Vouchers for Health IT Professional Examinations

HRSA Offers Free Vouchers for Health IT Professional Examinations Validating Core Health IT Knowledge and Skills

Voucher Requests End April 1

• Are you interested in validating your core Health Information Technology (IT) and skills?
• Are you a graduate of a community college Health IT program?
• Are you seeking opportunities to advance your career?
• Are you a healthcare provider who would like to expand your knowledge of Health IT?
• Do you have employees who support your Health IT needs and would like to receive certification in this skill set?

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in collaboration with The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is offering free vouchers to take the Health IT Professional Exams (HIT Pro Exams). These exams assess competency in one of six Health IT workforce roles:

• Clinician/Practitioner Consultant
• Implementation Manager
• Implementation Support Specialist
• Practice Workflow & Information Management Redesign Specialist
• Technical/Software Support Staff
• Trainer

Learn more here.

Careers in informatics: a diversity of options with an abundance of jobs

Don't miss this JAMIA (Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association) article titled, "Careers in informatics: a diversity of options with an abundance of jobs." There has probably never been a time like this for those interested in pursuing a career in medical informatics. Are you looking for a career as a CMIO or medical director of informatics? How about combining your experience in epidemiology and population health management and blend that into public health informatics? Maybe you'd like to experience the corporate world and work for a health IT company. Or, perhaps you'd like to invest in all these mobile health (mHealth) startup companies that are trying to revolutionize health care. Regardless of your interests, the health IT industry is booming and now is the time to jump in to ride this exciting wave of informatics.

Clinical Electives Program: Medical Informatics

The NIH has a clinical electives program in medical informatics. Here's some information:

Rotation Description
This is an introductory elective in medical informatics for students who already have some experience with the application of computers and information systems, i.e., experience with computing in clinical medicine or biomedical research.

The four to eight week sessions of the elective include an extensive lecture series offering an overview of the state-of-the-art in medical informatics. The lectures are presented by research staff from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and other institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and by guest speakers from other research centers. The lectures cover a number of topics including medical informatics applications on the World Wide Web; telemedicine; the Unified Medical Language System; the Visible Human project; medical expert systems; information management for biotechnology research; image analysis, manipulation, and retrieval; machine learning in the biomedical domain; and medical language processing. The NLM's Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications offers students an outstanding hardware and software environment for system development.

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

Healthcare Informatics Executive Summit 2012

The Healthcare Informatics Executive Summit is a small, intimate event of 100+ industry-leading CIOs, CMIOs, and federal policy and health IT leaders discussing meaningful use, HITECH, and more. Find out what industry pioneers are doing to meet the requirements for meaningful use and how they are moving forward with health information exchanges and accountable care organizations.

Among the topics to be addressed:

• Strategizing the Use and Analysis of Clinical Data for Meaningful Use
• ACOs: Policy Strategic and IT Issues
• Leveraging CPOE Implementation to Reduce Medical Errors and Improve Patient Safety
• The Journey Towards Evidence-Based Physician Ordering
• Optimizing Revenue Cycle Management
• The Evolution of the CIO - CMIO Relationship and the CMIO Role
• Readmissions and the Medical Home: Re-Visioning Care Management
• Health Information Exchange: Strategies and Sustainability

Cornell establishes Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy

Cornell establishes Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy (CHiP)

Under the leadership of Dr. Rainu Kaushal, CHiP is the first cross-departmental entity to be established at Weill Cornell Medical College in several years. CHiP's mission is improving health and healthcare through informatics and technology. CHiP pursues its mission by developing collaborative, robust programs in research, education, service and innovation.

Learn more here: http://www.weill.cornell.edu/chip/

Invest in a Master’s Degree in Health Informatics

If you are considering a career in health information technology, I would urge you to invest in a master’s degree in health informatics and to get board certified in clinical informatics.

