBM-Premier effort come to mind--is it any wonder that IT companies are loving healthcare this year?
CCHIT launches customized EHR certification program for hospitals
Christian Renaux used to work as a registered nurse at Brockton Hospital, the largest hospital in the 100,000-resident Massachusetts city of Brockton.
Now he has a leadership role at the hospital in the area of electronic health records — an advance seen by the government and health-care industry as crucial to lowering the cost and improving the quality of health care.
Health care hiring accelerates at end of 2010
Numbers tracking job creation in the health care industry finished 2010 on a positive note.
High Tech and High Touch
Media devices pack a big educational punch.
ONC to launch permanent health IT certification program
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has established a permanent certification program for health IT.
OSU Medical Center awarded $100M for expansion
Ohio State University received a $100 million grant to help fund the expansion of OSU Medical Center in the largest construction project in university history, announced the benefactor, the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Health care adds 19,000 jobs in November
Health care continued to add jobs even as the unemployment rate went up in November.
Healthcare is a rare bright spot in employment picture
Hospitals, drug companies, medical device makers and public health agencies are hiring again, although at a slower pace than before the recession.
Cloud computing services coming to health care, eventually
The health care industry remains hesitant about using cloud computing services, but that shift is inevitable, representatives of four IT vendors agreed in a panel discussion during last week's Health IT Insight conference.
White House calls for health data exchange standards
The White House has called for a "universal exchange language" to enable healthcare providers to share health information in real time, in order to modernize and coordinate diagnosis and treatment while incorporating privacy and security of personal data.
What makes grad students happy
Researchers presented that finding Friday at the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools, imploring colleges to do more for graduate students outside the classroom.
The certificate solution
A key goal of the Obama administration has been to create an environment in which every American receives at least one year of postsecondary education.
Survey: Healthcare CIOs looking for skills in networking, security and software development
Hiring in the information technology field -- particularly in the healthcare industry -- will see an increase in the first quarter, according to the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report.
Norton Healthcare enters agreement with Microsoft
Norton Healthcare has entered into an agreement with Microsoft to use its health solutions platforms to support its Accountable Care Organization (ACO) initiative.
Colorado Technical University addresses 'changing workforce needs'
CTU announced the launch of two new programs that are available online: an Associate of Science in Health Administration Services (ASHAS) and a Master of Science in Management (MSM) with a concentration in enterprise information systems.
Healthcare Informatics announces 12 semi-finalists in 2011 Innovator IT Awards
The 2011 Awards mark the publication's fourth consecutive year of honoring healthcare leadership teams who have effectively employed information technology to make a difference in their organizations and in the industry at large.
50 thousand jobs awaiting those trained for them
There is a new field opening up in health care, and Iowans are receiving the training for it.
Midwest Community College Health Information Technology Consortium launches website
The Midwest Community College HIT Consortium today launched a new website, www.mwhit.org, to recruit participants and inform employers about its HIT training program.
500 million people will be using mobile health apps by 2015
Smartphone apps are set to become the killer health care product as a research report projects that some 500 million people will be using them within five years.
9 ways health IT improves patient care
The HITECH legislation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is allocating more than $20 billion to push for the adoption of health IT nationwide, including e-health records and e-prescription systems.
Achieving job security
Health IT is hungry for expert guidance; by sharing your experience you can not only influence the field, but also guarantee you'll be putting food on the table for years to come.
New ARRA-funded health IT programs open to students
The first group of ARRA-related health IT classes began on schedule in community colleges across the country recently, filled with students hoping to break into the emerging EHR implementation market.
HIT improving health safety
Better use of information technology might help minimize the next big foodborne illness outbreak, says Daniel Castro of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).
IT professionals to see jump in starting salaries
Information technology professionals in the United States can expect starting salaries to increase an average of 3.4 percent in 2011, according to the Robert Half Technology Salary Guide 2011.
Three in 10 Americans would track PHI with their phones
Three in ten Americans reported they would use their cell or smart phone to track and monitor their personal health, and 40 percent would be willing to pay for a remote monitoring device that sends health information directly to their doctor, according to a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute.
Improving EHR's safety record
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) will conduct a 1-year study aimed at ensuring that health information technology (HIT) will achieve its full potential for improving patient safety in health care.
UT Austin receives $2.7M grant to train health IT workers
The University of Texas at Austin's new Health Information Technology program is being bolstered by a $2.7 million federal grant that will support four programs aimed at "fast tracking" university graduates into the field of healthcare information technology.
The Companies Hiring The Most Right Now
Most of the biggest hirers right now are in the health care and information technology fields, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals tops the list.
IT managers expect stronger investment, hiring in second half of 2010, CDW survey says
The IT sector may finally be pulling out of its doldrums and getting ready to start hiring again, a new survey suggests.
HHS awarding $159 million in grants for worker training
The Department of Health and Human Services is awarding $159.1 million to support healthcare workforce training.
Labor Report: Healthcare adds 27,000 jobs in July
After two very slow months for healthcare, the job growth in the healthcare sector rebounded to its more normal level, adding 27,000 jobs for July.
Help wanted: Hospitals, doctors offices should hire more in the next year
Several factors--most notably an anticipated stabilization of Medicare payments to physicians and the new healthcare reform law--are contributing to many experts' opinions that more jobs at both doctors' offices and hospitals will be created in the coming months, according to an American Medical News article.
Feds to spend $144M to train health IT workers
Beginning this fall, more than 80 community colleges and universities in the U.S. will begin training health care IT workers under a government grant program created to help fill an estimated 50,000 jobs needed to assist doctors and hospitals as they roll out electronic medical records (EMR).