Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Junior health IT consultants working in hospitals

Stoltenberg Consulting, a leading healthcare information technology consulting firm, has a junior health IT consultant program that has been placing a number of junior-level health IT professionals in hospitals. This approach has been helping to address some of the health IT worker shortage that hospitals have been facing. Stoltenberg officially launched their junior consulting program a few months ago and it's been gaining significant traction. In a previous press release, Sheri Stoltenberg, CEO of Stoltenberg Consulting, Inc. said: "With hospitals facing strict timelines for complying with government-mandated technology standards, the pressure is on to maximize resources effectively. We designed our Junior Consultant Program to directly address these challenges with a cost-effective solution that allows all types of facilities - small or large - to achieve these standards with a team of well-qualified, expertly trained consultants."

Hospitals have the option to permanently hire the Junior Consultant following the completion of their one-year contract.

If you're interested in learning more about the Junior Consultant Program, contact Stoltenberg Consulting. This could be a good way to break into the health IT industry, especially if you lack formal working experience.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Health Information Management (HIM) Career Map #HITedu

American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) announced an interactive Web-based career development tool aimed at assisting students and health information professionals find and track relevant career paths.

The Health Information Management (HIM) Career Map was designed in response to the rising demand for qualified health information management professionals in this rapidly changing field.

"The career map is a great resource tool that will help students, recent graduates and HIM professionals looking for new opportunities to plan a path to success," said AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon. "Not only is it a one-stop place to learn about HIM careers, it defines the profession like never before by showing where the field is now and where it is heading."

To access the career map, click here.

Survey Reveals Americans are Working More, but on their Own Schedule

Earlier this month, a study by Good Technology revealed that "Americans are Working More, but on their Own Schedule." So, what exactly does this mean?

In a survey of US working adults sponsored by Good Technology, more than 80 percent of people continue working when they have left the office - for an average of seven extra hours each week – almost another full day of work. That's a total of close to 30 hours a month or 365 extra hours every year. They’re also using their cell phones to mix work and their personal life in ways never seen before.

The study also revealed:

  • 68 percent of people check their work emails before 8 a.m.
  • The average American first checks their phone around 7:09 a.m.
  • 50 percent check their work email while still in bed
  • The work day is growing – 40 percent still do work email after 10 p.m.
  • 69 percent will not go to sleep without checking their work email
  • 57 percent check work emails on family outings
  • 38 percent routinely check work emails while at the dinner table

I admit that I'm guilty of that. I always have my smartphone with me, so I'm constantly checking my emails and thinking about work, even when I'm not in the office. Is that normal? Well, it's certainly common (and it's probably the root cause of stress, chronic fatigue, diseases, and much more).

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Physicians' Pathways to Non-Traditional Careers and Leadership Opportunities

Looking for a good book to read this summer? Physicians' Pathways to Non-Traditional Careers and Leadership Opportunities 

Increasingly, physicians are leveraging their medical training and expertise to pursue careers in non-traditional arenas. Their goals are diverse: · Explore consulting as a way to improve patient care · Lay the foundation for a career in academic medicine · Provide leadership in healthcare · Strengthen ties between a clinic and the community · Broaden one’s experience as a medical student · As a journalist or writer, open a window onto medicine for non-experts Some physicians will pursue another degree, while others may not, in anticipation of moving into public service, business, education, law, or organized medicine. Their common ground is the desire to enhance their professional fulfillment. Drs. Urman and Ehrenfeld’s book features individual chapters on the wide array of non-traditional careers for physicians, each one written by an outstanding leader in medicine who him- or herself has successfully forged a unique career path. A final chapter brings together fascinating brief profiles – “case studies” – of physicians who have distinguished themselves professionally outside of traditional settings. Suitable for readers at any point in their medical career – practitioners, fellows, residents, and medical students – who want to explore possibilities beyond traditional medical practice, the book also sets out common-sense advice on topics such as work-life balance, mentorship, and the relationship between personality and job satisfaction.




