There are more health IT jobs -- especially those related to health information exchanges -- available than there are qualified people to fill them, according to a brief from the eHealth Initiative, Healthcare IT News reports (Monegain, Healthcare IT News, 2/9).
The brief is based on a 2011 eHealth Initiative survey of 196 health information exchanges that included questions about workforce issues (Goedert, Health Data Management, 2/8).
Key Findings
According to the brief, 37 health data exchanges reported having between one and two job openings and 21 reported having at least three openings.
The brief also noted that 25% of respondents reported that they were short on staff with IT experience. Of those, 62% said they plan to hire consultants, compared with 28% who said they plan to hire graduates from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's Workforce Development Program.
According to the brief, only three exchanges reported having hired someone from ONC's workforce program.
Recommendations
Based on its findings, the eHealth Initiative recommended that ONC strengthen its workforce program by working more closely with the industry to determine the health IT skills sought by the exchanges.
The brief noted, "That information should serve as a basis to adjust the workforce program, so that graduates have the appropriate skills that are most in demand and can increase their value in the job market" (Healthcare IT News, 2/9).