Collaboration is an initiative to prepare students to enter the fast growing and competitive digital health/health IT job market 

ATLANTA (September 22, 2021) — The Georgia Department of Education has tapped the Institute for Healthcare Information Technology (IHIT) to revamp its high school curriculum for digital health and health IT. As the digital health and health IT market continues to grow at a rapid pace, so do the opportunities for jobs. According to Statista, in 2019 the global digital health market was worth ~$175 billion. With an expected CAGR of ~25 percent from 2019 to 2025, the digital health market should see a sixfold increase. By 2025, the digital health market will amount to ~ $660 billion U.S. dollars.

Hospital systems, digital health and health IT organizations are continually looking for talent to fill the widening void on jobs that range from implementation specialists, medical billers and security analysts to cancer registry and healthcare coach coordinators. It will be imperative for students in Georgia to get the right training in order to compete for these well-paying positions. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, which will require qualified HIT workers to support many of the new technologies that are being used by hospitals and providers.

“As Georgia continues to be a leader in health IT and digital health, we must ensure that our industry partners work closely with our academic institutions to ensure that what students are learning is relevant, up-to-date, and immediately marketable,” said Kirk Barnes, board member of The Institute for Healthcare Information Technology. Barnes leads the IHIT education subcommittee team consisting of Mary Beth Marchione of WIPFLI and fellow board member, GA HIMSS President Sepi Browning.

About the Institute for Healthcare Information Technology (IHIT)

IHIT is a nonprofit organization comprised of digital health and health IT technical, academic and business professionals dedicated to connecting resources for the advancement of healthcare through information technology. IHIT started as a small group of healthcare IT companies and organizations in Atlanta that wanted to work together to grow our economy, expand employment opportunities and ultimately improve healthcare in Georgia through the advancement of technology. Today, more than 50 vendors, health systems and educators are actively engaged in IHIT programs, such as the annual workforce needs research study, HIT Day at the State Capital, and interactive panel discussions with state legislators to ensure Georgia maintains its leadership position as our nation’s largest healthcare IT community.

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