About the Author
Richard D. Urman, M.D., M.B.A. Assistant Professor of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School Director, Hospital Procedural Sedation Management and Safety Co-Director, Center for Perioperative Management and Medical Informatics Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston, MA 02115 USA Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D., M.P.H. Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology Assistant Professor of Biomedical Informatics Director, Center for Evidence-Based Anesthesia Director, Perioperative Data Systems Research Medical Director, Perioperative Quality Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN

Friday, July 27, 2012

The Role of the CMIO (Chief Medical Information Officer)

What is the role of the CMIO (Chief Medical Information Officer)? Many organizations don't even have a CMIO. The HITECH Act has accelerated the need for CMIOs around the country, so before you start filling out job applications, get some information about this new and emerging position.

Here are four practical tips:

  1. Read:  The Role of the CMIO 
  2. Subscribe to CMIO.net
  3. Join HIMSS and AMDIS
  4. Consider attending the AMIA CMIO Boot Camp.

Finally, make sure to connect with other CMIOs so that you can learn from their experiences. There's a good chance that they will all have a different story to tell of how they got into their respective positions.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Residents (and medical students) burning out from clinical medicine in the fall

July 1 marks the traditional start of internship/residency around the country. Many programs start in mid-June to help their interns get acclimated. It's only been a few weeks for some interns, but some are already burning out.

I'm always getting messages from interns, residents and medical students who are burning out from clinical medicine. They're not even thinking about all the issues tied to reimbursement. Rather, they are caught up with the heavy workload, the stress of patient care, and they're struggling to meet all the demands of various patients who often have social concerns and other complicating factors. This is particularly problematic in the fall when patient volume increases, when new interns are no longer technically "new," and when you're often entering and leaving work when it's dark outside.

Some of these residents and students burning out choose to quit or leave the world of clinical medicine. They make this decision without a solid exist strategy and then they find themselves asking many questions like, "what should I do with my career?"

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Young Professionals in Healthcare (YPH) July Networking Happy Hour in NJ

Young Professionals in Healthcare (YPH) July Networking Happy Hour

Date: Thursday, July 26th
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Location: Tusk Lounge
1736 U.S. 206 Montgomery, NJ 08558

Come mingle with young professionals in healthcare fields across the tri-state area.

There is no cost to attend!

Specials include:
- $4 Wines
- $2-$3 Beers
- $5 Appetizers

RSVP and find out more through our website: www.yphprinceton.com

Getting the Job When You’re Overqualified

Physicians are often overqualified for non-traditional, non-medical jobs. How can physicians convince hiring managers that they're seriously interested in a job where they may be clearly overqualified?

TheLadders.com has a nice article titled, "Getting the Job When You’re Overqualified." The article isn't written specifically for physicians, but the general principles that are provided in this short article could be applicable to any physician who is seriously interested in making a career transition into the non-traditional, non-clinical world of business.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

What do these entrepreneurial physicians have in common?

I meant to write this several months ago, but this is what happens when you're busy juggling too many things in your life (yes, that would be me).

Back in the spring, I had the opportunity to spend time in California with a bunch of entrepreneurial physicians. I met some very interesting people, including (partial list):

Dr. David Albert - founder of AliveCor and the iPhone ECG
Dr. Alex Blau and Dr. Brad Cohn - founders of MediBabble
Dr. Elise Singer - founder of ShareTheVisit
Dr. Nate Gross - a co-founder of Rock Health
Dr. Natalie Hodge - founder of Healthergy
Dr. Felasfa Wodajo - a co-founder of iMedicalApps
Dr. Daniel Kraft - founder of StemCor Systems, RegenMed Systems, and the MarrowMiner
Dr. Alan Greene - founder of DrGreene.com
Dr. Tom Lee - founder of One Medical Group
Dr. Jordan Shlain - founder of Current Health Medical Group

So, where was I? I was at the Doximity Leadership Summit in California. (If you're not familiar with Doximity, read this)

There are a growing number of entrepreneurial physicians out there who are finding ways to take their innovative ideas to market. It's both inspiring and humbling to be connected with such individuals. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, get connected with the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (SoPE).

Monday, July 23, 2012

Get an inside look at jobs and companies

There is a website called Glassdoor.com where you can get an "inside look" at various companies and jobs. Here's some information from their website:

Glassdoor is a free career community where anyone can find and anonymously share an inside look at jobs and companies. What sets us apart is that all our information comes from current and former employees, interview candidates, and even the companies themselves. Now with more than a million salaries, company reviews, interview questions, office photos, and more, you have all the information you'll need to manage your career and make more informed career decisions.

