Wanted: Clinical informatics professionals
Newly formed clinical informatics positions can be difficult to fill, with 47 percent of healthcare organizations reporting challenges with recruitment, retention or both, according to a recent Hay Group study.
Eighty-two percent of respondents report that these positions are designed to be filled by full-time employees, rather than retaining specialists on a contractual or consulting basis. However, many say these positions originated with temporary agreements, the Philadelphia-based researcher found.
In November 2010, 65 organizations supplied data (50 were integrated health systems with an average of 12 hospitals, 15 were stand-alone hospitals) to Hay Group.
“A surge in interest regarding clinical informatics positions was created in response to the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act’s push to implement EMR systems to create efficiencies in healthcare, but also to create jobs,” the report stated.
Nearly all respondents (96 percent) have begun to create these positions and structure these departments; 32 percent report that they are one to two years into the process (the largest segment currently in the timeline).
Building EMR capabilities and staffing departments took an average of 44 months, the report concluded.
Eighty-two percent of respondents report that these positions are designed to be filled by full-time employees, rather than retaining specialists on a contractual or consulting basis. However, many say these positions originated with temporary agreements, the Philadelphia-based researcher found.
In November 2010, 65 organizations supplied data (50 were integrated health systems with an average of 12 hospitals, 15 were stand-alone hospitals) to Hay Group.
“A surge in interest regarding clinical informatics positions was created in response to the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act’s push to implement EMR systems to create efficiencies in healthcare, but also to create jobs,” the report stated.
Nearly all respondents (96 percent) have begun to create these positions and structure these departments; 32 percent report that they are one to two years into the process (the largest segment currently in the timeline).
Building EMR capabilities and staffing departments took an average of 44 months, the report concluded.