Healthcare IT: Job Security in the Coming Crisis  

 By Lynn Horne, RN, OCN

According to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, less than two percent of U.S. hospitals have sufficient healthcare IT systems in place for care delivery. With the promise of $1M a year in stimulus funding for meaningful uses of healthcare IT, the doors may be wide open for jobseekers looking for a healthy mix of technology and healthcare. 

       Unfortunately, with so few transitional consultants available to assist with upgrades, many hospitals are slacking when it comes to adoption of new IT systems. 

       Nearly 3,000 hospitals were surveyed and findings revealed that less than 2 percent use comprehensive electronic health records (EHRs), and only about 8 perfect used basic EHR systems in at least one care unit that includes physician or nurse notes. 

       Since the inception of EHR technology, cost has been only one of many factors affecting the implementation. The lack of behavior changes, workflow adjustments, new leadership, commitment, and skilled vendors and implementers are all additional factors that complicate the mandated conversion to digital recordkeeping. 

       While the stimulus package may encourage this conversion, it is the necessary cooperation of new and existing employees that will ease this transition. Positions are certain to open up to support these transitions as stimulus funding becomes available. 

       Given the length of time it may take to successfully transition systems into a standardized format—more than 10 years—healthcare information technology has the potential to become one of the more lucrative prospects for individuals seeking career longevity. 

       The adoption of EHRs carries with it undeniable benefits: reduction of medical errors, avoidance of repetitive tests and procedures, and more effective treatments. Many hospitals that have adopted such systems have reported eliminations of prescription errors, dramatic drops in patient visits, and sophisticated methods for the tracking, advising, and circumventing of disease outbreaks within major metropolitan areas. 

       Despite resistance, the Congressional Budget Office projects a 90% adoption of EHRs within the next few years, which may more realistically translate to a 60 to 70% figure by 2014, according to John Glaser, CIO of Partners Healthcare in Boston. 

       Some of the major hurdles associated with the adoption of EHRs include reduced revenues for physicians resulting from fewer patient visits and no standardized system by which EHR data may transmit from one organization to the next. What this translates to for jobseekers is more opportunity. Hospitals, doctors offices, outpatient centers, and other healthcare providers will need individuals who can deal with these complications. 

  By Lynn Horne, RN, OCN     

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