The federal government estimates that the health care system may need upwards of 50,000 additional employees to develop, implement and maintain health information technology in the near future. In light of this projection, results from the survey of 196 health information exchange initiatives show a growing need for workers proficient in health IT.

Though more than half of respondents indicate that their organization is small, 58 say that they currently have vacant staff positions. Fifty-five report that they are short on staff with IT experience. “With organizations this small, even having a single vacancy can represent a significant loss of productivity,” says Jennifer Covich Bordenick, eHealth Initiative’s chief executive officer.

Tasked with launching and improving HIT programs at colleges and universities across the country, the Office of the National Coordinator’s Workforce Development program seeks to train thousands of HIT professionals over the next few years. Yet, the survey results demonstrate that many HIEs have not yet begun hiring from the program. Instead, some have turned to consultants to fill the gaps in their workforce, with 62% of initiatives that faced a shortage of IT staff planning to hire consultants.

“Results from this year’s survey show that the stimulus funds accomplished their goal by creating new jobs in health technology,” Covich Bordenick says. “Clearly there is a great demand for health IT professionals today, with so many HIEs reporting staff vacancies. Unfortunately, the current system is unable to meet that demand. We need to reassess and fine-tune training programs and curriculum so that we can produce the types of workers that HIEs need.”

Key findings from the issue brief include:

-There are large numbers of new job opportunities available at organizations focused on exchanging health care data.

- Jobs remain open due to a lack of qualified candidates with IT experience.

- Organizations are using consultants to get the work done.

- Very few respondents have hired graduates from the ONC Workforce Development Program.