Every couple of years a new focus seems to envelop the channel, with managed services and cloud computing getting a majority of the buzz until earlier in 2010. Healthcare IT is all the rage in the industry and, like the two previously mentioned topics, there’s a real business opportunity behind it. When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February of 2009, it set the wheels in motion. Approximately $17 billion was set aside as incentive payments to encourage medical providers and hospitals to implement EHR (Electronic Health Records)—also known as EMR (Electronic medical records). Even though the medical facilities only receive higher payments from Medicare and Medicaid when they implement an HER system, instead of cash for the IT providers to install it, the incentive has caused a lot of scrambling in the IT channel.
The big question being asked by many solution providers is “should we join in the EMR race, or is it too late?” CompTIA started down that road last year and, after determining that the vertical was a viable opportunity for many IT organizations, initiated the Healthcare IT Community. This group does more bring together interested solution providers, vendors and medical technology professionals. It’s got a mission; to put together a portfolio of tools and programs to ensure success with healthcare technology.
CompTIA engaged Patti Dodgen, CEO of Hielix to help build a healthcare IT roadmap for solution providers to employ in their markets. Calling the result of this project a tool is a disservice; it’s actually a comprehensive assessment and training tool for an IT business interested in the medical technology field. So, how does Dodgen describe the program that she and the CompTIA team developed? “It’s a multi-purpose solution. First of all, it’s a consolidator of demographic information and assists a provider prior to calling a prospect and setting up the first appointment. As we’ll demonstrate at Breakaway, the roadmap includes a guide of healthcare specialties and the broad variations in how each practice operates.” In addition, it provides a comprehensive overview of healthcare IT, medical office procedures, best practices, a glossary of medical terms and prepares a professional presentation to secure an initial sale.
One last feature of the tool that could save a VAR a lot of time and money: a self-assessment checklist to see if the vertical is a good fit for their business. Not every region is a prime market for a new healthcare IT practice since each medical practitioner has to meet a minimum threshold to receive the Federal stimulus dollars. If there are few qualified opportunities in your area, investing in a new healthcare IT practice may not make sense.
To get the full details of the new offering from CompTIA, see Dodgen’s Breakaway workshop: Building Your HIT Blueprint – Assessing the IT Needs of a Healthcare Provider to Become a Trusted Advisor. The session is just one of several healthcare-related breakouts and presentations during the four-day event and starts at 9:30 AM on Thursday, August 12th. It’s intended for solution providers interested in the prospect of building a healthcare IT practice, as well those with experience in the market, looking for what the CompTIA team has assembled.
