Health IT is now a consumer buzzword

The pre-HIMSS show excitement has started building. I think this should be one of the most vibrant--and overwhelming--shows in the history of HIMSS itself. Why? Well, in part, it's because this has to be one of the first times in any of our professional lives when health IT went from the concern of group practice administrators and hospital leaders a topic that seems to interest everyone but my grandma. On the other hand, I'm not sure I like where this is going. Let me explain...

One of the most obvious indicators that health IT has gone public that there are bills and proposals directly affecting the industry mounting up daily. These days e-prescribing, PHRs, EMRs and health information exchanges are on the lips of elected officials who could barely use their own Blackberry otherwise. While President Bush has encouraged much of this, if the Democrats seize the White House, I don't think that's going to change. Health IT has moved from esoteric to a matter of mainstream discussion, and that's that.

This is something of a problem. After all, while legislators may be well-intentioned, they're usually not subject-matter experts, so they may not have a realistic picture of what problems you face. Besides, while they have to win some ill-defined popularity contest--if EMR is the flavor of the week in the mainstream press, well, then, everyone should have one--you just want to make sure your organization keeps delivering good care. We're talking a slight conflict of interests here.

I don't know about you, but when I'm at HIMSS, I'm usually more interested in talking with vendors who are solving non-trendy problems in a sensible way than listening to rah-rah new stuff. That's particularly true now that consumer interest has seeped into the industry and begun influencing how products are developed, sold and presented to you.

But hey, I don't want to be too cynical. Maybe there's some things that are both praised by the vox populi and worthy of being implemented. All I know is, when I'm at HIMSS, I'm planning to keep my trendiness quotient to a minimum

Google, Microsoft Question Government's Health IT Plans

On Thursday, Google and Microsoft executives urged Obama administration officials to consider Web-based technologies as they work to promote electronic health record adoption, Nextgov.com reports. The executives expressed their views during a meeting of the recently founded President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, or PCAST. At the meeting, Google Chair and CEO Eric Schmidt said the administration's current health IT plans encourage medical professionals to use outdated health IT systems that could hinder innovation. Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, suggested that health IT objectives should emphasize medical data management (Brewin, Nextgov.com, 8/6).

PCAST Details

The new White House council features leading scientists and engineers from around the country. Some of PCAST's members include:

• David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT;
• Aneesh Chopra, President Obama's chief technology officer; and
• John Glaser, adviser to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

The group will provide Obama with guidance and policy recommendations on issues related to innovation, science and technology

Uploading Health Records Online A Hot Job Field

If you're one of the record number of jobless Illinoisans, a new career could be waiting for you. Soon, the medical industry will need 75,000 people to help transition to electronic record keeping. CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker says the time to start training is now. At Mercy Hospital, you'll find the medical records department on the second floor. Staffers there are responsible for analyzing each file to make sure the records of thousands of patients are complete and accurate. Until recently, the staff of 28 was a sufficient number to handle the job, but six months ago Mercy put its records online. Susan Oh is the director of Mercy's medical records. She says the transition to electronic medical records has increased the hospital's need for more people with computer skills and healthcare knowledge, people who know "how different systems interface and can work together."Mercy is among the many health care facilities in the country making the switch to electronic records. It's all part of the industry's goal to computerize all healthcare records by 2014 to make it easier for doctors to share information. That's good news for job seekers. "With the initiative of electronic health records, we expect that there will be new types of jobs," Claire Dixon-Lee of the American Health Information Management Association said. The association estimates there are 75,000 people working in medical records and another 75,000 will be needed to get everyone online – and not just hospitals and doctor's offices. Also making the transition will be dental offices, rehab facilities and long-term care facilities, Dixon-Lee said. "There's tremendous growth," she said. How much training does someone need to be prepared to become a health information manager? "Some people choose the associate-degree route, which is usually two years," Dixon-Lee said. With an associate's, your salary will range between $25,000 and $45,000 a year. But combine an associate's degree with some experience or get a bachelor's degree, and you can command a starting salary of $45,000 and up.