Anyone who’s wandered the showroom floor at a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society convention knows there are tons of health information technology companies. There were upwards of 1,100 exhibitors this year.

But earlier this month, Jodi Daniel, director of the Office of Policy and Research within the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, presented a slide at an Health Information Technology Policy Committee meeting with some health IT market numbers that I found nothing short of astonishing.

Believe it or not, according to Daniel, there are 613 “complete” electronic health record systems and 399 “modular” systems that have been tested and certified for use in the federal EHR incentive payment program in the ambulatory-care market alone.

There are another 87 complete and 378 modular EHR systems for inpatient venues.

All totaled, as of July 5, there were 816 different EHR vendors offering 1,477 “unique” certified products on the ONC’s official Certified Health IT Product List, from which Daniel drew her incredible numbers.

Chase Titensor is a researcher and data analyst for KLAS Enterprises who worked on his company’s latest report on the ambulatory EHR market released earlier this week. We talked Thursday and when I asked what surprised him most from the research for the report this year, it was just how large and increasingly diverse, the ambulatory EHR market is.

Titensor and his fellow KLAS researchers interviewed 318 shoppers for ambulatory-care EHRs—either first-time buyers or those looking to replace existing systems. Of those buyers, 64% are considering EHRs other than the top 11 brands, up from 49% in a similar research a year earlier.

Consideration of products from these “other” vendors spiked to 88% for those docs in the solo or small-group market (up to 10 physicians).

Simply put, it is a market that is still expanding and not yet consolidating.

“It is amazing to see the rise of solutions being considered outside of the top 11,” Titensor said. “You can see that in the ONC numbers and the number of private venture capital groups getting into the business. It’s just a market in total upheaval.”

So, I asked Titensor, do you think it’s possible there’s an EHR out there in that herd of 602 “other” EHRs not in your top 11 that’s the “killer app” in the making, one that may one day challenge today’s market leaders?

He said he’s had conversations with several CEOs of name brand companies and “they’re very cognizant of the fact there is somebody out there who could replace them.”

“I’m sure there is somebody in the weeds,” Titensor said. “I just can’t say who it is. I just don’t know.”

-Renee

Renee Brannan is Director of Sales and Marketing at HIT Consulting Jobs.  She can be reached at renee@hitconsultingjobs.com

<Cherie Lester with EngageMeHIT (www.engagemehit.blogspot.com) wrote this great blog — Thanks Cherie - Sheila>

Over the past 5 years I have spoken to hundreds of EMR Professionals that want to enter the world of the traveling consultant.  Most consultants in our industry will travel weekly on a Mon-Thurs or Sun-Thurs schedule with exceptions for longer stays on a client site or variable remote work. 

When discussing the nature of weekly travel to a “newbie” I have learned to play devil’s advocate.  The first person I ever interviewed when I entered into the HCIT Industry had never traveled before.  He assured me that he “LOVED” to travel and was totally “psyched” about the opportunity.  Six months into his engagement he called me to resign, said he couldn’t take the weekly travel any longer.

 Recently I discussed the riggers of weekly travel with some seasoned road warriors.  Below are results of the Q & A from those discussions:

What made you decide to start traveling for work? Most Frequent Responses:  Higher Income.  New Surroundings and co-workers with each new engagement. Enjoy travel & seeing new locations.

What was the hardest adjustment you had to make when you transitioned into traveling weekly for work? Most Frequent Responses: Being away from family(pets). Missing out on family or other functions (weekly bowling or child’s plays etc) and having to leave spouse to do all the work. Navigating the airports, luggage, flight delays, airport security etc.

What do you wish all consulting/staffing firms offered that would make your travel life easier for you?

This question received the most diverse answers, some of the most frequent responses were:  Corporate Credit Card for travel, better discounts on hotel, car, flights etc.  Occasionally paying for spouse to travel, like over the holiday work weeks etc., better assistance for new travelers, even something simple like a handbook with traveling suggestions.

What did you have to give up when you started traveling weekly?  The number one answer was time with family and friends, some other responses were: freedom to join sports leagues or meet friends for dinner once a week during the week, and for single folks: having a pet, being home during bad weather (someone had a water-main break in sub zero temps and didn’t realize until they got home days later) and being in one place so it’s easier to start a romantic relationship.

What did you gain from becoming a traveling consultant?  Some of the top answers for this question were:  better income, seeing out of town family & relatives more, greater independence, being able to travel to new places, less stress, meeting new people, and quiet time at the hotel in the evenings.

