A Look Inside Healthcare IT Jobs

By Rick Fromme

Nearly anyone who works in or has had to visit a healthcare facility or doctor’s within the past five or ten years has noticed how many practices and facilities have gone almost all-digital.

In fact, recently a friend of mine was telling me about his experience at his new primary care doctor. He remarked how the doctor was typing notes and making entries on his laptop during almost the entire time they were together in the examination room. (His previous doctor and staff had made handwritten notes in an actual paper chart during his office visits.)

One unequivocal fact: Healthcare + IT = a perfect “hit.”  Today healthcare provides us more technology than most professions. They use technology to treat, track, record, categorize and communicate with all their patients, vendors, the government and insurance providers. These are just some of the ways IT professionals have taken up residency in the healthcare industry.

Healthcare IT (HIT) uses computerized and digital technology in a wide variety of medical facilities to
increase the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical healthcare for providers and patients. HIT includes many different facets, as its professionals are integral in the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) and are involved in training, installing, testing, maintaining, and troubleshooting these systems. They’re also involved in networks for digital imaging such as Picture Archiving System (PACS), and may work in other areas throughout the vast gamut of the healthcare and medical science industries.  These may include research and development of new products (i.e., robotic surgery equipment/software, advanced diagnostic equipment); information storage and retrieval such as medical billing and coding systems, transcription software, and many other applications; diagnostic and prognostic-facilitating equipment; applications, procedures and devices designed for patient treatment and care, as is the case with some today’s cutting-edge prosthetic devices and other modalities. In fact, HIT is one of the fastest growing specialty areas in IT today.

One fact remains immutable: As the demand for healthcare increases within the next several decades, there will likewise be an ever-increasing demand for HIT services in a multiplicity of medical science and healthcare-related disciplines and facilities.  

Due to the variety of programs and roles needed to maintain and operate these numerous areas of
specialization and systems, as well as the many different types of software, hardware, networks, and applications, there will be numerous HIT positions, needs, and certifications.

  

Becoming a HIT Professional

One way to get a job in HIT is from the clinical side; that is, a clinician that transitions into becoming a HIT specialist. Clinicians who transfer into HIT may come from a profession such as sonography (since they already do most their work on sophisticated digital audio/video platforms), or a nurse, laboratory worker, other allied healthcare specialist, or even a physician.  These clinicians may be seeking a new challenge, or looking for different ways to apply their clinical knowledge and experience, or are seeking to transition out of direct patient care. Some HIT subspecialties for former clinicians are nursing informatics, clinical process improvement, and service line analysts.  If fact, some hospitals and healthcare employers may provide on-the-job training or sponsor your formal HIT training; that’s certainly worth looking into.

The biggest challenge for clinicians entering HIT is, generally speaking, the IT world-at-large is imbued with a different mindset than that of clinical healthcare. While sometimes portrayed in films and TV as being eccentric “geeks,” in fact the IT culture and operational paradigm is far more rigid than the clinical environment. Most people have seen an IT flowchart.  In the IT world, most everything follows a design, and every step should be repeatable. Also, while clinicians usually focus on patients, HIT pros focus on systems, both micro (designing a mobile app that can take one’s blood pressure) and macro (providing comprehensive IT services for major a medical facility and its adjunct facilities and satellite offices). And, as is the case with transitioning to any new field, one must learn new a new vocabulary and terminology; in the world of IT, it’s commonly known as “Geek speak.”

Another route to a successful HIT career is when someone who already has education and professional experience in the IT field applies their expertise in a medical science and/or healthcare-related function.  Due to increased competition, it can be more difficult to land a job in HIT if you don’t have any previous healthcare experience.  Here’s where doing your due diligence in learning how to ace an interview is paramount. (To better hone your in-person and telephone interview skills, check out our previous blogs: ("Questions to Ask During a Job Interview," "Here's Looking at You, Kid," "Topmost Tips for Terrific Telephony," and "Application Cogitation"). Particularly when IT experts have previously worked for a large organization such as Microsoft, they need to make a paradigm shift in their thinking. When at Microsoft, IT is generally one’s raison d’etre. However, when working for large healthcare provider, Microsoft is oftentimes a support system, not the key focus.

