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By Michael Eggebrecht
The Obama administration is announcing Friday that it will award $975 million in grants to bolster the use of information technology in the healthcare industry.
The grants, designed to help states and healthcare providers increase automation and adopt electronic health records (EHR), are part of the $862 billion economic stimulus legislation passed by Congress last year.
Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is awarding $761 million to 40 states, or state-selected healthcare providers, and 32 non-profit organizations to help adopt new information-sharing technology. The funding will make healthcare IT available to over 100,000 hospitals and primary care physicians by 2014, according to the administration.
Meanwhile, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is announcing that $225 million will be awarded to provide job training in 30 states -- training that is expected to help 15,000 people enter healthcare IT careers.
Reuters reported today that the training programs that are receiving grant money have estimated that 10,000 jobs for skilled IT workers will become available in the healthcare arena within the next two years.
On Wednesday, the American Society of Health Informatics Managers (ASHIM) released a survey of IT professionals that found 96 percent believe at least 50,000 new jobs will be created in healthcare IT by 2015 -- and as many as 200,000 positions. The 135 survey respondents ranged from those who had just entered the field to decision-makers and senior management, which made up 50 percent of the participants.
When asked whether healthcare IT employers will look for employees with both IT and healthcare experience, 90 percent of the participants agreed. Asked to identify who will seek additional skills to work in healthcare IT, 51 percent said IT staffers who want healthcare training; 39 percent said healthcare workers who want IT training.
“While employers are ramping up to adopt EHR, IT workers are looking to augment their skills to meet those needs and to effectively communicate their qualifications,” said Stephanie Jones , SVP of the non-profit organization, in a statement.
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