In 2011, AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) announced that clinical informatics is now a subspecialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). You can become board certified by passing an examination administered by the American Board of Preventive Medicine and available to physicians who have primary specialty certification through the American Board of Medical Specialties.

How are physicians preparing for a career in health IT? Many of them are pursuing master’s degrees in health informatics to demonstrate a level of competence in the rapidly evolving field of health information technology.

The University of Michigan now offers an innovative joint Master of Health Informatics degree offered through the School of Information and School of Public Health. Michigan is ideally positioned to educate future leaders for this rapidly developing field. The strength and international reputations of these two professional schools are combined to offer the interdisciplinary study of consumer health informatics informed by clinical informatics and population health informatics.

Individuals from a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds will enroll in this program. Graduates will be prepared to serve as leaders at the forefront of a dynamic field.

The final application deadline is May 1.

For more information about the University of Michigan Master of Health Informatics degree, visit http://healthinformatics.umich.edu

Feb 15 Scholarship Deadline: Master of Health Informatics degree from the University of Michigan

Individuals who complete and submit a complete application for admission by the preferred admission deadline of February 15 will be automatically considered for Charter Scholarships.

If you're thinking about a graduate degree in health informatics, consider the  Master of Health Informatics from the University of Michigan.

To mark its inaugural year, the Health Informatics program at the University of Michigan is offering Charter Scholarships to exceptionally qualified students. They are planning to award ten such scholarships, each providing 50% tuition support.

Students completing the Master of Health Informatics (MHI) will be well prepared to enter—and become leaders in—the health informatics field. Through their elective course selections, students may shape their preparation more specifically to certain subfields, such as clinical, consumer or public health application areas. Because there is likely to be integration and convergence among these subfields in the coming years, however, all students will be required to acquire knowledge relevant to each of these subfields. Defining features of the program include its strengths in leadership and consumer health informatics applications and system-related human and organizational issues.

To learn more and to apply, click here.

Where health meets information technology

The following was originally published on the HIMSS Career Resources page:

 Master of Health Informatics from the University of Michigan.

At the University of Michigan: addressing emerging needs and opportunities where health meets information technology

Individuals trained in health IT and informatics will be at the forefront of an inevitable and exciting transformation, powered by information. This transformation will bring about changes in the way organizations deliver and manage health care. The transformation will also change the way consumers of health care, which means all members of society, manage their own health. These two kinds of changes create challenges for the professional workforce and consequent needs for new types of educational programs. We have established such a program at the University of Michigan.

Needs for organizational leaders: Health organizations of all types increasingly recognize that information is a strategic resource and that management of information is their key to future success. As a result, there is an enormous need for a new generation of professionals, trained in both health and information technology, who will become the leaders and managers within information-empowered organizations that revolutionize the ways information is used to promote better health. These professionals will play key roles, at varying levels of seniority, as chief and subordinate information and knowledge officers, technical officers, and strategy officers. Other new roles will surely appear.

A chance to save 50% on a Master of Health Informatics degree from the University of Michigan

This is an incredible opportunity to get a scholarship for a Master of Health Informatics from the University of Michigan.

To mark its inaugural year, the Health Informatics program at the University of Michigan is offering Charter Scholarships to exceptionally qualified students. They are planning to award ten such scholarships, each providing 50% tuition support. Individuals who complete and submit a complete application for admission by the preferred admission deadline of February 15 will be automatically considered for Charter Scholarships.

Health Informatics at Michigan is a nationally-recognized and unique program empasizing Consumer Health Informatics and Population Health Informatics.

Here's some additional information about the Master of Health Informatics (MHI)

• 52 credits
• Internship experience
• Open to applicants from any academic or professional background
• Residential / on-campus program

Students completing the Master of Health Informatics (MHI) will be well prepared to enter—and become leaders in—the health informatics field. Through their elective course selections, students may shape their preparation more specifically to certain subfields, such as clinical, consumer or public health application areas. Because there is likely to be integration and convergence among these subfields in the coming years, however, all students will be required to acquire knowledge relevant to each of these subfields. Defining features of the program include its strengths in leadership and consumer health informatics applications and system-related human and organizational issues.