IT professionals need to realize that in healthcare, physicians and other healthcare providers need to work effectively, efficiently, and accurately. If not, the quality and quantity of patient care is at risk. This, in turn, impacts the financial health of the organization at-large.  And, similar to the clinician that needs to learn “Geek speak,” depending upon what field of the ever expanding healthcare industry an IT pro enters, they may have to learn medical terminology.

Getting Smart for HIT

Most HIT jobs require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, preferably in a field related to either healthcare or IT.  Advanced degrees such as an MBA, MSN, or MS in an IT or MIS-related field are always helpful.  If you’re an IT professional, keep your IT certifications active, such as CISSP, CCNA, and PMP, as these are in demand in HIT.

Likewise, in the clinical field, unless one’s certification didn’t require a bachelor’s degree   (i.e., phlebotomist), having a bachelor’s or advanced degree is also advisable. For any clinician, it’s also important to keep their licensure and certifications current, as they’re still preferable for many HIT positions as well.

A valuable resource for those interested in learning more about HIT is the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society. It can provide more information concerning the most rapidly growing HIT jobs, IT jobs, HIT skills in greatest demand, and where to look for the greatest number of HIT job openings.

In this article, I discussed the ever-expanding field of healthcare IT or HIT. I discussed some of the areas and specialties where a HIT professional may work within the vast world of medical science and healthcare. I also discussed ways a healthcare clinician can transition into HIT and conversely, how an IT professional can transition into HIT. If you found this article interesting and useful, please share it with your colleagues and friends. As always, I’m eager to read your comments and questions below. 

Rick Fromme combines entrepreneurial enthusiasm with an insider's knowledge of the medical industry to co-found MedMasters.com. Both his drive and perspective helps provide healthcare professionals with a superior mechanism with which to communicate, network and market their strengths. Prior to founding MedMasters.com, Rick operated a highly successful medical device distributorship. Other milestones in his 12-year career in the medical industry include a key position at a medical device start-up company that was later sold to the Ethicon Endo division of Johnson & Johnson. You may also reach Rick by connecting with him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

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Health Care Scare: Medical Identity Theft

By Rick Fromme

Computer Security (Photo credit: IntelFreePress)

With July 4th fast approaching, many of us will celebrate our national holiday spending time with family and friends barbequing, hanging out together in the long summer evening, and perhaps watching fireworks.

The Fourth of July or Independence Day, as it’s officially called, commemorates the ratification and adoption of our Declaration of Independence in 1776, as the 13 original states declared their independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Our fledgling country had won its freedom from foreign tyranny.

Today, although we remain politically free from the yoke of any other country, the U.S. and its citizens face an ever-mounting threat on our personal freedom and identities from the continuous onslaught of cybercriminals.  These e-crooks — some independent, some as part of syndicates, and some even as foreign governments’ agencies — seek to steal our precious assets, among them, our medical care records. And despite the conveniences and efficiency that Electronic Medical Records (EMR) continue to provide, their very “cybernature” makes our most personal of private information even more vulnerable to cracking, hacking, spying and hijacking. 

With increasing frequency, cyber criminals are focusing their nefarious efforts on medical identity theft. Why? According to Larry Ponemon, founder of the Ponemon Institute, “in the world of black market information, a medical record is considered more valuable than everything else.” Released in March, Its Fourth Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy & Data Security specifically focused on “new and expanded threats to the security and privacy of patient information in the U.S. health care system.”

Hacking in a suite at clarion (Photo credit: Johan Nilsson)

The report’s disturbing conclusion: Criminal attacks on health care systems have risen 100% since it first conducted its studies in 2010.  This, according to nearly a hundred different health care organizations that participated in the study. These included hospitals and clinics that were part of a health care network, integrated delivery systems, along with individual hospitals and clinics. All organizations in this research were subjected to HIPAA as a covered entity.

