News Feature | August 29, 2014

IT Workers ‘Critical' To Success Of Healthcare

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Health IT Workers Critical

The 2014 HIMSS Workforce Survey finds that health information technology workers are in high demand again this year.

According to The 2014 HIMSS Workforce Survey, the latest report from HIMSS, 84 percent of organizations hired at least one IT staff member last year and almost as many plan to hire at least one full-time health IT staff member in the next year.

iHealth Beat explains that of those planning to hire this year:

  • 58 percent plan to hire clinical application support staff
  • 35 percent plan to hire IT security staff
  • 34 percent plan to hire IT help desk staff
  • 32 percent plan to hire IT management staff
  • 21 percent plan to hire clinical informaticists

"The 2014 HIMSS Workforce Survey provides positive insights for both experienced and entry-level healthcare professionals," said JoAnn Klinedinst, VP of professional development, HIMSS North America, in a news release. "The research results show the need for a variety of IT positions in healthcare, with providers who responded to the survey stating they would likely hire clinical application support staff, while vendor respondents said they would be most interested in field support staff.”

Outsourcing of IT services, however, will continue, according to Healthcare IT News. Seventy percent of those surveyed reported at least one area where they expect to outsource. Although this number seems high, it is a decrease from the 93 percent of respondents who planned to outsource last year.

"The lack of local qualified health IT workers, whether real or not, is a very real concern for many," said Lorren Pettit, vice president of research at HIMSS Analytics, in press release announcing the report findings. "And in an industry in which recruiting workers away from other healthcare organizations is fairly common practice, IT recruiters and staffing agencies are clearly seen to be the most effective recruitment resource at a healthcare employer's disposal."