Training a Health IT Workforce for Implementation and Maintenance of EHRs Lisa DeLiberto, MS, RHIA Passaic County Community College Ellen Shakespeare, MBA, RHIA Raritan Valley Community College

Health IT Practitioners Needed Advance to meaningful use requires trained “health IT practitioners” Shortfall of at least 51,000 in 12 key workforce roles ARRA/HITECH Section 3016 requires funding of institutions of higher education

ONC Health IT Workforce Development Program Four Integrated programs 1.Community College Consortia to Educate Health IT Professionals 2.Curriculum Development Centers 3.Competency Examination for Individuals Completing Non-Degree Training 4.Assistance for University-Based Training

Community College Workforce Training Roles Six Month Intensive Preparation Assumes some relevant background (health or IT) Six roles –Four roles support EHR adoption process (mobile adoption teams) –Two roles provide ongoing support to practices that have adopted

Community College Consortia Program 5 HHS Service Regions –One Lead College per region –Up to 23 participating Community Colleges per region Goal: TRAIN AT LEAST 10,500 PEOPLE PER YEAR IN SIX VITAL ROLES

Community College Consortia Program Flexibility, innovation, adult learning approaches (hallmarks of community colleges) Tailor program to each student’s background Institutional certificate upon completion High quality educational materials reflecting best practice and latest knowledge in a rapidly-changing field

Community College Consortia Program TARGETED HEALTH IT PROFESSIONAL ROLES –Mobile workforce supporting adoption process Practice workflow & information management redesign specialists Clinician/practitioner consultants Implementation support specialist Implementation managers –Onsite support personnel (post-adoption) Technical/software support staff Trainers

8 NJ Colleges and 1 PA College in the NE Consortia Credit-based Certificates –Burlington County College –Camden County Community College –Passaic County Community College –Raritan Valley Community College

8 NJ Colleges and 1 PA College in the NE Consortia Non-credit Certificates –Brookdale CC, NJ –Essex CC, NJ –Gloucester CC, NJ –Ocean CC, NJ –CC of Allegheny County, PA

The Workforce Roles Practice Workflow and Information Management Redesign Specialist Workers in this role assist in reorganizing the work of a provider to take full advantage of the features of health IT in pursuit of meaningful use of health IT to improve health and care. Clinician/Practitioner Consultant This role is similar to the “Practice Workflow and Information Management Redesign Specialists” role listed above; in addition to that role’s set of competencies, this role brings to bear the background and experience of a professional licensed to provide clinical care or a public health professional.

The Workforce Roles Implementation Support Specialist Workers in this role provide on-site user support for the period of time before and during implementation of health IT systems in clinical and public health settings. These individuals will provide support services, above and beyond what is provided by the vendor, to be sure the technology functions properly and is configured to meet the needs of the redesigned practice workflow. Implementation Manager Workers in this role provide on-site management of mobile adoption support teams for the period of time before and during implementation of health IT systems in clinical and public health settings.

The Workforce Roles Technical/Software Support Staff Workers in this role will support on an ongoing basis the technology deployed in clinical and public health settings. Workers in this role maintain systems in clinical and public health settings, including patching and upgrading of software. They also provide one- on-one support, in a traditional “help desk” model, to individual users with questions or problems Trainer Workers in this role design and deliver training programs, using adult learning principles, to employees in clinical and public health settings.

Year 1 Work Force Role Training

ONC Health IT Workforce Development Program Four Integrated programs 1.Community College Consortia to Educate Health IT Professionals 2.Curriculum Development Centers 3.Competency Examination for Individuals Completing Non-Degree Training 4.Assistance for University-Based Training

The Curriculum Development Centers Goals: –to make available high quality educational materials reflecting best practice in a rapidly changing field –to take a highly progressive view of preparation for the six roles –to enable community college programs to ramp up quickly Will develop 20 curricular components

20 Curricular Components 1.Introduction to Health Care & Public Health in the U.S. 2.The Culture of Health Care 3.Terminology in Health Care and Public Health Settings 4.Introduction to Information and Computer Science 5.History of Health information Technology in the U.S. 6.Health Management Technology in the U.S. 7.Working with Health IT Systems 8.Installation and Maintenance of Health IT Systems 9.Networking and Health Information Exchange 10.Fundamentals of Health Workflow Analysis and Process Redesign

20 Curricular Components 11. Configuring EHRs 12. Quality Improvement 13. Public Health IT 14.Special Topics Course on Vendor-Specific Systems 15. Usability and Human Factors 16.Professionalism/Customer Service in the Health Environment 17. Working in Teams 18. Planning, Management and Leadership for Health IT 19. Introduction to Project Management 20.Training and Instructional Design

ONC Health IT Workforce Development Program Four Integrated programs 1.Community College Consortia to Educate Health IT Professionals 2.Curriculum Development Centers 3.Competency Examination for Individuals Completing Non-Degree Training 4.Assistance for University-Based Training

Competency Exam Exam based on competencies, curricular materials, and job analyses NOT A CERTIFICATION PROGRAM Purpose –Enable health IT professionals, employers, & others to assess health IT competency levels –Enable employers to identify training gaps & personnel needs integral to achieving meaningful use –A source of feedback to the community colleges

Community College Health IT Workforce Training

Acknowledgements Transforming the Nation’s Health System: The Role of Information Technology and the Workforce, August 9, 2010 Charles P. Friedman, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Michael D. Summers Provost - Virginia Beach Campus Tidewater Community College