Here are a list of tips from the road warriors:

1.  Pack Light!  Learn to pack everything you need for the week into a carry-on bag.

2.  When traveling coast to coast, find extended stay hotels and if you travel home, leave most of your belongings at the hotel during your absence.

3.  You can bring your pet, just check for local pet friendly hotels.

4.  Always have an extra charger (computer, phone, iPod etc) handy.

5.  Make sure your ID, discount cards, credit cards etc are kept in the same place, are always handy and are in a front pocket for safe keeping.

6.  Keep a folder or file or zippered pouch for all your travel receipts so they’re easy to locate at the end of the week for the purpose of scanning and emailing or mailing to your employer. (if you’re 1099, for tax purposes)

7.  Set up a calendar alert to remind you to log your time & file your expense receipts each week.

8.  Know the name and number to your employers IT Helpdesk in case you have problems with your company issued lap top.

9. Whenever possible do not wear a belt, difficult to remove shoes, hair pins, excessive jewelry, etc so that you can move through airport security quickly.  Make sure your laptop is housed in a safe but easy to manipulate bag, keep your pockets empty etc.

10. If you are single and live alone, make sure you have a neighbor or relative that can check on your place of residence in your absence.

11.  Provide neighbors and relatives the name and number of your hotel, along with your cell phone so they can easily contact you in case of an emergency.

12.  Have the number of your direct boss, a company co-worker and your direct report at the client hospital programmed into your cell phone, that way if your flight is delayed you will be able to alert people of your delay.

Renee Brannan

Whether you are new to the healthcare information technology industry or a seasoned consultant, use these sixteen steps for presenting your resume to healthcare IT recruiters to stand out in the crowd.

1. First and foremost, have your resume updated and prepared to submit to the recruiter. The competition
is fierce out there, so time is of the essence.

2. Include every aspect of your job duties including all vendor systems. This is not the time to be vague. Consider using bullet points. They’re clean, simple and direct. I seriously doubt the VP of applications at a major health system has time to search for information in your resume. Chances are, he or she has a great relationship with the consulting firm and trusts they are being presented with the right candidate. Make it easy for them to make that decision.

3. Outline your core strengths. Cater your resume towards the specific role for which you are applying.

4. Use key action words such as Built, Tested, Implemented, Supported, Led, etc. Include the specific vendor systems for these roles as well.

5. Be sure to include the month/year for each project/position. Not presenting this information makes you appear less credible.

6. Keep everything uniform – the basics of resume writing. Your resume style should be consistent.

7. Stick with the facts. It’s easier to explain why you don’t know the answer than why you misrepresented your expertise. Ask the recruiter to assist you.

8. Highlight any certifications and education. On the other hand, there is no need to send a soft copy of your certification to the recruiter. They will most likely verify this information via the internet or through a contact with the actual vendor.

9. Include your extended background IF it pertains to the industry. Two to three pages is great if this is necessary to highlight your experience. However, be careful not to go beyond this.

10. Remove any references on your resume, but have them prepared to send separately once there is a confirmed interest from both parties.

11. Prepare one to two letters of reference in soft copy format. Have these ready to send as well.

12. Proofread, Proofread, Proofread, then have someone else Proofread your resume. Let the resume showcase your skills not your grammatical errors. Oh, and please do not refer to yourself in third person.

13. Remember that the recruiter is not an HIT Consultant. Therefore, their technical skills are sometimes limited to searching for key words or specific details within a resume. Do not get offended when you are asked to expand on your experience or provide more detail. The recruiter may be searching for that key piece of information for which the client is seeking.

14. Be willing to reveal the other clients to which you have been submitted. Details are not necessary. This is to protect you from being submitted twice to the same client.

15. Keep track of where your resume has been submitted especially if you are working with multiple consulting firms.

16. Lastly, insist that the recruiter must have your verbal or written permission to submit your resume to clients.

-Renee Brannan
(written in collaboration with Romona Rivere, Sr. Healthcare IT Recruiter)

Renee is a Business Development Manager for HIT Consulting Jobs and can be reached at 214-412-8871 or renee@hitconsultingjobs.com.

Renee Brannan

If you’ve ever been to a HIMSS conference, you know that it’s an amazing opportunity gain to knowledge and insight into the Health IT Marketplace and network with other HIT professionals. Next week, HIMSS13 promises not to disappoint. The conference kicks off on Sunday, March 3, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Keynote speakers will cover topics, such as Meaningful Use, Clinical and Business Intelligence, Mobile Health, Health Reform and many others. Most notably, President Bill Clinton and Eric J. Topol will speak on March 6^th and 5^th.