Credit card information has long been one of the coveted “jewels” that criminals like to get their dirty hands on. Specifically relating to health care identity theft, these ne’er-do-wells seek to obtain such information as Social Security numbers and personal health records, as this type of data is stored much longer versus credit card numbers (in most cases).

Several studies have indicated that sloppy behavior, such as health care employees losing a laptop or other mobile devices that have unencrypted data, is one of the main avenues would-be criminals use to scarf up our private medical information.  Contributing to the likelihood of this occurrence is the often times rushed nature of a health care employee’s job. So focused can a provider be in terms of taking care of patients, they inadvertently compromise their attention to security.

Breaches can also result from third-party contractors who can get their hands on public medical data. The continuing proliferation of ever more sophisticated mobile devices makes it even easier for criminals to steal data, especially when you consider 88 % of medical facilities 

permit employees to access patient data via their own mobile devices. Think about that for a moment. What percentage of these employees do you think have the necessary encryption software and other security measures in place on their tablets or smartphones?

Even visiting the hospital one time — say for a routine exam — can give six to 10 companies virtually unrestricted access to one’s medical data. This includes the hospital itself, extraneous labs, specialty providers, health insurance companies, pharmacies, medical equipment providers and other entities.

Anonymous Attack (Photo credit: HonestReporting.com)

While the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare) has been lauded by some and cursed by others, the Ponemon study reported unequivocally that nearly 70% of its participants felt the ACA “significantly increases” or “increases” the risk to patient privacy and security. Of primary concern is the insecure exchange of patient information between health care providers and the government. FYI: Several U.S. agencies have been repeatedly hacked, including by elements of the Chinese government. Check out this blog by Internet experts, Working the Web to Win, “How Close is the US to Experiencing a Digital Pearl Harbor?” Another concern regarding the ACA was the volume of patient data existing on insecure databases, and applicants registering for the ACA on insecure websites.

Of course, health care employees are health care consumers as well. Regardless of one’s specialty, you or your family members are no doubt periodically in need of routine exams, checkups, and medical care. That means your medical records are vulnerable, too.

  

According to the Federal Trade Commission:

“A thief may use your name or health insurance numbers to see a doctor, get prescription drugs, file claims with your insurance provider, or get other care. If the thief’s health information is mixed with yours, your treatment, insurance and payment records, and credit report may be affected.

If you see signs of medical identity theft, order copies of your records and check for mistakes. You have the right to see your records and have mistakes corrected.”

It also makes the following recommendations:

Identity Theft (Photo credit: Don Hankins)

Read your medical and insurance statements regularly and completely. They can show warning signs of identity theft. Read the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement or Medicare Summary Notice that your health plan sends after treatment. Check the name of the provider, the date of service, and the service provided. Do the claims paid match the care you received? If you see a mistake, contact your health provider and report the problem.

Other signs of medical identity theft:

• A bill for medical services you didn’t receive
• A call from a debt collector about a medical debt you don’t owe
• Medical collection notices on your credit report that you don’t recognize
• A notice from your health plan, saying you reached your benefit limit
• A denial of insurance because your medical records show a condition you don’t have

In this article, I talked about the ever-growing problem of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) identity theft. I shared information compiled from a respected annual, national study that found medical record hacking and theft is growing rapidly. I also shared some of  the causes of increased medical identity theft, from the proliferation of unsecured mobile devices to the implementation of the ACA. I also offered some suggestions about what health care providers — who are also health care consumers — should do to help minimize breaches of their own and their families’medical records.  If you found this article helpful, please leave a comment and share it with your colleagues, family and friends. As always, I appreciate your comments.

Rick Fromme combines entrepreneurial enthusiasm with an insider's knowledge of the medical industry to co-found MedMasters.com. Both his drive and perspective helps provide health care professionals with a superior mechanism with which to communicate, network and market their strengths. Prior to founding MedMasters.com, Rick operated a highly successful medical device distributorship. Other milestones in his 12-year career in the medical industry include a key position at a medical device start-up company that was later sold to the Ethicon Endo division of Johnson & Johnson. You may also reach Rick by connecting with him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

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