Hospitals Are Now Facing the Need for Health Informatics Professionals to Satisfy 2014 Business Requirements for Electronic Medical Record Keeping
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities who currently receive Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements have a federally mandated January 2014 deadline to switch over to electronic medical record-keeping, if they are not already doing so. Many facilities that are currently using electronic formats for their data will also need to make improvements to comply with the mandates. This deadline is creating many new jobs and long-term opportunities for professionals who can use these current openings to leverage the experiences needed to secure career longevity.
Hiring executives committed to increasing overall business efficiency are looking for health informatics specialists who also have strong long-term problem solving abilities. Across healthcare settings there is an incentive to achieve the electronic medical record-keeping goals properly the first time. Healthcare organizations that do not meet the January 2014 deadline may face a 1% penalty in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. This sum can add up to tremendous amounts of money as these reimbursements can reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars. In smaller settings where tight budgets barely cover operating costs, 1% is likewise a significant penalty.
Healthcare executives need the expertise of highly skilled professionals to meet the 2014 goals. From IT infrastructure specialists to data entry professionals, the prospects should continue to increase as the deadline approaches. In business leadership, tools and resources are often required to meet challenges which are not mandated by business leaders themselves. In cases like this, business executives have to rely on the expertise of others to meet goals. This new Federal mandate is a prime example.
HR professionals who realize the extraordinary need for educated talent, and who have the foresight to understand the large potential ROI in properly investing in their staff now, can directly affect their organization’s ability to meet compliance goals and avoid fines. Time is short; there is virtually only one chance to get it right. Astute executives know this and have already scouted out many talented professionals for their compliance projects, but many more opportunities remain as latecomers come on board.
Because of the complexity of the IT infrastructure needed to support Federal mandates, a wide-range of individuals may find permanent career opportunities as a result of the on-going implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s guidelines and goals. For career changers and health informatics specialists looking to move up into leadership positions, it is a great time to seek additional training and set new personal goals. Many of the courses needed to excel in health informatics may be taken online while retaining a current job. Becoming active in a local chapter of a related professional organization may also serve to open doors and help secure career mentoring.
For professionals in search of a career change now, the current growth in 2013 health informatics jobs offers a promising future and certainly a great opportunity to get your foot in the door. Professionals who can work one-on-one with physicians, nurses and other direct-care partners are needed to train these hospital employees on new IT systems. In order to meet federal compliance guidelines, even the busiest hospitals and doctors will have to adjust how they create and file their medical reports. Orchestrating the top down and bottom up programs needed to bring every member of a hospital or healthcare organization onboard with this change is a monumental task.
Hospital and healthcare institutions are working hard to train direct-care staff by investing in strong IT health informatics specialists with proven people skills. This combination of abilities can be a strong ally in obtaining compliance goals. Edward H. Shortliffe, President and CEO of The American Medical Informatics Association, recently commented: “With the need over the next decade for 50,000 informatics professionals in the health sector with various levels of expertise, this focus on physician expertise in clinical informatics is clearly a step in the right direction.”
In order to bring organizations into compliance and also make meaningful business changes that can improve bottom-line performance, a large number of highly-skilled health informatics specialists are needed, particularly those who can work effectively with current healthcare employees.
Professionals looking to get ahead, make a career change or combine aptitudes would be wise to consider the field of health informatics and the many current opportunities currently available. For those with the drive and determination to pursue the training and experience needed to secure one of these coveted positions, ongoing professional and educational opportunities are expected to increase throughout the decade.
