Healthcare IT News - October 2008 - (Page 60)

www.HealthcareITNews.com news October 2008 ■ Healthcare IT News 59 Employers look for IT training when hiring medical assistants By PATTy enrAdo, Contributing Editor WashinGtOn – A shortage of healthcare professionals across the board is spiking employer interest in hiring medical assistants. Demand for medical assistants with specific training in computer applications such as practice management software, scheduling, billing and electronic health records is making the category one of the fastest-growing professions through the 2006-2016 decade, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Approximately 62 percent of medical assistants work in physician offices, 12 percent are employed by public and private hospitals, including inpatient and outpatient facilities, and 11 percent work in offices of other health practitioners, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Most of the remainder work in other healthcare settings, including outpatient care centers and nursing and residential care facilities. According to Judy Jondahl, director of accreditation for the American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), associate degree programs are putting a bigger focus on information technology skills and requiring IT competency as part of the their curriculum. AAMA recently approved of new standards and requirements for its medical assistant curriculum. “Multi-skilled medical assistants can be very advantageous to a practice,” Jondahl said, noting that many physician practices are scrambling to hire anyone with applicable information technology skills right now. She said medical assistants already are being required to develop expertise in data management of electronic health records and electronic medical records, including hardware and software skills to maintain EHRs, EMRs and anything Internet-related to the medical office. In the front office, medical assistants need to administer and manage patient admission through computerized office billing systems. While in the back office, IT skills play a big role in data gathering of lab samples and basic vital signs. IT competencies have become more common among large practices, she said. Here are three things to look for when contemplating upcoming staffing moves: ■ Work with local medical assistant programs to identify strong candidates with IT skills. ■ While certification isn’t necessary, choosing certificated medical assistants ensures competency on basic IT systems. ■ While experienced CMAs can earn, on average, $38,000 – about $10,000 more than an entry level CMA – it may be worth the effort to land a candidate with the skills and knowledge to get to work on Day One. That employee can become a key trainer and leader when it comes to IT adoption. ■ More at healthcareITnews.com e Connect: traiNiNg 1008 ● Career Tools. Career Advice. Career Opportunities. Career Advancement. Introducing THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE The Acadian Ambulance/BORSF Chair in Telehealth: The University of Louisiana at Lafayette invites nominations and applications for the Endowed Chair in Telehealth. The applicant must have an earned doctorate in a medical or information systems-related field. Successful applicants must also have a strong record of public and extramural funding. The holder of the chair must also have the academic qualifications for a tenured or tenure-track faculty appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. The University is a Doctoral Research University (high research activity) public institution located in Lafayette, the heart of French Louisiana and a very pleasant and exciting place to live. It has an enrollment of approximately 16,000 students with a faculty of 550 and serves as the base of Louisiana’s off-shore industry, as well as the financial, retail, and medical center for South-Central Louisiana. Starting date: The search committee will review applications and continue until the position is filled; however, submission of materials by January 15, 2009 is strongly encouraged. Candidates should send a letter of application, current vita and transcript, and three letters of reference to: Carol Venable, Department Head Health Information Management The University of Louisiana at Lafayette P.O. Box 41007 Lafayette, LA 70504-1007 Tel: 337-482-6629 ~ Fax: 337-482-5902 venable@louisiana.edu EEO#: SC 2-07 Career Solutions for the Healthcare IT Community Whether you’re actively looking for a new position or simply waiting to be approached with a great opportunity, Healthcare IT Job Spot helps you stay focused on the healthcare industry. Healthcare IT Job Spot enables you to: 1) Manage your job search, speciﬁcally in the healthcare industry 2) Access hundreds of healthcare IT positions at providers, payers, vendors and more 3) Post an anonymous resume 4) Set up Job Alert emails for quick notiﬁcation when new positions become available based on your speciﬁcations Visit Jobspot.healthcareitnews.com today to post an anonymous resume and search open positions. Even if you’re not actively seeking a new position, you can stay up to date with healthcare IT employment news and stats, as well as the latest job position postings, by signing up for our bi-weekly Healthcare IT Job Spot e-newsletter. Interested in posting an open position? Visit Jobspot.healthcareitnews.com or contact EJ Fechenda at (207) 688-6270 x221 or ej.fechenda@medtechpublishing.com for discounted charter rates. 71 Pineland Drive, Suite 203 • New Gloucester, ME 04260 • (207) 688-6270 • www.medtechpublishing.com http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.medcarts.net http://www.HealthcareITNews.com http://www.medcarts.net http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=10153 http://www.teletracking.com http://www.medtechpublishing.com http://www.teletracking.com http://www.healthcareitnews.com/eConnect.cms?id=10152

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Healthcare IT News - October 2008 Contents Seattle's Slate Board 2.0 MGMA Newsmaker IT Battles Infection Beyond Adoption Excellence in Maine Carrot and Stick HP Layoffs Mobile Workstations Automating Offices

Healthcare IT News - October 2008

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