Hospitals and health systems have been adding to their information technology staff, but many executives report difficulty finding new employees with the desired skill sets, according to a report released by HIMSS Analytics.
The report is based on a survey of 224 hospital and health system IT executives as well as representatives from vendors and other HIMSS corporate members, conducted between February and March 2013. Representatives from healthcare provider organizations accounted for three-quarters of respondents.
More than 85 percent of respondents hired at least one IT professional in the past year, and 79 percent plan to hire additional staff in the coming year.
However, many hospitals face a lack of qualified workers in their region, with operational consequences — close to half of respondents working for healthcare provider organizations reported either suspending or considering suspending an IT initiative because of a lack of qualified IT staff.
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