Get insights on:
  • Jobs. See all the latest jobs listings updated daily by employers and several of the leading job boards, while getting instant in-depth details about thousands of companies, including employee reviews, salary information, recent news, and more. With Glassdoor's JobScope™, job seekers no longer need to go back and forth between a job listing, a company's website, or any other resources to see if an open job is the best fit for them.
  • Salaries. Research the latest salary and compensation information by company or job title. See salaries for specific job titles that you would recognize at any company, then see details by location and years of experience.
  • Company Reviews. See what employees on the inside really think with reviews which describe the positives, areas of improvement, and advice for senior management. Plus, see real-time CEO-approval ratings as well as detailed employee satisfaction ratings across eight workplace factors like work/life balance, employee morale, and compensation & benefits.
  • Interview Questions & Reviews. Read what other interview candidates have to say about the hiring process (including their rating of interview experience and difficulty) as well as see actual questions asked in the interview.
  • Office Photos. Get a behind-the-scenes look into a company's culture through photos of their workspaces, common areas, and events.
Learn more by visiting GlassDoor.com

Friday, July 20, 2012

Healthcare Informatics Salaries

Did you know that earning a Master's in Health Informatics can increase your earning potential? If you're a physician, having a degree in informatics can help you find jobs as a medical director of informatics or as a chief medical information officer (CMIO). For non-physicians who earn a Master's in Health Informatics, they may find themselves pursuing careers like the ones listed below:

  • Clinical Informatics Coordinator $73,144
  • Laboratory Information Systems Coordinator $66,863
  • Health Information Services Director $97,750


Healthcare Informatics was named one of the top careers in U.S.News & World Report. Informatics Career Options National Median Salary figures by Salary.com

Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Economist’s Which MBA? Online Fair

Today’s executives need inspiration, a diverse professional network and a global perspective to stay competitive in a changing economy. The Economist’s Which MBA? Online Fair on Sept 5 and 6 features  the world’s most innovative business schools, bringing you a unique forum to:
  • Talk online with admissions officers from MBA programs around the world
  • Broaden your perspective and learn how an MBA can help you take your career to the next level
  • Gain insight into the MBA experience by chatting with alumni and watching webinars and videos
  • Log in from anywhere and attend at your convenience
Meet business schools and make informed decisions. Register here: http://registermbafair.whichmba.com/

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

In Chicago for the #ACPE Summer Institute

I'm traveling to Chicago to teach a social media course at the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) Summer Institute. You can follow updates on Twitter by following the #ACPE hashtag or the @ACPE account.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming ACPE conferences and I hope to see you at one of these events!


2012 Fall Institute
November 2–6, 2012 • Scottsdale, AZ

2013 Winter Institute
January 25–27, 2013 • Orlando, FL

2013 Annual Meeting & Spring Institute
April 26–30, 2013 • Hilton New York, New York City

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Catch this McKinsey webinar on the "Shifting Healthcare Landscape"

McKinsey & Company is hosting a series of webinars about the work they do. These webinars have been created specifically for healthcare professionals and feature discussions of topical issues in healthcare. They also allow you to hear from and ask questions of McKinsey consultants with backgrounds in healthcare.

The next webinar is: The Shifting Healthcare Landscape

A combination of environmental trends,including rising healthcare costs, health reform, and the rise of consumerism, is leading to fundamental changes in the healthcare industry. Join as we discuss these trends and the way in which they affect hospital systems and health insurance companies as well as how the average American will get health care and coverage in the future.

Date: Thursday, July 19
Time: 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. ET

To RSVP for the WebEx presentation, or to register to receive more information on career opportunities with McKinsey & Company, please click on the following link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TheShiftingHealthcareLandscape071912

Monday, July 16, 2012

Want a consulting job at McKinsey & Company?

McKinsey & Company is a management consulting firm that advises senior management of the world's leading organizations on issues of strategy, organization, technology and operations. MDs who join McKinsey go on to become leaders in healthcare, and McKinsey is dedicated to providing MDs with the tools, network, and experience to excel in leadership positions.

