| On February 17, 2009, US President Obama signed the | | | | - Increase of IT staff workloads |
| American Recovery and Reinvestment Act | | | | It is important to note that the increasing of IT staff |
| ("ARRA") as a $787 billion “economic | | | | workloads is one of the most frequently cited |
| stimulus law”. This Act launched new federal | | | | obstacles. As many as 17% of the Survey participants |
| mandates on health information technology (HIT) and | | | | reported the drastic impact of EMR/EHR adoption on |
| privacy of personally identifiable information (PII). ARRA | | | | IT staff. Considering that the task of implementation is |
| encourages healthcare and patient care facilities to | | | | a temporary one augmenting in-house staff with the |
| adopt a wider use of electronic medical/ health | | | | contract IT specialists would be a better solution than |
| records (EMR/EHR). | | | | hiring permanent workers. |
| The benefits of EMR/EHR are too obvious to list. First | | | | According to Wipro Health Industry Insights Report |
| and foremost, EMR/EHR technology helps increase | | | | (2008), healthcare IT vendor market is fragmented by |
| productivity by supporting automation of clinical | | | | solution set, geography and segment. The market is |
| processes from filing paper charts and prescribing | | | | dominated by the major hospital information system |
| medications to storing sensitive patient data, managing | | | | vendors such as Cerner, Epic, Eclipsys, GE Healthcare, |
| accounting information and consulting on treatment | | | | McKesson, Siemens, Meditech etc. In regards to |
| options. The second benefit of EMR/EHR consists in | | | | physician adoption of EMR/EHR, the vendor market is |
| revenue increase. Implementation of medical billing | | | | both fragmented and opened for new joiners. |
| software allows healthcare facilities to offer new | | | | Today’s US healthcare organizations are faced |
| services to patients, to attract new businesses and | | | | with growing pressure to reduce overall labor costs |
| reduce workload on the medical staff. In spite of rather | | | | and at the same time to improve the quality of patient |
| high costs of implementation, EMR/EHR technology | | | | care. In order to painlessly and efficiently implement the |
| promises to boost healthcare profits in a long-term | | | | required technology, organizations need to access the |
| perspective by improving patient satisfaction and | | | | best IT talent pool requiring the latest technology skills |
| office image resulting in increased patient referrals and | | | | coupled with excellent recruiting expertise. |
| retention. EMR/EHR software comes with many | | | | Progressive healthcare organizations are currently |
| in-built and added-on tools able to help physicians make | | | | resolving the problem of IT talent shortage by choosing |
| faster and prompter decisions. Such tools include, but | | | | to partner with recruiting experts with enormous side |
| are not limited to: diagnosis and prescribing medications, | | | | experience and outside perspective. The professional |
| automated appointment reminders, automated | | | | vendors can support healthcare services providers |
| treatment planning etc. EMR/EHR technology is also | | | | with qualified teams of IT experts able to fill in all of the |
| able to eliminate queues in the physician’s office | | | | gaps relating to poor technology implementation. |
| and missed appointments by allowing patients to | | | | No secret that in the healthcare industry people are |
| arrange an appointment and receive an electronic | | | | the single biggest expense (nearly 60% of the total |
| reminder online. | | | | cost structure). To find, attract and retain qualified |
| In overall, EMR/EHR will allow better physician-patient | | | | professionals to meet the growing IT demand is a real |
| interaction, physician-physician communication, higher | | | | challenge. |
| quality treatment and protection of sensitive | | | | Healthcare IT staffing outsourcing can be a valuable |
| information. | | | | option to leverage the organizations’ screening |
| The federalization of encryption and security norms | | | | capabilities of narrowing the funnel of prospects to |
| for PII and EMR/EHR promises a new wave of | | | | those people who have qualifications, desire and |
| government-funded IT contracts with private | | | | commitment to bring a positive IT change to the |
| contractors, advisors and consultants. | | | | company. |
| According to Accenture Electronic Health Records | | | | Besides leveraging screening capabilities, healthcare IT |
| Survey (2005), the major barriers to successful and | | | | staffing outsourcing can help companies standardize |
| effective EMR/EHR implementation are: | | | | their recruitment practices, increase turnaround times |
| - Capital costs | | | | and reduce vacancy rates down to 2.3 percent and |
| - Physicians’ resistance to learn new technology | | | | increase overall efficiency by allowing healthcare |
| - Lack of technology standards | | | | facilities to focus on their core competencies. |