New technologies, management of vast amounts of information, improvements in healthcare delivery and quality, cost controls, and government reform are pushing the healthcare industry's demand for a qualified health information technology (HIT) workforce.

Towards this wide-scale technological transformation, the Oregon Healthcare Workforce Institute (OHWI), in partnership with the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development and WorkSource Oregon, is convening a statewide "brain trust." These HIT subject matter experts have gathered from industry, education, workforce development and health policy arenas to guide Oregon's effort to:

• Build Oregon's health information technology, informatics and information management workforce.
• Train Oregon's current healthcare workforce to meet basic competencies in using electronic health records and related technology.
• Integrate HIT coursework into Oregon's healthcare profession educational programs to ensure that graduates are competent in the use of electronic health records and related technology.

The intent of this effort is to craft a strategic plan for education, industry, workforce investment boards, associations, government, healthcare workers, and other stakeholders for development of a sufficient HIT workforce and a high quality healthcare workforce capable of using HIT to improve the delivery of care to all Oregonians.

Resources:

• HIT Brain Trust Members
• Health Information Technology: The Need for a Competent Workforce
  William Hersh, MD
• Health Informatics SIM Lab: Exploring Opportunities and Possibilities
  Dr. Michael Kirshner
• Where Will the 'Mini-Army' of Health IT Workers Come From?
  George Lauer, iHealthBeat
• Office of the National Coordinator: HITECH Education and Workforce Development Funding Opportunities
• Summary of Office of National Coordinator Grants
• Categories & Descriptions of Health IT Workforce Roles Identified by the Office of the National Coordinator
• DOLETA Funding Announcement: Health Care Sector and Other High Growth and Emerging Industries
• DOLETA 2009 HI Grant Proposal Summary
• Summary of Oregon Applicants for Federal HIT Workforce Grants
• OHWI's Summary on Planning for Oregon's Health Information Technology Workforce Needs
• OHWI's Briefing on Federal Funding for Health Informatics Education Programs
• HIT Workforce Development Brain Trust Worksheet
• Inventory of HIT Educational Programs in Oregon
• Technology and the Aging Brain: New Approaches to Understanding Change
  Tracy Zitzelberger, MPH
• Building Oregon's Economy through Investing in Engineering Education & Research
  Engineering & Technology Industry Council

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