Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/633033
23 FINANCE HEALTH IT IT Underused in Population Health Initiatives, Study Finds By Akanksha Jayanthi W hile the healthcare industry is doubling down on population health efforts as it works toward the triple aim, a study from HIMSS found few organizations use health IT tools to assist in these efforts. e study gathered insight from approximately 200 healthcare execu- tives on their population health ini- tiatives. Two-thirds of respondents said their organizations currently have population health initiatives in place. Most of these initiatives focus on chronic disease management (83 percent of organizations with cur- rent initiatives) and wellness and preventive health (82 percent). However, the study found just 25 percent of organizations with initiatives in place use a specific IT vendor solution for their population health efforts. e HIMSS report suggests key areas where a vendor-provided solution could aid organizations in their population health initiatives, including business intelligence and analytics, data warehouse and ag- gregation and patient dashboards. Of those organizations without current initiatives in place, more than half plan to start one, but there remains "a high level of uncertainty" about using a vendor solution, ac- cording to the study. n Health IT Professionals Think They're Underpaid This and 9 More Findings on IT Salaries ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX EIGHT TEN SEVEN NINE By Akanksha Jayanthi H ow much money is adequate for health IT professionals? According to a recent survey by HealthITJobs.com, many health IT professionals' actual salary is significantly lower than their desired salary. The survey gathered responses from more than 700 health IT workers. Here are 10 key findings on health IT salaries from the survey. The average health IT salary in 2015 is $87,443, and the average bonus is $7,990. Contracted workers reported an average salary of $91,241, and full-time employees reported an average salary of $86,156. However, the average desired salary among survey respondents was $105,631, a significant gap of approximately $18,000 from the average. One-third of respondents reported receiving a bonus. The survey found previous experience in health IT is more valuable — and translates into higher salaries. For example, respondents with prior health IT experience reported an average salary of $89,242, while respondents without prior health IT experience reported an average salary of $54,238. Similarly, having IT certifications translates to higher salaries. Those with a certification reported an average salary of $95,689 and those without reported an average salary of $82,367. Though a gender gap still persists, it was much smaller in 2015 than previous years. In 2014, males made approximately $17,832 more than women, while in 2015 the gap shrunk to $1,185. Here are the average salaries for five key job roles. Salaries also vary geographically. IT professionals in New England are on the higher end of salaries while those in the Midwest are at on the lower end. Average salaries by organization type also fall along a wide range. Those with consulting companies report average salaries of $107,281; IT professionals at hospitals and health systems report $87,758; those at software vendors report $85,512; those at physicians groups report $85,094; and those at clinics report $76,884. -Project manager: $107,674 -IT management: $94,275 -Business intelligence: $81,574 -Healthcare informatics: $80,907 -Implementation consultation: $78,147 -New England: $99,536 -Mid-Atlantic: $97,620 -Mountain: $97,381 -Southeast: $91,239 -Pacific: $90,401 -Southwest: $90,259 -Midwest: $80,311