What resources are available to help rural communities recruit highly skilled health IT experts?
Health IT Workforce Initiatives
To address the growing demand for a highly skilled health IT workforce, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) funds the Health IT Workforce Development Program. The program includes training for health workers now employed in rural practices and facilities, with broad opportunities for distance learning.
- Community College Consortia to Educate Health Information Technology Professionals: Five regional groups of more than 70 community colleges in all 50 states have $68 million in grants to develop or improve non-degree health IT training programs that can be completed in six months or less. You can contact a participating community college close to your community to recruit health IT professionals to your organization. The programs focus on training students for the following professional roles:
- Practice workflow and information management redesign specialists
- Clinician/practitioner consultants
- Implementation support specialists
- Implementation managers
- Technical/software support specialists
- Trainers
- Program of Assistance for University-Based Training: Nine grants totaling $32 million have been awarded to colleges and universities to quickly establish or expand health IT training programs for health IT professional roles requiring training at the university level. The colleges and universities focus on training students for the following professional roles:
- Clinician or public health leader
- Health information management and exchange specialist
- Health information privacy and security specialist
- Research and development scientist
- Programmers and software engineer
- Health IT sub-specialist
For More Information
For more health IT workforce information, see the following resources.
- The Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) developed a Health IT jobs board
. This website offers ONC graduates the opportunity to post their resumes and search for jobs
that will match their emerging skill set. Potential employers can access a database of qualified employees
who have graduated from the workforce development and certification programs. In addition, the HIMSS Education and Workforce Development section
provides several resources about workforce development.
- Career One Stop
, My Next Move
, and Registered Apprenticeship Program
were all created by the United States Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to connect job seekers with employers. In addition, ETA created an Electronic Health Record Competency Model
as a resource to support workforce development efforts to prepare the US healthcare system to support quality healthcare outcomes through effective use of information technologies.
- The Health Resources and Services Administration’s Workforce section provides general information on the health workforce in rural communities and strategies to overcome workforce barriers.
- The Rural Assistance Center's Health Care Workforce section
provides rural health care workforce guides and answers several FAQs about the rural health IT workforce.
Implementing EHRs – Planning Your Approach
Creation and management of an effective electronic health record (EHR) implementation team is a crucial process. Once you have identified potential members of the implementation team, follow these...
Successfully creating and managing an internal planning team is crucial to planning success. Team members should bring differing perspectives on how the electronic health record (EHR) will be used...
Regional Extension Centers (RECs) are not vendors selling electronic health record (EHR) systems or products. Your REC is a trusted advisor with the same aims as you – to help ensure quality...
The introduction of an electronic health record (EHR) into a practice presents great operational challenges as well as opportunities for the improvement of patient care. Adopting an EHR will change...
Implementation teams interested in maximizing the benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) should pay close attention to these important EHR workflow redesign areas. Workflow analysis should...
Using electronic health records (EHRs) will help health care providers build a sustainable medical practice. The next generation of health care professionals will expect and demand that their own...
For a successful electronic health record (EHR) implementation, you may need to assess the need for additional EHR infrastructure investments. The first step to making a sound hardware decision is...
Your Local Regional Extension Center Can Help
Even if your organization has an existing IT system, your organization should contact your local Regional Extension Center (REC). You may still need...
Redesigning your workflow helps you get the most value from implementing an electronic health record (EHR). To get started, analyze your existing workflow. Create a visual map of how work is...
Tip 1: Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in your current workflow. Decide which aspects of your workflow need improvement and prioritize them. Then do the work in stages, creating wins along...
The Basics
Several studies estimate the cost of purchasing and installing an electronic health record (EHR) ranges from $15,000 to $70,000 per provider.1-5 Costs vary depending on whether you select...
There are several resources specific to rural health IT and electronic health record (EHR) implementation. You can use the following resources to learn more about health IT and EHR implementation in...
A Challenge for Rural Providers
Overcoming limited number of staff and resources is challenging in rural communities. No model fits all organizations you must determine the best ways to recruit and...
The Basics
Adopting an electronic health record (EHR) will change your organization's workflows. Workflow redesign is a process your organization should complete before EHR implementation. EHRs may...
Health IT Workforce Initiatives
To address the growing demand for a highly skilled health IT workforce, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) funds the Health...
Plan Your Approach
You should begin planning as soon as you assess your practice readiness and decide to adopt an electronic health record (EHR). Planning draws on information gathered during the...
Grant Programs and Funding Opportunities
There are several grant programs and funding opportunities intended to help rural providers and rural communities implement health IT.
The Rural Utilities...
Electronic Health Record Implementation Planning
Here are some tactical steps that typically occur during the planning phase. You may collaborate with and use tools provided by your Regional...
Health IT Workforce Resources
Locating qualified health IT professionals can sometimes be a challenge, but health IT professionals can be a valuable resource when you are selecting and implementing...
Creation and management of an effective electronic health record (EHR) implementation team is a crucial process. Once you have identified potential members of the implementation team, follow these...
Successfully creating and managing an internal planning team is crucial to planning success. Team members should bring differing perspectives on how the electronic health record (EHR) will be used...
Regional Extension Centers (RECs) are not vendors selling electronic health record (EHR) systems or products. Your REC is a trusted advisor with the same aims as you – to help ensure quality...
The introduction of an electronic health record (EHR) into a practice presents great operational challenges as well as opportunities for the improvement of patient care. Adopting an EHR will change...
Implementation teams interested in maximizing the benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) should pay close attention to these important EHR workflow redesign areas. Workflow analysis should...
Using electronic health records (EHRs) will help health care providers build a sustainable medical practice. The next generation of health care professionals will expect and demand that their own...
For a successful electronic health record (EHR) implementation, you may need to assess the need for additional EHR infrastructure investments. The first step to making a sound hardware decision is...
Your Local Regional Extension Center Can Help
Even if your organization has an existing IT system, your organization should contact your local Regional Extension Center (REC). You may still need...
Redesigning your workflow helps you get the most value from implementing an electronic health record (EHR). To get started, analyze your existing workflow. Create a visual map of how work is...
Tip 1: Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in your current workflow. Decide which aspects of your workflow need improvement and prioritize them. Then do the work in stages, creating wins along...
The Basics
Several studies estimate the cost of purchasing and installing an electronic health record (EHR) ranges from $15,000 to $70,000 per provider.1-5 Costs vary depending on whether you select...
There are several resources specific to rural health IT and electronic health record (EHR) implementation. You can use the following resources to learn more about health IT and EHR implementation in...
A Challenge for Rural Providers
Overcoming limited number of staff and resources is challenging in rural communities. No model fits all organizations you must determine the best ways to recruit and...
The Basics
Adopting an electronic health record (EHR) will change your organization's workflows. Workflow redesign is a process your organization should complete before EHR implementation. EHRs may...
Health IT Workforce Initiatives
To address the growing demand for a highly skilled health IT workforce, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) funds the Health...
Plan Your Approach
You should begin planning as soon as you assess your practice readiness and decide to adopt an electronic health record (EHR). Planning draws on information gathered during the...
Grant Programs and Funding Opportunities
There are several grant programs and funding opportunities intended to help rural providers and rural communities implement health IT.
The Rural Utilities...
Electronic Health Record Implementation Planning
Here are some tactical steps that typically occur during the planning phase. You may collaborate with and use tools provided by your Regional...
Health IT Workforce Resources
Locating qualified health IT professionals can sometimes be a challenge, but health IT professionals can be a valuable resource when you are selecting and implementing...