HITPC: Subgroup offers recommendations for expanding, strengthening health IT workforce

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT should recommend a new standard occupational classification that addresses health informatics and consider new training models for the health IT workforce, including apprenticeships.

Those were some of the recommendations made by the Health IT Policy Committee’s Certification & Adoption Workgroup’s subgroup on Health IT Workforce Development during the July 8 meeting.

Larry Wolf, co-chair of the workgroup, said ONC funded programs around health IT core competencies which were built in the era of Stage 1. “We’ve moved on so it would be useful to continue to update these. We’re recommending that new programs address new needs.”

Regarding training, Wolf said that apprenticeship programs would be a good way to bring new people into the field. “Helping people get on-the-job experience is a powerful thing.”

The subgroup also noted that family members and other caregivers really constitute the largest portion of the healthcare workforce. “It makes sense that as organizations develop staff training programs and patient and family engagement initiatives, that some of those programs might work very well for patients and other caregivers.”

The recommendation regarding the standard occupation classification stemmed from the Department of Labor’s call for updates to occupational codes. Wolf said that occupational codes are either healthcare focused or computer and math focused. “We really want a good home for informatics. It’s a highly leveraged skillset that really should get more attention.”

The subgroup also recommended that the focus on the health IT workforce be retained in the new HITPC workgroup structure, preferably as part of health IT implementation. “To implement health IT, you need the workforce to do it,” said Wolf.

The group also called for ONC to work with other federal agencies on the continuing needs of and for a strong health IT workforce; continue and expand its work in the development of a career framework; curate and update workforce development resources; update core competencies; and look at new training models.

National Health IT Coordinator Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, was enthusiastic about the recommendations. Health IT workforce development “is an ongoing commitment. We are leaning very far forward to help support the development of the field.”