Georgia's rising status as health IT hotbed

The rich resources of the Atlanta metropolitan area offer an ideal location for a rising health IT hotbed.

The state recently broke ground on the Georgia BioScience Training Center, which will support training for Baxter International employees and new companies in the life sciences industry located in the state.

Meanwhile, healthcare organizations in Georgia expect to see more technology hiring in the next five years as existing positions remain open and more are created. Eighty-six percent of 300 healthcare providers and vendors polled by the Institute for Healthcare Information Technology said they anticipate more IT hiring taking place and 79 percent said they have health IT jobs open now.

The organizations anticipate the top IT needs to be in security, systems administration, project administration and project management. The positions they expect to be most difficult to fill are data modeler, IT auditor, business intelligence specialist and information architect.

Glen Whitley, director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Life Sciences & IT, speaking to Clinical Innovation + Technology, said the state has more than 200 health IT companies, the top 10 of which generate more than $4 billion in revenues. With companies like McKesson and Greenway Technologies based in the peach state, “we are a leader in this field and have a lot of companies setting the stage for this industry.”

The Georgia Department of Economic Development established the center along with others that focus on industry sectors. This particular center used to focus on life sciences but has expanded to digital technology which is “a key strength in Georgia with the resources we have here.” The center serves to match companies looking to innovate in this sector with the appropriate resources. For example, the center can connect companies seeking a commercialization angle with educational or healthcare provider resources. “What we’re trying to do is help companies innovating with new technologies finish that last aspect of commercialization.”

Whitley cites the center’s work with a company that developed a wireless vital signs monitoring system. The company saw a need in the marketplace, but had difficulty getting the information to talk to hospital information systems (HIS). “We connected this company with researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and developed a research program that would enable [the school] to talk seamlessly with HIS,” he said. The company is now in the process of setting up tests with hospital systems.

The center also can help companies considering moving to Georgia. Whitley and his team spread the word about the state’s resources and its strong research base. “The centers are designed to help companies access that research base more efficiently.”

The center has been and will continue to be involved in federal oversight activities. With the growth in mobile health tools, the industry is prepared to respond to changing legislation. Larger companies have their own government affairs effort, but “part of our role is to make sure we stay on the pulse of what’s happening and help when possible,’ said Whitley.

The center’s goals for the future include looking for more opportunities for value, he said. Staff attend conferences and trade shows to find companies. “Any time you can help a company innovate and grow a base that leads to more value and opportunity here in Georgia.”

Speaking of conferences, the center had a booth at the 2014 HIMSS annual conference in February that allowed several smaller companies to take advantage of the foot traffic in the exhibition hall. Smaller start-ups don’t have the resources for their own booth or even products but can certainly benefit from the exposure at such a big meeting.

The center can help such businesses market their products as well, said Carol Henderson, director of health sciences and technology at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. She helps with business recruitment and promotion of assets. “We see a lot of traffic in both.”

Henderson focuses on promoting Georgia as place for growing companies and expanding access to more customers and providers. She also is working on collaborations with universities in the Atlanta area such as Emory University and the Medical College of Georgia. “We’re building a population of talent,” she said, through matchmaking efforts. Aside from hiring more health IT professionals, Georgia Tech, for one, is offering master’s degree programs in bioinformatics and biomedical innovation and development.