If you like the idea of a career alternative that will stimulate and challenge, together with the opportunity to work with highly motivated colleagues in a supportive, team-based environment, RSVP here for an upcoming virtual presentation:

Tues, July, 17, 6pm -7pm EDT
Thurs, July 19, 3pm - 4pm EDT

Learn more about McKinsey & Company: www.apd.mckinsey.com (APD = advanced professional degrees)

Thursday, July 12, 2012

ACPE Physician in Management Seminar

The top-rated ACPE (American College of Physician Executives) Physician in Management Seminar is a great foundational course for physician executives. Become a better leader in just 2-1/2 days! Get the leadership and management training you need to excel at the business side of medicine.

Physician in Management (PIM) Seminar • September 14-16, 2012 • Atlanta, GA

Take the first four courses live and enjoy faculty and peer discussions. Then complete the remaining two modules online at your convenience. In just one weekend, earn 35 CME—nearly one-third of your pre-graduate degree credits!

Click here for all the details.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

MedStartr Launches First Crowdfunding Platform For Medical Startups

New York, NY – July 11, 2012 –MedStartr (www.medstartr.com), the first crowdfunding platform designed for healthcare companies, announced the Company’s launch today. According to the Company, the site enables doctors, patients and healthcare stakeholders to contribute directly to the success of healthcare startups. MedStartr provides a vehicle for startups to market products, generate awareness and raise capital through the increasingly popular method of direct, online funding first made popular by sites including Kickstarter. On the site, companies set a funding goal, and tell their stories in video and text. Companies post at no cost with MedStartr taking a small percentage of funds only when fundraising efforts succeed.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Careers in Health IT: Inside the ONC Workforce Development Program

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is a cooperative agreement partner of National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC).

On Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at 1p.m. EDT, National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC) will welcome representatives from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and its workforce development grantees from leading universities and community colleges to discuss the work of health IT education and workforce development programs across the country. Panelists will provide case studies on programs at both the community college and university level and show how these programs prepare graduates to join the workforce and advance their careers. Speakers on this program will also give their thoughts on the direction of the health IT industry and their opinions on the segments that may see the highest growth in the coming years.

FACULTY:
  • Cinyon Reed, Program Officer, ONC
  • Dr. Susan Fenton, Assistant Professor, Health Information Management, Texas State University
  • Norma Morganti, Executive Director, Midwest Community College Health Information Technology (HIT) Consortium
  • Dr. Andrea Arcona, Curriculum Coordinator, Health IT Consortium Tidewater Community College
You can register and join NeHC University’s program on Careers in Health IT. *($15 fee).

Friday, July 6, 2012

BLS - unemployment steady at 8.2%, health care adds jobs

According to the latest report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, while unemployement remains steady at 8.2%, health care continues to add jobs. Professional and business services added 47,000 jobs in June, with temporary help services accounting for 25,000 of the increase. Employment also rose in management and technical consulting services (+9,000) and in computer systems design and related services (+7,000). Employment in professional and business services has grown by 1.5 million since its most recent low point in September 2009.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

NEJM: The Health Care Jobs Fallacy

Did you catch the June 28, 2012 editorial in the NEJM titled, "The Health Care Jobs Fallacy?"

The authors Katherine Baicker, Ph.D., and Amitabh Chandra, Ph.D. write:

The goal of improving health and economic well-being does not go hand in hand with rising employment in health care. It is tempting to think that rising health care employment is a boon, but if the same outcomes can be achieved with lower employment and fewer resources, that leaves extra money to devote to other important public and private priorities such as education, infrastructure, food, shelter, and retirement savings.

They go on to say:

Salaries for health care jobs are not manufactured out of thin air — they are produced by someone paying higher taxes, a patient paying more for health care, or an employee taking home lower wages because higher health insurance premiums are deducted from his or her paycheck. Additional health care jobs leave Americans with less money to devote to groceries, college tuition, and mortgage payments, and the U.S. government with less money to perform all other governmental functions — including paying teachers, scientists, and social workers.

They end with:

The bottom line is that employment in the health care sector should be neither a policy goal nor a metric of success. The key policy goals should be to achieve better health outcomes and increase overall economic productivity, so that we can all live healthier and wealthier lives.

