Gaps in the health IT work force need to be addressed as more hospitals and health care providers adopt electronic health records to meet the federal government's "meaningful use" criteria, according to a new report from Computer Sciences Corp., CMIO reports.
Expected Uptick in Demand for Health IT Workers
In the report, CSC notes that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT estimates that 50,000 additional health IT workers will be needed over the next five years to install and operate EHR systems. The company said ONC's estimate "represents an almost 50% increase in the size of the current health IT work force."
The report also cited data from a 2010 College of Healthcare Information Management Executives survey, which found that staff levels and capabilities were among the top three concerns for nearly half of respondents.
Addressing Health IT Work Force Needs
To fill the current gaps in health IT staffing, CSC recommends that health care providers:
- Leverage employees' existing skill sets;
- Train and develop health IT staff from within their organization; and
- Use remote hosting platforms or other alternative ways of implementing and operating health IT systems.
ONC has budgeted $118 million to launch the Health IT Workforce Development Program, which aims to alleviate some of the staffing gaps by expanding training opportunities for health IT technicians and professionals. To date, the office has awarded $84 million to 16 community college consortia and universities for health IT work force initiatives (CMIO, 8/26).
Other Health IT Needs
In addition to work force challenges, the report suggests that health care providers will need to address other health IT gaps by:
- Strengthening HIPAA data security standards;
- Adopting ICD-10 coding and transaction standards; and
- Monitoring whether revenue cycle system modifications will be necessary to adapt to changes in reimbursement structures (Goedert, Health Data Management, 8/23).