The expanding use of electronic health records is expected to make healthcare organizations more efficient, bringing down costs and improving patient outcomes. However, job seekers may also benefit from the growing role of technology in the industry.
Several recent reports have indicated that jobs in healthcare IT are expected to grow at a rapid rate over the course of the next few years. This may come as welcome news to some of the millions of individuals who remain out of work following the disastrous recession.
The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment of medical records-keeping professionals and health IT technicians will grow by 20 percent by 2018. The agency characterizes this growth as "much faster than the average" for all professions. Currently, there are 172,500 professionals working in the field. That number is expected to increase dramatically in the coming years.
A major reason for the increase in employment outlook is the federal incentive program for the use of electronic health records. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is overseeing a program that will distribute billions of dollars to healthcare providers who adopt electronic health records according to the meaningful use guidelines.
Physicians, who stand to earn either $45,000 for participating in the Medicare program or $63,000 for the Medicaid program, have already shown strong interest in the initiative. As these professionals transition to the technology in increasing numbers, there will be a greater need for individuals who have training in advanced health IT systems.
Those who work in educating individuals for jobs in these fields say that their graduates should be prepared for strong prospects upon finishing school.
"Our graduates are going to be the key people for those jobs," Hertencia Bowe, the national director for the health information management program at Rasmussen College, told the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune. "It's a high-demand job."
She added that, aside from the jobs created through the electronic health records incentive program, many positions will likely be created in the field in the next few as aging baby boomers enter the healthcare system. Millions of these individuals will hit retirement age soon, which could put a major strain on providers.
While much of the excitement over the growing use of electronic health records has focused on improving care quality and reducing costs, providing millions of jobs to an ailing economy could also be a major upside to the technology.