Atlanta is a hub for hospitality, financial services, shopping, transportation -- and health information technology. If the last entry surprised you, it’s time you took notice of this fast-growing industry.
With an 11 percent growth rate in 2009, health information technology is outpacing all other segments of the $1 trillion global health care market, according to Scientia Advisors.
That spells job growth, especially for Atlanta and Georgia. Atlanta health IT companies had the highest combined revenue ($4 billion) of any state in the nation in 2009, according to Healthcare Informatics magazine’s HCI-100 list.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Metro Atlanta Chamber and TAG Health, the health care-focus group of the Technology Association of Georgia, have all been working on initiatives to support growth in this industry. They recently joined forces to produce the state’s first Health IT Leadership Summit, which will take place Nov. 9 at the Fox Theatre.
More than 40 community, business, health care and education leaders will focus on the current and future needs of Georgia’s health IT industry.
“This summit is about three things -- jobs, jobs and jobs,” said Pat Williams, chair of the Health IT Leadership Summit and TAG Health. “We’re all about growing Georgia’s economy through this particular sector.”
While other industries have cut back and shed workers, health IT companies are hiring.
Atlanta-based Transcend Services, the second-largest medical transcription company in the country, is adding 25 to 30 people a month, including transcriptionists, support staff and corporate positions, according to Donna Rhines, director of marketing. The company grew by 24 percent last year.
RelayHealth, an Atlanta-based provider of Web-based communication services that connect health care providers and patients (and a division of McKesson Corp.), keeps a full staff of recruiters busy.
“There are about 50 to 60 positions open right now, and we’ve had as many as 125 openings,” said Jim Bodenbender, its president. “We have been growing at a tremendous rate. Last year, the company increased its work force by 30 percent,” he said.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which mandated that hospitals and physicians switch to electronic medical records by 2014, has spurred industry growth with a $49 billion investment.
“The aging of the population and the rising cost and complexity of health care have also been catalysts for our industry,” said Bodenbender. “We are turning to technology to help us manage costs, increase efficiencies, improve the quality of health care and achieve better outcomes.”
To achieve that tall order, the industry needs a multiskilled work force and a steady pipeline of future workers.
RelayHealth hires a wide range of talent, including clinical professionals to help develop technologies for specific functions, health information specialists, privacy/security experts, research and development scientists, software engineers, database administrators, project managers, product managers and financial experts. His company often recruits outside of health care and offers a full training program for new employees.
“The industry is growing so quickly that we’re expecting a 50,000 shortfall of health IT workers in the next five years,” said Bodenbender. “For anyone considering new career opportunities, health information technology is the place to be.”
And Georgia is a great place to start.
“We’re bullish on this industry,” said David Hartnett, vice president of economic development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “Right now, we’re the health IT leader in the country, and we see so much potential for future growth. That’s a great position to be in.”
The Metro Atlanta Chamber has identified 126 health IT companies that have more than $5 million in annual revenue, at least 10 full-time employees and headquarters in Georgia.
Recently, Brani Vidakovic, a biomedical engineering professor at Georgia Tech, calculated that Georgia’s health IT sector employs more than 10,000 people.
The state is home to some of the largest health IT companies, including McKesson Technology Solutions, Eclipsys, MedAssets Inc. and HealthPort Technologies LLC. Atlanta hosted the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual meeting this year. The group was founded at Georgia Tech in 1961.
The state has considerable assets -- an established cluster of health IT companies, a strong health care sector, a base of software and high-tech companies, a number of research universities and a favorable, pro-business climate, said Glenn Whitley, project manager for advanced technologies, Georgia Department of Economic Development.
“We want to leverage our strengths in order to attract new talent, companies and entrepreneurial activity. For every large company in this industry, we know that there are 10 to 20 small ones with innovative ideas,” he said.
Steve Reeves, a member of the TAG Health Board, sees the Nov. 9 summit as a means of bringing strategic thinkers together to discuss growth strategies for the next three to five years.
“We know, for instance, that there are educational programs at Georgia Tech, Emory University, Georgia State University, Morehouse School of Medicine and in the Technical College System of Georgia that prepare people for careers in this field,” he said. “How can we establish others and let students know about those opportunities?”
The panels and modules are designed to inform the public about career opportunities, the needs of employers, and what recruiters are seeking.
“This summit is for job seekers, entrepreneurs and small businesses -- anyone who is interested in learning more about or transitioning into this industry,” said Williams.
To learn more, visit www.tagonline.org/HIT-11-9-10.php.
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