Staffing a Chief Worry for Health Care IT

A quarter of information technology professionals at health care organizations say a lack of skilled workers is inhibiting the implementation of new IT initiatives, according to a new study.

Yet two-thirds of the IT professionals surveyed by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society also say they will add staff in the next year. The survey was released Feb. 21.

The survey also found that almost 90 percent of respondents plan to complete their conversion to the new federally mandated ICD-10 medical codes used to report medical diagnoses and inpatient procedures by the Oct. 31, 2013, deadline. Two-thirds reported that implementing ICD-10 was the top area of focus for financial IT systems at their organization.

The survey included responses from more than 300 technology professionals from health care providers across the U.S.