To learn more and to apply, click here.

Master of Science in Health Informatics

If your New Year’s resolution is to become a health informatics expert, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) can help you achieve your goal. With documented salary increases, and an increased demand for professionals, there has never been a better time to become an expert in the field of health informatics. With a Master of Science in Health Informatics from UIC, you have the potential to achieve your New Year’s resolution and become a health informatics expert.

To learn more about the UIC online health informatics program, click here.

Get a Master’s in Health Informatics from Drexel Online

The demand for workers who understand healthcare, information systems, and technology is growing rapidly. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates a 49% growth in the demand for educated individuals prepared to be administrators, specialists, consultants, educators, and researchers at health organizations.

Gain necessary knowledge and skills of healthcare IT systems to further your career. Drexel Online offers a comprehensive curriculum covering topics in Database Management, Systems Analysis and Leadership.

Receiving a Master’s in Health Informatics can increase your earning potential. Healthcare Informatics was named one of the top careers in U.S.News & World Report.

Learn more about this degree here.

Careers in health information management (HIM) and health informatics

If you're interested in finding a career in health information management (HIM) or health informatics, make sure to visit http://hicareers.com

The Health Information Careers website is brought to you by AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association). You'll find valuable articles under each of these sections:

• Health Information 101
• Certification
• Resources for Educators

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is the premier association of health information management (HIM) professionals. AHIMA's more than 61,000 members are dedicated to the effective management of personal health information required to deliver quality healthcare to the public. Founded in 1928 to improve the quality of medical records, AHIMA is committed to advancing the HIM profession in an increasingly electronic and global environment through leadership in advocacy, education, certification, and lifelong learning.

Healthcare Informatics Consultant

Interested in working as a Healthcare Informatics Consultant (or Clinical Informatics Consultant)? You'll find a variety of consulting opportunities on the NonClinicalJobs Job Board. This could be a good way to get started. Eventually, you may find yourself pursuing a Medical Director of Informatics or a Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) position.

Right now, organizations are hiring a variety of clinicians (physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals) to focus on building up their health IT capabilities. If you have a strong interest in health informatics, make sure to browse the consulting jobs found on the NonClinicalJobs Job Board.

CDC Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program

CDC Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program

Goal

To provide training and experience in applying computer and information science and technology to real public health problems.

Description

PHIFP is a 2-year paid fellowship in public health informatics. The competency-based and hands-on training allows you to apply information and computer science and technology to solve real-world problems.

You will have the opportunity to

• learn about informatics and public health
• work with teams involved in research and development of public health information systems
• lead an informatics project
• design, develop, implement, evaluate, and manage public health information systems

What are the prerequisites?

We look for motivated persons with diverse interests. We select applicants who have

• A strong interest in applying information and computer science and technology to the practice of public health
• A strong desire to pursue a career in public health informatics

You should have a master's or higher degree in an appropriate discipline, including, but not limited to

• Public health, medicine, health care, health-services research
• Computer science, information science, or information systems
• Statistics
• Epidemiology
• Public health informatics, or related discipline

You must have documented training or experience in certain fields (such as informatics, information systems, computer science, public health, or a related healthcare profession).

Transitioning to a Role as a Clinical Health Informatics Specialist: One Physician's Experience

There's an upcoming complimentary HIMSS webinar this Friday titled, "Transitioning to a Role as a Clinical Health Informatics Specialist: One Physician’s Experience"
 
Friday, April 8^th 
12:00 – 1:00 PM Central

Moving from one role to another in healthcare setting can be both exciting and daunting, especially moving from a direct patient care to clinical informatics.  Learn how Pawan Goyal, MD, MHA, MS, PMP, FHIMSS, CPHIMS, CBA, successfully transitioned his role from a physician to a clinical informatics specialist and benefit from the lessons he learned along the way.

