The Institute for Healthcare Information Technology (IHIT) Leads Collaboration between Healthcare IT Vendors & Educators

The Institute for Healthcare Information Technology (IHIT) Leads Collaboration between Healthcare IT Vendors & Educators

ATLANTA, GA – February 11, 2015 – In support of Georgia’s growing Healthcare IT industry, the Institute for Healthcare Information Technology (IHIT) recently met with Georgia Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, to bring Healthcare IT vendors and Educators together with a goal of aligning job demand and educational supply.

In 2014, IHIT surveyed Healthcare IT Vendors and Hospitals across Georgia, to gauge the status of their plans to expand and hire from within the state, as well as their perceptions of how well-equipped Georgia’s educational institutions are to provide qualified Healthcare IT candidates. The survey found that there were more than 4,700 Healthcare IT jobs available in the state of Georgia, and identified positions that are perceived as difficult to fill.

Upon completion of the survey, IHIT began discussion on the workforce issues facing healthcare IT vendors, and how public and private Academic Institutions are preparing to address those issues. This collaboration included the Technical College System of Georgia, the University System of Georgia and Emory Continuing Education, as well as Healthcare IT companies such as: SoloHealth, PointClear Solutions, Navicure, HealthPort, McKesson, AthenaHealth, Sharecare and Jackson Healthcare.

Executives representing the Healthcare IT vendors indicated that in addition to technical skills and relevant experience, softer skills such as interpersonal skills and “character qualities” were crucial to their success. Executives representing the Educators shared their plans to partner and collaborate with Healthcare IT vendors, as well as “co-drafting of educational and career pathways for Healthcare IT”.

“Collaboration between Georgia’s Educators and Healthcare IT Vendors is crucial to maintaining our industry leadership, and IHIT will continue to explore ways to support Georgia’s Healthcare IT leadership,” stated Pat Williams, IHIT Board Chair.

IHIT commissioned Porter Research to write the whitepaper, and the complete
whitepaper may be downloaded at www.instituteforhealthcareIT.org.

About The Institute for Healthcare Information Technology (IHIT)
IHIT was founded for the purpose of improving lives through healthcare IT, and we do this by researching needs, harnessing and aligning resources, and informing the community of our progress and results.

To learn more, visit www.instituteforhealthcareIT.org.

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