Workforce Challenges Biomedical Informatics & Health IT

1. Workforce Challenges Biomedical Informatics & Health IT Laurie Bouillion LarreaPresident

2. Dallas Fort Worth Regional Workforce At-A-Glance February 2012 Unemployment 3,292,100 in the workforce 3,058,900 working 233,200 unemployed – 7.1% Compared to the Houston Region 3,004,400 in the workforce 2,788,200 working 216,200 unemployed – 7.2% Compared to February 2011 – 3,257,400 in the workforce 2,999,300 working 262,100 unemployed – 8%

4. Texas Health Information Technology (HIT) Workforce Development projectSusan H. Fenton, PhD, Project Director, Texas State University – San Marcos http://www.health.txstate.edu/him/TxHIT-workforce/news.html Released 3/30/12 • The Texas economy stands to save as much as $14.2 billion annually if it can effectively implement and maintain an interoperable electronic health information infrastructure (IEHI) including electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchanges (HIEs) • Funded by a Wagner-Peyser grant and supported by the Texas Workforce Commission, will perform a state-wide workforce needs assessment from all industry stakeholders and an educational program inventory from all higher education institutions. • This well trained HIT workforce will be responsible for ensuring the data is reported correctly, utilized to generate new knowledge for research or other purposes, and can be deployed to help Texas healthcare providers keep patients healthier and more productive. • In determining the HIT-related skills and knowledge required by the various employers in Texas and develop a cross-cutting plan to fill the identified needs, this project will position Texas to successfully deploy an electronic health information infrastructure to gain the projected economic benefits, provide jobs for thousands of Texans and ensure Texas higher educational institutions are providing the training needed in our state and across the nation.

5. HIT EMPLOYERS • Healthcare providers (rural and urban hospitals, clinics, physicians, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies) • Large hospital systems and mid-sized hospitals • Information technology and software companies • Healthcare consulting companies • Health plans and clearinghouses • State and local government, especially public health • Military and VA • Academic medical centers • Skilled nursing & long-term care facilities • Home health • Ambulatory clinics • Monitors and regulators (state level, Center for Medicaid/Medicare Services and others) Source: Texas Health Information Technology Employer Needs Assessment ReportSusan H. Fenton, PhD, Project Director, Texas State University – San Marcos

6. Additional HIT workers needed in Texas thru 2013 (based on employer feedback) Source: Texas Health Information Technology Employer Needs Assessment ReportSusan H. Fenton, PhD, Project Director, Texas State University – San Marcos

7. Significant hiring barriers reported by responding employers: • Accessing qualified candidates • Staff retention in a competitive market • Lack of a well-defined HIT career ladder • Consultants who understand needs are too expensive/not available • Lack of employee computer skills/ability to learn new skills Source: Texas Health Information Technology Employer Needs Assessment ReportSusan H. Fenton, PhD, Project Director, Texas State University – San Marcos

8. Major differences between IT and HIT Careers • Healthcare industry is highly regulated • Large number of diverse stakeholders • Required access to high-quality data • Required understanding of clinical workflow processes • Business model is patient-centered • New healthcare policy initiatives are constantly being introduced • Technologies are rapidly changing • Healthcare maintains a ‘unique value’ in our society Source: Texas Health Information Technology Employer Needs Assessment ReportSusan H. Fenton, PhD, Project Director, Texas State University – San Marcos

9. Average HIT Salaries by Job Level - From AHIMA 2010 Salary Study

10. Average HIT Salaries by Job Setting and Level From AHIMA 2010 Salary Study http://www.ahima.org/Default.aspx

11. Average HIT Salaries by Geographic Region From AHIMA 2010 Salary Study

12. Conclusions from the Texas HIT Employer Needs Assessment The Texas HIT workforce is insufficient to meet the current needs of the healthcare industry, and closing the gap will require collaboration among employers, educational providers, public organizations and others to implement a plan of action to: • Standardize HIT roles, competencies and titles; • Develop a common curriculum and training above and beyond the continuing education and health information management role; • Develop new models of education/employer collaboration to facilitate continued development of programs to meet employer needs in this fast-growing, evolving field.