21st Century Healthcare Demands Robust Health IT Workforce

The healthcare industry is facing a problem: shortages of health IT workers. This problem could loom even greater as changes in ICD codes roll-out this year. To combat this problem, the right tools and data can be used to identify some of the key drivers of these shortages and where these problems are likely to play out. We here at HealthLandscape can effectively address some of these issues by digging into data with new interactive and visually effective tools such as HealthLandscape Storymap that explores some of the characteristics of health IT workers and how they differ across the United States.

This first map (below) shows employment rates of Medical Records and Health Information Technicians by state. On average, states with higher employment rates (or lower unemployment rates) will have greater labor shortages. From quick glance at the map, we can see that clusters of high employment of Health IT workers appear in the Northern Rockies (Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota), Northern New England (Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine) and Hawaii. Conversely, employment rates are lowest in the south stretching from South Carolina to Florida. The rate of employment equals the number of employed workers divided by the total labor force (the number of employed workers plus the number of unemployed workers).

Figure. Employment Rates of Medical Records and Health Information Technicians by state

There tends to be an inverse relationship between employment rates and wages. This map shows median wages of full-time (30 hours or more per week) Medical Records and Health Information Technicians. On average, areas with higher employment rates of Medical Records and Health Information Technicians tend to have lower median wages. A way to potentially offset labor shortages for health IT workers is to increase wages where employment rates are high.

 Figure. Median wage of full-time Medical Records and Health Information Technicians by state

This map shows the average age of Medical Records and Health Information Technicians by state. On average, areas with higher average ages tend to have higher employment rates. This is striking because with an aging Health IT workforce in areas with labor shortages, labor shortages in these areas will become an even greater issue in the future.

Figure. Average age of Medical Records and Health Information Technicians by state.

Finally, Health IT workers show some striking characteristics:

• Nationally, the majority of health IT workers have less than a bachelor's degree, typically with either a high school diploma or some college education.

• Nearly 97% of health IT workers are U.S. citizens.

• Most health IT workers (66.5%) work for a private for-profit company followed by private non-profit companies (20%).

Paul Maliszewski 

GIS Strategist

HealthLandscape

To access the Healthcare Workforce Storymap, see 

 http://healthlandscape.org/healthcare-workforce-storymap.cfm

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Data Visualization: Luxury or Necessity for Managing Population Health?

This is National Health IT Week. We're participating in the National Health IT Week Blog Carnival, offering our perspective on "The Value of Health IT" to improve healthcare delivery. Click here to see other National Health IT Week blog posts. Read contributions from Cincinnati-based health IT companies at Innov8 for Health.

Health IT is transforming healthcare delivery. Electronic medical records are in use in almost every hospital system and physician practice. Apps that help patients track glucose levels, medications, sleep cycles, and more are being introduced and improved daily. These are terrific innovations at the patient level. But how is Health IT being applied to population health?

One answer: data visualization.

Visualization tools--no matter the industry--make it easier to see relationships and identify patterns among data sets. In the field of population heath, where the twin goals of managing cost and providing quality healthcare often seem to be at odds, data visualization tools offer users a way of aggregating, displaying, and making sense of information, especially information that comes from disparate sources.

At one time, we used visuals to make our point, tell our story, and--let's be honest--keep our audience engaged and awake during presentations. We thought that was enough, and that anything "beyond the basics" was overkill--a waste of both time and money.

We can no longer afford to be so complacent. Today's visualization tools have evolved from pretty picture generators to genuine decision-making tools. Most data visualization tools can give you:

• Real-time data analysis
• Trend analysis
• Dashboards that alert you to values that fall outside of established benchmarks
• The ability to visualize multiple data sets from multiple sources
• Interactivity
• Access to data for non-data specialists

HealthLandscape specializes in online mapping tools, which give users the ability to see geographic variations among the populations they serve. This is especially critical in today's health care environment, where providers are increasingly held responsible not only for the health of their patients, but also for the health of their communities.

Health promotion efforts focus on reaching populations at-risk for chronic conditions such as diabetes, respiratory diseases, and heart conditions before these conditions manifest. Health management plans now incorporate community-based care as a way of decreasing costs and improving clinical outcomes.

Bottom line: It's impossible to manage the health of a community without knowing that community.

To learn more about HealthLandscape's data visualizations, attend one of our regularly scheduled webinars:

The Community Data Portal

In-depth demonstrations of our award-winning data dissemination tool
Thursday, September 19, 3:00 pm ET

Visualizing Data with HealthLandscape

Overview of all of our data visualization tools, including the Site Performance Explorer
Tuesday, September 24, 2:00 pm ET

 

Introduction to HealthLandscape

In-depth instruction on using HealthLandscape, our free online mapping tool and data library
Thursday, September 26, 2:00 pm