Job Post: Physician Consultants (McKesson activation)

Job Post: Physician Consultants (McKesson activation)
MD’s needed - Go-Live Consulting Engagement, 2-3 week engagement - Florida

One of Blue Horseshoe’s hospital clients located in Florida has a need for multiple physician consultants to support a roll-out of McKesson Horizon Expert Orders and Medical Records applications planned for late February 2013.

The physician activation team will provide 24/7 support to the client hospital physicians and staff, assisting and training them in mandatory CPOE policies. The majority of the physician activation team members will be needed for the first 2-3 weeks (includes orientation) working 12 hours on, 12 off. Some physicians supporting this activation will be needed for 4 weeks.

All candidates must be physicians. Qualifications:

• Ideal Candidate - MD who has supported multiple McKesson activations
• Acceptable Candidate - MD who has not supported a McKesson activation but has supported multiple activations for multiple healthcare software systems (some combination of Cerner, Siemens, Epic, etc.)
• Possible Candidate - MD who has supported one or more non-McKesson activations which resulted in hands-on support of one healthcare software system (only Cerner, only Siemens, only Epic, etc.)

The consultants will be contracted through Blue Horseshoe Network - hourly W2 and 1099 arrangements supported. All travel expenses reimbursed. Professional fees and expenses paid weekly on Net 15 day terms.

Please respond to Steve Post below if you have an interest in discussing this engagement or if you may know of someone who may have an interest.

Steve Pope - Recruiting Manager
Blue Horseshoe Network
Phone: 734-368-6390
spope@bluehorseshoe-hit.com

Epic Systems to add 900 jobs (great for health IT)

If you've worked in a large hospital system, you've probably run across Epic. You probably won't see this Electronic Health Record (EHR) solution used in solo or small outpatient practices. Epic is mainly used in larger hospital systems. If you're looking for an enterprise-level EHR, then you've probably evaluated Epic (along with McKesson, AllScripts, Epic, Cerner, Meditech, GE, etc.).

Epic is based in Verona, Wisconsin and they are adding 900 new jobs. The rapid growth in health IT is truly exciting, but I often wonder if we're going to see a massive "bubble effect" in this whole industry. Several years from now, most physicians will be operating on digital systems, so new implementations won't be occurring very much, but system upgrades and overhauls are what we're likely to see in the future.

Interested in a career in health IT? Get to know the major players and attend large health IT conferences like HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) which is coming up in Feb.

Health IT training programs at local community colleges

There are a number of community colleges around the country offering health information technology training programs. Let's take a look at an example in north New Jersey: Passaic County Community College

The Health Information Technology Program at Passaic County Community College allows students to gain the knowledge and skills required to collect, analyze and utilize information essential to the health care industry through a mixture of general education, professional course work and clinical experience at local health care facilities.

The Passaic County Community College Health Information Technology program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT IN ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS

• Implementation, Technical and Software Support for Electronic Health Records
• Workflow Redesign and Information Management for Electronic Health Records
• Trainer in Electronic Health Records

Passaic County Community College (PCCC) is offering new grant-funded training programs in Health Information Technology targeting both the unemployed and underemployed workers.

Job Post: Physician Champion

Would you like to have a job where your title is, "Physician Champion"? It's possible if you enjoy the world of health information technology. Here's a brief description of a current job opening:

Physician Champion
Job #: 1114226
Mission Hospitals - Physician Services
Asheville, North Carolina

Mission Medical Associates is seeking a physician champion to lead the efforts of implementation of our EMR system.

The Physician champion will advocate for the use of a newly implemented EMR system in the Asheville area. This position will promote the use of the new EMR system, while also acting as a support system for between the users and the software vendor.

Click here for more information.

Webinar series about Health IT (meaningful use of EHRs)

It seems like we're getting bombarded by free webinars focusing on the topic of "meaningful use" of electronic health (or medical) records (also known as EHRs or EMRs). NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc. has a series of webinars on EMR/EHRs and the first webinar is today. It's titled,  "Meaningful Use Definition: An Analysis For Medical Providers." Here's a brief description:

On December 30, 2009, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) finally released for public comment, the rulemaking document that defines Meaningful Use.

Be sure to sign up for this webinar to learn:

• Why and how you can participate in the public comment period
• The rulemaking document’s relationship to the healthcare reform movement
• Why it’s important to make your EHR selection now

Over the next 60 days (January 14 through March 13) the medical community will analyze this document with the intention of helping to shape its direction. Did you know, for example, that the first incentive paid in 2011 will be based on data captured for three months in 2010?