Learning Objectives:

·         Discuss the opportunities associated with moving into a clinical informatics role
·         Identify ways to lessen the impact of transitioning to a new role
·         Explain the many valuable lessons learned from a career in clinical informatics.

International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA)

The International Medical Informatics Association is an independent organization established under Swiss law in 1989. IMIA was originally established in 1967 as Technical Committee 4 of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP - www.ifip.org). In 1979, it evolved from a Special Interest Group of IFIP to its current status as a fully independent organization. IMIA continues to maintain its relationship with IFIP as an affiliate organization. IMIA also has close ties with the World Health Organization (WHO - www.who.int) as a NGO (Non Government Organization), and with the International Federation of Health Records Organizations (IFHRO).

Purpose, Goals, Objectives
IMIA plays a major global role in the application of information science and technology in the fields of healthcare and research in medical, health and bio-informatics. The basic goals and objectives of the association are to:

* promote informatics in health care and research in health, bio and medical informatics.
advance and nurture international cooperation.
* to stimulate research, development and routine application.
* move informatics from theory into practice in a full range of health delivery settings, from physician's office to acute and long term care.
* further the dissemination and exchange of knowledge, information and technology.
* promote education and responsible behaviour.
* represent the medical and health informatics field with the World Health Organization and other international professional and governmental organizations.

Many health IT organizations at #HIMSS11 are hiring (see who's hiring)

I'm in Orland attending the annual HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) conference and I'm running into many companies and organizations that are actively hiring. In fact, if you want to see who's currently hiring, you don't even need to be at HIMSS11. You can go right to the HIMSS conference website to the "Who's Hiring @ HIMSS11" section of the HIMSS Career Services Pavilion.

Let me highlight a few of those job openings:

Accenture
Insight driven health is the foundation of more effective, efficient and affordable healthcare. That's why the world's leading healthcare providers and health plans choose Accenture for a wide range of insight driven health services that help them use knowledge in new ways--from the back office to the doctor's office.

Ambulatory/EMR Con
Nurse Clinical Informaticist
Client Service Delivery Lead
Pharmacy Benefit Management Consultant
Payer Operations and Excellence Consultant
MC Revenue Cycle Generalist - Senior Manager – OPTIONAL

#HIMSS11 Health Information Technology Employment and Career Guide

Next week, I'll be in Orlando attending HIMSS11.  I'll be there with 29,000 other people. If you're going to be at HIMSS11, I hope you'll come for my presentations (more details here).

HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) is the largest organization dedicated to promoting a better understanding of health care information and management systems.

Are you considering a career in health information technology?  The HIMSS11 HIT Employment & Career Guide is now available!

Inside you’ll find the latest news on the healthcare job market and career development, as well as details on where to go at HIMSS11 to help advance your career. You’ll also find details on open positions, great places to work across the country and more.

Physician Executive Forum at #HIMSS11

Interested in a career in health information technology? Attend HIMSS and network with other health IT executives. Become a member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Make HIMSS11 your CME meeting for 2011.

At HIMSS 2011, there will be something called the Physician Executive Forum. Here's more information:

In Pursuit of Meaningful Use of Health IT — an exclusive event for CMOs, CMIOs, Medical Directors, Informatics Officers or other physician leaders in the enterprise healthcare setting.

I'll be at HIMSS 2011 and I hope to see you there too.

HIMSS11
Feb 20-24, 2011
Orlando, Florida

Here's something else to consider: Take the CPHIMS exam at HIMSS11 and earn the mark of professional distinction.

Being a CPHIMS gives you a professional edge in the marketplace and distinguishes you among your peers. Validate your industry expertise and credibility by taking the CPHIMS exam at HIMSS11.

To learn more about the HIMSS11 conference, visit: http://www.himssconference.org