The role of IT personnel in healthcare organizations is rapidly evolving due to the impact of technology. Instead of operating behind the scenes, CIOs are increasingly taking on a more visible role, explaining how new technologies will impact operations and how to proactively address upcoming mandates and advancements. By staying ahead of the curve, they aim to minimize disruption to business and ensure the smooth adoption of new technologies. In fact, in this article, the CIO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital equated her position to that of candidates in a presidential election, prompting readers to consider what exactly the role of a CIO should entail.
The Enterprisers Project, which focuses on helping CIOs and other IT leaders to address real-world challenges, shares how CIOs must act as agents of change. As technology “helps enable new ways of business, collaboration, productivity—the potential and possibilities are endless.” The CIO, then, is tasked with getting buy-in to the vision that their chosen technology will improve the healthcare system. The CIO is responsible for communicating the organization’s digital transformation and creating enthusiasm for the technology involved and its benefits. Here’s more about being the CIO your organization needs in 2023.
This means that CIOs today work in cross-functional ways not required in the past because it now takes people across the organization to innovate in today’s fast-paced world. So how does a CIO ensure that initiatives are fulfilled while he or she focuses on the larger picture? The answer is simple. It all comes down to having qualified and trustworthy IT professionals and empowering them to make certain decisions, provide direction, and execute the tasks at hand.
Development of the CIO Role
The CIO role is relatively new. As CIO.gov shares, the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996 established this position in federal agencies. Further acts of Congress have expanded the CIO’s role in federal organizations as professionals in that role further the organization’s mission through “effective use of information resources and information technology.”
Although only about 200 of the country’s 6,000-plus hospitals are run by the government, the information about a CIO’s role applies across organization types. CIO.gov lists these six key responsibilities for CIO professionals:
- IT leadership and accountability
- IT strategic planning
- IT workforce
- IT budgeting
- IT investment management
- Information security and privacy
Because the CIO is so new, relatively speaking, it’s still evolving—which gives healthcare CIOs an opportunity to develop and shape their roles to allow their organizations to uniquely provide top-quality patient care.
For the rest of this post, we’ll focus on bullet number three: the IT workforce. As described by CIO.gov, “CIOs are responsible for assessing agency IT workforce needs and developing strategies and plans for meeting those needs.”
IT Worker Shortage
According to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), their speculation that it will be hard to find and keep IT staff in 2022 was correct. Demand for these technology experts will continue to be high but the supply will not. In one referenced report, 73 percent of respondents said that “recruiting technologists and filling open tech positions” will be difficult. Eighty-three percent of them note that this will make it challenging to maintain strong cybersecurity under certain circumstances.
Another cited survey indicates that 72 percent of polled IT workers in the United States are considering quitting their jobs within the next twelve months. Given the other information in the SHRM article, they will likely be hard to replace. Forbes also chimes in on the subject—in particular, with cybersecurity professionals—saying that finding and recruiting them will be “both essential and difficult.”
Right-Sizing the Healthcare IT Workforce
So, it may be challenging to get the healthcare IT support that your organization needs. This is why CIOs often turn to healthcare IT consulting firms to get the professionals they need to carry out the projects that dovetail with the organization’s strategic vision while also streamlining daily operations.
The question then becomes: how do you choose the right agency for healthcare IT solutions? Here’s a summary of advice we’ve given on the subject:
#1 Specializes in Healthcare IT Services
#2 Offers Services in the Healthcare Technologies You Need
#3 Maintains Deep Professional Networks
#4 Possesses Significant, Relevant Experience
#5 Values Your Time and Your Organization
At HealthTECH Resources, we check all the boxes, providing the professionals that healthcare organizations and their CIOs want and need: as consultants, contract-to-hire professionals, and permanent placements. We provide project managers that can transform CIO visions into actionable projects and then oversee them (technically, supervisorily, and budget-wise) with care.
As far as EHR systems, we specialize in augmenting your staff with professionals with expertise in:
When looking at staff supplementation in a role-based way, we provide experts with deep knowledge and experience as:
- Trainers: role-based, super user style, and more
- Technical writers/process documenters
- Implementation professionals
- Integration and optimization experts
- Go-live and post-go-live support staff
- Data cleaning and migration pros
HealthTECH Resources has twenty-plus years of experience as we solely focus on providing quality healthcare IT services. We have a proven track record of excellence as we value our clients and their wants and needs—and we’ve demonstrated results as we help healthcare organizations like yours to solve complex challenges.
We listen carefully to your goals and challenges and help you to analyze staffing gaps. We will clearly and concisely share how we will supplement your team in the most effective and cost efficient ways and transparently answer all of your questions.
We’ll discern your workplace culture and then strategically augment your team, providing exactly the healthcare IT solutions you desire. Experts from our network will work collaboratively with your in-house team as they offer healthcare IT support. They’ll provide their unique skills sets that mesh with those on your team to right-size your IT staffing bandwidth. Healthcare technology evolves rapidly, so experts from our network stay right up to date with cutting-edge developments.
Find out how HealthTECH Resources is different from other healthcare IT consulting firms. To get started, contact us online today or call (602) 903-7961.
PRESIDENT/CEO AT HEALTHTECH RESOURCES
Larry has specialized in building strategic healthcare relationships for over 25 years, helping the nation’s top payors and providers solve some of their most pressing business challenges through an intelligent mix of staffing services, training, and consulting.