To view the entire list of NextGen webinars, click here.

Physician Consultant in Health IT (Job Post)

This job post is from the AMDIS website:

Physician Consultant
posted 1/13/2009

Dearborn Advisors, LLC is a healthcare professional services firm that partners with healthcare organizations to maximize return on advanced clinical information technology investments. Our mission is to add value to our clients by establishing a unique leadership position in clinical systems strategy, deployment and clinician adoption by providing advisory services that measurably enhance our clients’ performance.

Free health IT webinar on "Meaningful Use"

How well do you understand "meaningful use" as defined within the HITECH provisions within the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009)?

You may be interested in this free webinar that will review the topic of "meaningful use." It's titled:


Meaningful Use: An Update on Meeting Criteria for Federal Incentive Payments

Jan 26, 2010
12:00 p.m. Eastern / 9:00 a.m. Pacific

Join us for a critical eSeminar to discuss important new legislation for Healthcare IT.

The situation is clear - the Federal Government is serious about creating substantial improvements in Healthcare IT. One of the most important components of this groundbreaking legislation is to meet "Meaningful Use" requirements as defined by the government. Understanding this definition, and what it means to your organization in actual use, is crucial in today's world of tight budgets and limited capital expenditures.

Join us and we'll help you understand the specifics, the requirements on your organization, and how you can meet the directive.

Here are the speakers:

Harry Greenspun, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dell Perot Systems Healthcare Group

Matt Krupnick
Public Policy Counsel
Dell Government Affairs

Aaron Goldberg
VP, Market Experts Group
Ziff Davis Enterprise

Click here for more information about this upcoming webinar.

My personal experiences working in the health IT industry

As many of you know, I have a passion for technology and that's why I blog about things related to medicine and technology, medical smartphones, and mobile computers like tablet PCs and notebook computers. Some of you have asked me about my personal experiences in the world of health IT, so allow me to discuss some of the things I've done in the past.

Today, I'll focus on two main areas: EHRs/EMRs and PHRs.

Electronic Health / Medical Records (EHR/EMR)

• Consulted for physicians to help them select and implement an EHR in their practice.
• Guided the selection process including EHR software and hardware requirements.
• Outlined modifications to improve clinical workflow efficiencies around the use of an EHR. 
• Developed templates and tools to help office staff improve EHR utilization efficiency.
  
• Implemented and upgraded EHR software in small medical practices.
• Made recommendations about modifying computer hardware configurations for different EHR solutions based on the needs of the practice.
• Participated in hospital committees involved in making inpatient decisions as the hospital transitioned from paper charts to electronic records and computerized physician order entry (CPOE).

Personal Health Records (PHRs)

• Incorporated health risk assessment (HRA) information to an individual's PHR to risk-stratify individual patients for specific conditions.
• Utilized the PHR information to drive health portal customization and educational consumer health information.
  
• Developed computer-based disease management programs that were customized and tailored based on specific PHR data fields.
  
• Integrated the use of a PHR to tailor electronic reminder messages about specific disease conditions.
• Automated how PHRs are updated based on electronic health claims information from major insurance companies.
• Developed an incentive program for individuals who were regularly updating their PHR data and actively engaging in health education and disease management.

I'm still involved in consulting for physicians, medical groups, and companies that are interested in leveraging health IT to improve their workflow. There are so many opportunities especially in the area of mobile health, the Internet, consumer health and disease management, and the integration of health information to measure and improve patient health outcomes. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing a bit more about my experiences working with health portals and leveraging mobile wireless technology to improve patient care. 

Free educational webinar on Dictation and the EMR by WinScribe

Physicians are always looking for opportunities to learn. If you wish to learn more about the world of technology and electronic medical records (EMR) and the use of dictation systems, then you may want to register for this upcoming free educational webinar on "Dictation and the Electronic Medical Record." This is not a certified CME activity and this is an industry-supported activity (which is why it's free). I find that these types of industry-supported webinars are often developed to market and promote certain products and services, but they can also be quite educational if they are done properly. This webinar is sponsored by WinScribe.