New offerings this year include the Meaningful Use Experience, which is an area on the exhibit floor to view and compare EHR solutions side-by-side. HIMSS13 Online will broadcast live 12 e-sessions, 10 simulcast sessions, interviews with top speakers and President Bill Clinton live. Also, The Patient Experience through HIT Forum will provide three new sessions focused on enhancing the patient experience.

If you’re looking to network, don’t miss the Opening Reception, among others, which is free to all registered conference attendees. HIMSS13 is your opportunity to gain perceptive from your peers and share some valuable knowledge. Also, if you like to stay connected online, you can follow the conference on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.   

For the complete brochure on HIMSS13, click here

Renee Brannan

Our current online HIT newsletter content highlights how social media enhances the doctor-patient relationship by encouraging communication and, therefore, resulting in better relationships between the two. While doing research for this topic, I came across another interesting article in last month’s Annals of Internal Medicine. A survey was conducted by the authors among State Medical Boards regarding online professionalism by physicians and which actions would likely result in an investigation.

Ten hypothetical vignettes were used. “High consensus was defined as more than 75% of respondents indicating that investigation was “likely” or “very likely,” moderate consensus as 50% to 75% indicating this, and low consensus as fewer than 50% indicating this.”

Here are the results.

High consensus

• Citing misleading information about clinical outcomes (81%)
• Using patient images without consent (79%)
• Misrepresenting credentials (77%)
• Inappropriately contacting patients (77%)

Moderate consensus

• Depicting alcohol intoxication (73%)
• Violating patient confidentiality (65%)
• Using discriminatory speech (60%)

Low consensus

• Using derogatory speech towards patients (46%)
• Showing alcohol use without intoxication (40%)
• Providing clinical narratives without violation of confidentiality (16%)

According to the survey, areas of high consensus represent conduct that physicians should never engage in. Moderate and low consensuses represent “gray areas” of behavior that could potentially result in investigations and should be avoided.  

-Renee

Renee Brannan is Director of Sales and Marketing for BSG Boards and can be reached at renee@hitconsultingjobs.com.

Renee Brannan

While watching the Super Bowl Sunday night, I couldn’t help but think about the amazing adaptability of professional athletes. They are determined and motivated individuals who are very regularly traded to different organizations and have the ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment.

Adaptability, by definition, means being able to change as circumstances require it.

As a Healthcare IT consultant, your atmosphere is constantly changing. You travel to various parts of the country, you’re involved in new projects and you work with many different personalities. In my experience working with hiring managers in the Health IT industry, there is a strong desire for consultants with adaptability. Of course, talent is a must, but the ability to “mesh well” with a team seems just as important.

Nolan Ryan said, “Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt. Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.”

I believe this holds true for Healthcare IT consultants. Your success greatly depends on your ability to adapt to different project teams. Are you open to change? Are you a true team player? The most successful HIT consultants have mastered this characteristic. As you begin your next project, focus on how you can successfully adapt to your new environment.

-Renee Brannan

Renee Brannan is Director of Sales and Marketing for HIT Consulting Jobs.  She can be reached at renee@hitconsultingjobs.com.

Renee Brannan

Anyone who’s wandered the showroom floor at a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society convention knows there are tons of health information technology companies. There were upwards of 1,100 exhibitors this year.

But earlier this month, Jodi Daniel, director of the Office of Policy and Research within the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, presented a slide at an Health Information Technology Policy Committee meeting with some health IT market numbers that I found nothing short of astonishing.

Believe it or not, according to Daniel, there are 613 “complete” electronic health record systems and 399 “modular” systems that have been tested and certified for use in the federal EHR incentive payment program in the ambulatory-care market alone.

There are another 87 complete and 378 modular EHR systems for inpatient venues.

All totaled, as of July 5, there were 816 different EHR vendors offering 1,477 “unique” certified products on the ONC’s official Certified Health IT Product List, from which Daniel drew her incredible numbers.

Chase Titensor is a researcher and data analyst for KLAS Enterprises who worked on his company’s latest report on the ambulatory EHR market released earlier this week. We talked Thursday and when I asked what surprised him most from the research for the report this year, it was just how large and increasingly diverse, the ambulatory EHR market is.

Titensor and his fellow KLAS researchers interviewed 318 shoppers for ambulatory-care EHRs—either first-time buyers or those looking to replace existing systems. Of those buyers, 64% are considering EHRs other than the top 11 brands, up from 49% in a similar research a year earlier.

Consideration of products from these “other” vendors spiked to 88% for those docs in the solo or small-group market (up to 10 physicians).

Simply put, it is a market that is still expanding and not yet consolidating.