I've only taken sections from the editorial, but what do you think? We are seeing growth in health care jobs, but is this a good thing? Are we misdirecting resources that could be used more effectively to improve health care delivery?

For those who never completed medical school...

The following is a guest post by Jim Kelly

Some of the folks who visit NonClinicalJobs.com did not have a chance to complete medical school. In some cases, they dropped out because they concluded that they would rather work in business (or some other industry) rather than medicine. In other cases, they could not finish medical school for a variety of other reasons. So, if you never completed medical school - this post's for you.

You may not have completed medical school, but at least you finished college, so you're ahead of the game. Traditional professional jobs still require a college degree of some kind, so how do you plan to leverage your college education? Do you plan to work your way to the top of a company? Are you an entrepreneur who will start your own company? Your employer will look at your resume when considering you for a management or executive role.  

There are a number of successful entrepreneurs who never finished their college education: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Ralph Lauren, Mark Zuckerberg and many others. This goes to show that a degree is not required for success in the business world.


In recent years, some of the luster of a college degree has been wiped away due to rising tuition costs and a weak job market. Although the job market is struggling, and a bachelor's degree may not be as valuable as it once was, there are still plenty of ways to leverage your college education in the job market.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Job Post: Private Equity Senior Associate

Private Equity Senior Associate
OrbiMed Adivsors, LLC
New York, NY 10022

The Private Equity Senior Associate will support senior members of the private equity/venture capital team at OrbiMed Advisors, LLC (www.orbimed.com) a health care-dedicated organization with a successful 20 year track record and more than $5B in assets under management.

The Senior Associate will play an integral supporting role in the generation of new investment ideas, in conducting due diligence for new investments, and in the management of current portfolio positions. The successful candidate will have a strong scientific and/or clinical background and be able to understand, interpret, and integrate information from diverse therapeutic areas in order to reach investment conclusions. It will also be critically important for candidates to understand business principles and market dynamics in the drug and medical device sectors.

Specific activities will include financial modeling using Excel, working with consultants to perform scientific and financial due diligence, preparing PowerPoint presentations for both internal and external audiences, working with attorneys to draft term sheets and investment documents, analyzing data from various information vendors, and maintaining proprietary firm databases. The complexity of work projects would be expected to increase as the Senior Associate develops. The position is designed to last for 2-3 years, but potentially could be extended for select candidates. The position provides an exceptional opportunity for individuals interested in gaining experience in healthcare private equity & venture capital investing.

Contact: vcresumes@orbimed.com

Bristol-Myers Squibb acquiring Amylin Pharmaceuticals for $5.3 billion

Amylin Pharmaceuticals makes the diabetes drugs Byetta, Bydureon and Symlin. Bristol-Myers Squibb will own those drugs through its acquisition of Amylin Pharmaceuticals for $5.3 billion. It's complicated because BMS is also going to get paid $3.4 billion by AstraZeneca to develop Amylin’s drug pipeline (because of an AstraZeneca partnership). Amylin ended a marketing partnership on Bydureon and Byetta with Eli Lilly & Co. back in November.  

There is still time to register for the ACPE 2012 Summer Institute

ACPE's 2012 Summer Institute offers a range of topics, from foundational knowledge on being a leader to creating new ways to think, manage and lead your team.

This year, I'll be teaching a one-day course on July 19 titled, "Social Media: Relevance and Appropriate Use for Physician Leaders." I look forward to seeing you in Chicago in a few weeks.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

I hope to see you at the CONVERGE conference in Philadelphia on July 10

The healthcare industry is in the midst of a major structural transformation. Don’t miss your chance to connect with top executives from this new converged ecosystem to find out what matters and why.

Attend CONVERGE: a one-day executive summit about innovation and convergence in healthcare.

I'll be moderating a panel discussion about electronic health records (EHRs).

On July 10 in Philadelphia, you’ll meet with the most innovative hospital leaders and top decision makers from the medical device, pharma, health IT and investor communities. You’ll join in the debate and discussion of the leading trends driving this transformation, share best practices with those driving today’s healthcare innovations and be introduced to the most promising startups.

Register today with the code JOEKIM to save 30%: http://converge-event.medcitynews.com/


If you are a student, get the student rate of $150 by entering the code CONVERGESTUDENT (you must register using your .edu email address)