Here are some of the details about this particular webinar (info from LinkedIn):

Physicians who have transitioned to EMR systems from dictation platforms have reported significant declines in productivity as a result of using EMR systems without transcription support. Typical reported losses associated to EMRs equate to 1 - 2 extra hours per day, per physician spent on documentation, and 2 - 4 few patient exams per day, per physician despite claims by EMR vendors that template-based entry points will cut down on physician workloads.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

12:00 PM (EDT) - 11:00 AM (CDT) - 10:00 AM (MDT)

9:00 AM (PDT) - 8:00 AM (AKDT) - 6:00 AM (HST)

Presented via WebEx

REGISTRATION LINK (will open in a new window)

(If the registration link does not work, then you may need to be logged in to LinkedIn)

When will we reach 1,000 members in our social network: "Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals"?

Our social network Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals currently has over 880 members. Do you think we can reach 1,000 members before the end of the year? I'm asking for your help so that we can get there.

Over the past few months, I've been referring physicians to various non-clinical opportunities (some are part-time, some are consulting projects, and others are full-time jobs). Over the past few weeks, I've developed connections in two separate companies and they are both looking for some part-time physician consultants to help with projects as they pertain to:

• Medical communications: medical writing, editing, health education, consumer health, etc.
  
• Health information technology (health IT): electronic health record (EHR)/ electronic medical record (EMR), data integration, etc.

Some of these part-time consulting opportunities may evolve into full-time positions. I encourage you to join the free Non-Clinical Healthcare Professionals network and tell others about this resource. Let's aim to reach 1,000 members as we enter 2010!

Free health IT webinar on EHR/EMR

Since so many of my readers are interested in non-clinical physician career opportunities in the health IT space, I'd like to mention that there's a free webinar coming up. It's titled, "Understanding the Importance of EHR/EMR – Selecting and Implementing a Solution through Reengineering." In this case, EHR stands for Electronic Health Record while EMR stands for: Electronic Medical Record. Are the two synonymous? It really depends on who you speak to.

The webinar is by TM Floyd & Company (TMF). TMF is an Information Technology consulting group dedicated to providing innovative and cost-effective IT solutions.

To learn more and to register for this free webinar, go here:
http://www.icd-10compliance.com/webinar9.asp

Interested in the EHR Industry?

If you're interested in working in the EHR (electronic health record) industry, it's important to stay current on different strategies that surround EHR selection. Make sure you take a look at this: EHR Partners Program

Small Healthcare Companies and Physician Entrepreneurs

Because of the recession, small healthcare companies are expected to grow over the next few years. Companies that focus on Health Information Technology (also now being called HITECH or Health IT) will gain the most momentum. The largest segment will be in the area of electronic health records (EHRs) or electronic medical records (EMRs).

I know several people who are starting new companies because they see a huge opportunity in today's economy. Do you consider yourself a medical entrepreneur who has a creative and innovative idea? If you were to start a healthcare company today, what would you focus on? Would you sell a service? A product? To be successful in starting and running a small business, you need people who have strong technology and computer skills. In moden times, gadgets like smartphones and BlackBerry devices are becoming more essential for people to stay connected. If you're considering a move into the non-clinical sector, get familiar with mobile technology and strengthen your business skills.

Incentives to Boost Health IT Adoption in Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts has seen an impressive uptake of health IT because of incentives from health plans and a state-mandated deadline to have computerized physician order entry (CPOE) implemented in all hospitals within four years. Plus, with all those medical universities like Harvard, Tufts, Boston University, and U Mass Amherst, you have a state with a huge resource of technologists and scientists developing EHRs that are tailored for their health systems.

ACPE Survey Reports a Dramatic Increase in Health IT Utilization

The title says it all. According to a recent survey conducted among ACPE members, the use of health IT has doubled compared to five years ago. About 1,000 members participated and roughly 65% report using an electronic health record (EHR). So, is this reflective of other physicians? Or, do physician executives have a stronger affinity for technology and do they better appreciate the value of EHRs? If you have an interest in becoming a physician executive, then I would suggest that you strengthen your technology and computer skills. I think that future executives will be expected to have strong technology backgrounds so they can understand the full implications of leveraging health IT to improvepublic health.

Healthcare IT Jobs

Healthcare IT News is published in partnership with HIMSS. Although I'm not looking for a new job, I like to glance at the job posts and see what's going on the health IT sector. Currently, many of the advertised job opportunities appear to be for health IT consultants who have extensive experience and expertise in the EMR/EHR space. People are looking for integration consultants, clinical documentation consultants, clinical systems analysts, and more. Expect to travel if you get hired as a consultant. Some of the job descriptions indicate "ability to travel 100%." Sounds like fun if you're single, but not if you have a family.

