Health IT salaries stagnant, but likely will rise
An InformationWeek survey of 1,297 U.S. health IT professionals found that while their salaries lag slightly behind other IT sectors, workers feel secure in their employment and demand for their skills is on the rise. The online survey was conducted from November 2012 to January 2013.
While the 2013 $83,000 median annual base pay for health IT staff remained the same as last year, health IT managers saw their salaries inch upwards from $109,000 to $112,000. A little more than half of staffers received bonuses, compared to 67 percent of managers—according to the study.
However, pressure to meet government regulatory requirements may push up compensation “especially for people with high-end skills around analytics, software development and IT architecture,” the report found. Women in health IT appear to be making gains as well. “Though it remains a male-dominated field, the gender gap has almost disappeared when it comes to paychecks," the survey reported.
About two-thirds of managers and 60 percent of staff considered themselves “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their pay, although “emotions run high” on healthcare organizations that outsource IT jobs. About half of survey respondents said that outsourcing has reduced the number of jobs and affected employee morale.