“It is amazing to see the rise of solutions being considered outside of the top 11,” Titensor said. “You can see that in the ONC numbers and the number of private venture capital groups getting into the business. It’s just a market in total upheaval.”

So, I asked Titensor, do you think it’s possible there’s an EHR out there in that herd of 602 “other” EHRs not in your top 11 that’s the “killer app” in the making, one that may one day challenge today’s market leaders?

He said he’s had conversations with several CEOs of name brand companies and “they’re very cognizant of the fact there is somebody out there who could replace them.”

“I’m sure there is somebody in the weeds,” Titensor said. “I just can’t say who it is. I just don’t know.”

Read more: http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20120720/blogs02/307209999#

-Renee

Renee Brannan is Director of Sales and Marketing at HIT Perm Jobs.  She can be reached at renee@hitpermjobs.com

Renee Brannan

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, I can’t help but think how important it is to have a plan; to be prepared. Let’s face it; it’s no fun to plan for the worse. The recent economic downturn prompted many to re-assess their current state of living, but how do you plan for the unexpected?

 One area of your life you can plan is your career. Healthcare, especially Health IT, is a booming industry and maintains an increasing need for professionals. There are two ideal avenues to enter Healthcare IT; one is from the clinical side and one is from the IT side. Certifications and education is critical to a career in HIT. If you’re just entering this career, having a bachelor’s degree or higher-level education is advantageous.

Regarding certifications, research the most appropriate ones for your job path. Yes, an Epic certification is great; however look at others as well, such as a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) with the AHIMA organization or an EMR Healthcare IT Specialist with EMRapproved.com. If you have a technical background, certifications such as an MCIPT, CCNA, PMP, etc. should be kept current.

 According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for healthcare information technology (HIT) jobs is expected to grow by 20 percent by 2018, an increase that is much faster than the average for all occupations. Also, the demand for capable Health IT professionals continues to outweigh the supply with repeated concern from health care executives on the lack of resources needed to provide HIT expertise to their organization. Healthcare Finance News sited healthcare added about 31,000 jobs in October, with gains of approximately 25,000 in ambulatory care – slightly more than 11,000 in physicians’ offices, just over 6,000 in hospitals, nearly 2,000 in outpatient care centers and nearly 8,000 in home health. The only healthcare segment to lose jobs (about 600) was nursing and residential care. BLS noted that over the last year, healthcare employment has risen by 296,000.

-Renee Brannan

Renee Brannan is Director of Sales and Marketing for HIT Perm Jobs.  She can be reached at renee@hitpermjobs.com.

Sheila Rogers, Founder and CEO

If you are like us, your plans for the day sometimes go awry.

You were planning on attending this networking event or that networking event, and, unfortunately, work life or family life got in the way.  Your meetings ran long.  You have a sick spouse or kid.  You’re just too darn tired to get out and go to that event half-way across town.

We understand.

Lucky for you, we have a 24-7 solution that is always here for you.

Our online job boards offer the Healthcare IT public a place to see and be seen.

Renee Brannan

Our job boards have the most prolific and successful healthcare IT companies available as sponsors and advertisers.  You can register as a job seeker, post your resume, and search available positions that match your skillset, all without the clutter of most online job boards.

We have segmented our job boards by permanent positions and consulting positions, so the ease of use far exceeds the competitions!

Interested in “networking your socks off in HIT”?

Use our Job Boards — www.hitpermjobs.com 0r www.hitconsultingjobs.com.

-Sheila Rogers and Renee Brannan

Renee Brannan

Thomson Reuters recently released its annual Top 100 Hospitals in the U.S. report. If you’re a healthcare IT professional considering your next career move, this list might be a good place to start.

According to last week’s article in Healthcare IT News, Thomson Reuters evaluates performance for the Top 100 Hospitals in the 10 categories listed below.

1. Mortality
2. Medical complications
3. Patient safety
4. Average patient stay
5. Expenses
6. Profitability
7. Patient satisfaction
8. Adherence to clinical standards of care
9. Post-discharge mortality
10. Readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia

Read the full article and view the Top 100 Hospitals list here.

Interestingly, iHealthBeat highlighted the fact that these hospitals have “more advanced levels of electronic health record adoption compared with the overall pool of U.S. hospitals.” This is according to a report by HIMSS Analytics, via Modern Healthcare.  Looks like proof that EHR adoption is, in fact, improving our hospitals. Read the full article here.

Have you had the pleasure of working at one or more of these hospitals? Tell us about your experience. Email me at renee@hitconsultingjobs.com.