Blumenthal: Federal Health IT Funding to Create 50,000 Jobs in Next 5 Years

Speaking at the Health Information Technology Conference in Boston, David Blumenthal, MD, national coordinator for health IT, said federal dollars will be devoted to setting up grant programs to encourage students to enter IT careers in the healthcare industry should create between 45,000 and 50,000 jobs in the next five years, according to a report in ComputerWorld.

The demand for health IT workers will be for people to staff 60 regional extension centers — public/private partnerships designed to assist rural hospitals and small physician practices in implementing electronic medical record systems, according to the report. Dr. Blumenthal said the ONC has provided funding to around 70 community colleges and other universities to set up programs for workforce training in health IT.

Dr. Blumenthal also commented on recent concerns raised by members of Congress, including Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), about errors in EMR systems, saying the government has full trust in the ONC's policies regarding EMR roll-out. He also recommended collecting more information on safety problems surrounding EMRs.

Over the next year, the ONC will finalize "meaningful use" regulations, which should help physician practices and other healthcare providers meet the 2015 deadline for installing an EMR system.

Read the ComputerWorld report on electronic medical records.