Walmart to Sell Digital Health Records

You've probably heard that Walmart is getting into the e-health record space by selling eClinicalWorks. This Electronic Health Record (EHR or EMR) is a CCHIT Certified system (for 2008) and includes a suite of several different options. According to the NY Times, this move by Walmart is to target small physician offices. Speaking of Walmart, have you noticed that they've gotten rid of the hyphen between Wal and Mart? Now they're just Walmart. Anyways, the bigger question remains: will more and more physicians embrace EMRs just because it's available from Walmart of Sam's Club? Plus, what about all those people who hate Dell computers? (I'm not one of them, but I seem to meet them all the time. Some people really have strong opinions about specific PC manufacturers. Maybe that will change with the new Dell Adamo.) With only 17% of the physicians using EHRs, there is a huge marketplace to sell and offer EHRs to those who may lack those strong computer skills. Once BestBuy gets involved in this competition, you'll start seeing a lot more of those "Geek Squad" vehicles around. If you're looking to break into the Health IT industry, maybe you should get a job at Walmart selling EHR solutions and acting as an EHR consultant. I'm sure that eClinicalWorks is bolstering their support staff and preparing for all those phone calls.

Employment Opportunities

This may not be the best time to be transitioning from a clinical to a non-clinical career. Even under this new administration, unemployment rates are climbing very rapidly. Within pharma, we see layoff announcements left and right. Pharma is also struggling because the FDA is being so overly cautious to approve new drugs. So, if you currently have a stable clinical job, you may want to wait for the economy improves to look for new opportunities.

Perhaps the only exception is within the health IT industry. I seem to see more job posts in that sector than any other right now. There is a growing need for better electronic health records (EHRs), computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, and the integration with personal health records (PHRs) like Google Health and Microsoft Health Vault. I've been speaking with recent college grads who have told me that they are not having problems finding jobs in the health information technology/information space. Hospitals are recognizing the need for more efficient systems and as hardware and software capabilities improve, it's important to do periodic updates to stay current and to ensure the maximum levels of data integrity and security.

The Healthcare IT Language

The healthcare IT world uses a totally different language. Remember when you were a medical student and you had to learn acronyms like BID, PO, TID, QHS, and PRN? That was just the beginning.

Well, if you're interested in healthcare IT, get familiar with many more acronyms. Here's a brief teaser:

ANSI: American National Standards Institute

EHR: Electronic Health Record

EMR: Electronic Medical Record

CDA: Clinical Document Architecture

CPT: Current Procedural Terminology

HL7: Health Level Seven

ICD-9: International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems

NLM: National Library of Medicine

XML: The Extensible Markup Language

Now, if you can define these acronyms, then that's great! However, can you explain what each represents? That's where it can get quite complex. Also, can you really drill down into the current issues that surround the complex Health IT challenges?

ASCO's social networking site for EHRs

ASCO has a ning community set up for EHRs. It's great to see ASCO geting into Web 2.0. It makes sense that those who work in the EHR space would want to get connected online and build a social network. Have you taken a look?
http://ehr.ascoexchange.org/

Currently there are over 300 members and they are discussing all sorts of issues that are pertinent to oncology, palliative care, and electronic health records (EHRs). I encourage you to take a look if you're interested in the EMR/EHR market and if you have a special interest in oncology.

ASCO is the American Society of Clinical Oncology and it's primarily for medical oncologists. You also have SNO - the society for neuro-oncologists and ASTRO - American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Don't forget about SGO - the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists. And of course you have SSO - the Society of Surgical Oncology. Don't forget the nurses - ONS - Oncology Nursing Society. Plus you have SUO - the Society of Urologic Oncology. Are all these acronymns starting to get confusing? Well, take a look at this list:

• European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)
• Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG)
• American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS)
• International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS)
• Oncology Nursing Society Foundation (ONSF)
• Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS)
• American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO)
• American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO)
• American Society of Hematology (ASH)
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
• American Cancer Society (ACS)
• National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC)
• American Association for Cancer Education (AACE)
• CancerClimber Association (CCA)

There are so many more, but I'll run out of space soon. Can you keep up with all of these?