Survey: Healthcare Industry Needs More IT Workers

IT workers seeking employment might want to consider positions in the healthcare industry. A new survey from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) found that healthcare CIOs are having difficulty hiring enough qualified workers.

“Officials say the survey highlights the urgent need for IT professionals in the industry, as more than two-thirds (67 percent) of industry CIOs reported deficits on their IT staffs, up from 59 percent in 2010,” Healthcare IT News reported.

In a press release, CHIME board member Randy McCleese stated, “Even with two years of focused attention on implementing electronic health records at the nation’s hospitals, in response to federal incentives, it’s clear that staffing is a significant concern for IT executives.” McCleese added, “Staff needs aren’t like to abate over the next couple years, as CIOs continue to push to achieve meaningful use targets and switch to ICD-10-compliant applications.”

Computerworld’s Lucas Mearian pointed out, “The healthcare industry is leading the market in IT job creation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics job placement services. The bureau indicated that IT jobs in healthcare are expected to grow by 20% annually through 2018, ‘much faster than average.’ There are currently 176,090 healthcare IT jobs, according to the agency.”

A separate survey indicates that the switch to electronic health records (EHRs) is having a major impact on the healthcare industry’s staffing needs. “Electronic health records were the skill most in demand among health care industry jobs, according to a survey by Wanted Technologies,” wrote eWeek’s Brian T. Horowitz. “For August, more than 15,000 positions advertised online mentioned a need for EHR experience… Job postings requiring EHR skills increased 31 percent, compared with August 2011 and 88 percent since August 2010, according to Wanted Technologies.”