Health IT Business News Roundup for the Week of June 25, 2010
courtesy of iHealthbeat.org
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
Health-e-Web, a provider of health care revenue cycle management applications, recently announced its acquisition of Electronic Translations and Transmittals, an electronic data exchange company, for an undisclosed sum...Emdeon, a provider of health care revenue and payment cycle management applications, has announced the acquisition of Chapin Revenue Cycle Management, in a deal valued at $18.9 million.
AdvancedMD Software, a vendor of remotely hosted physician practice management and EHR software, reported that its revenue increased by 29% to more than $8 million during Q1 2010.
Contracts
Riverside HealthSystem in Virginia has integrated ZynxHealth's ZynxOrder evidence-based order sets into its EHR system...Gardner Family Health Network in California has announced plans to deploy NextGen Healthcare Information Systems' NextGen Ambulatory EHR, NextGen Practice Management and QSI Dental System.
Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in Canada has selected Optimed Software Corporation's Accuro EHR software and related services for its 30 regional clinics...Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in California have selected Allscripts' in-home care automation system and EHR.
Product Development and Marketing
Keane, an IT services and health care technology firm, has entered into a partnership with Ormed Information Systems, a provider of health care management software, to develop an expanded IT suite that improves clinical decision-making, financial performance, and patient care and satisfaction.
Personnel
Raj Toleti -- founder of health care technology company Galvanon -- has been named CEO of PatientPoint, a provider of health care self-service applications.
**And the rumors are true: Jim Burgess has resigned as the CEO of Healthland
Wednesday, June 30
Tuesday, June 29
Ask a Recruiter: Playing to Your Audience
Help, I'm overqualified!
Being 'overqualified' is a common challenge in today's job market and one that can be overcome with the correct approach to your job search. Here are a few tips:
Being 'overqualified' is a common challenge in today's job market and one that can be overcome with the correct approach to your job search. Here are a few tips:
- Don't lie. The quick fix might seem to be leaving jobs, titles, even degrees off of your resume--don't. Being caught in a lie, even a tiny lie of omission, is one of the quickest ways to lose an offer and destroy any credibility you had with your potential company and the employer. Instead, re-write your resume to frame your experience in a way that more directly relates to the job you are being considered for and be prepared to address the question of why you want the job when you get to an interview.
- Look at your resume from the employer's perspective. Does your resume scream "this guy is going to take the next job that comes along"? If it does, don't expect a phone call. If your resume looks like a clear career path and this job isn't on it, your potential employer will view you as a bad investment. If you don't appear to want the job, if there's no logical reason why a person with your background would want the job, you won't get the job; unless it's a part-time or contract position, the company is looking for a long term fix. A smart employer won't hire a band-aid.
- Consider a functional resume. By highlighting your skills and accomplishments and by separating them from impressive job descriptions and intimidating titles you can clearly and easily demonstrate what you have to offer in spite of the fact that you were a Senior Vice President at your last company and this is a Director-level position. If you don't want people to get hung up on your title, don't give it top billing. Pair that with a thoughtful, well-crafted cover letter that speaks to the needs and culture of the company and follow up with a phone call to dramatically improve your chances of getting the interview.
- Be selective. Don't look at full-time permanent positions that will have an expiration date on the day you start. Limit your search to relevant opportunities that interest you, companies you can see yourself growing with.
- Remember that meeting the qualifications is just over half the battle. The perfect candidate on paper rarely gets the job; if you have half of what the company is looking for, you have the opportunity to land the job if you demonstrate that you are interested, you understand what the company looks for, how your skills are a match and why you would be a great hire, a great fit for the company and a worthwhile investment.
Weekly Wisdom: June 28, 2010
Can This Interview Be Saved?
By Lynda M. Bassett, Monster Contributing Writer
At some point in the job search process, it happens: You have a really bad interview. Except in some instances it's not you who blows it -- it's the hiring manager.
There could be a million reasons why this person is not prepared for the job interview, from the fact that it's Monday morning to that he's out of practice. The challenge for you, the job candidate, is to try to turn the interview around, make a favorable impression and work the situation to your advantage.
It is possible to save a lackluster job interview -- it just takes a little bit of finesse mixed with some assertiveness. Here are three different problem interviewer types you may encounter and how to handle them.
The Harried Interviewer
Problem: This kind of hiring manager is late, completely unprepared, forgets your resume and maybe even spaces out that today is the interview.
Solution: "Give the person time to get settled, and express sympathy, [as in], ‘I can tell that your work here is important and busy,'" says Joanne Meehl, a career coach called The Resume Queen. Also, give the interviewer a chance to reschedule.
If you cannot push the meeting back, lead the interviewer into the interview by saying something like, "Would it help if I told you about myself in relation to this job?" The key is saying this in a friendly, professional tone. "How you do it says a lot about you," Meehl says.
The Overly Chatty Interviewer
Problem: You may get a hiring manager who spends too much time talking about the job, the company or any number of other things. You know you have only about an hour to sell yourself.
Solution: "At some point, they do have to breathe," says Meehl. Wait for a pause, and then ask the hiring manager a question that you immediately follow up with an answer. For instance, you could say, "How would you describe the work systems in this department? For example, in my last job I created a backwards calendar so all team members knew what was due when and the projects were always completed on time."
Another tactic is to give the interviewer something to read, like your portfolio, and then lead that into a discussion about your skills, Meehl says.
The bottom line is to "treat the person with respect but interject to some degree, [because] if you don't, your competition will," Meehl says.
The Unskilled Interviewer
Problem: This is an interviewer who doesn't know what he's doing. Maybe the person was "roped into being there," says Meehl. "Maybe they just don't know what to do." In a way, it is you who is teaching them how to be an interviewer, she explains.
Solution: Once again, you have to take control of the interview, but in a subtle way. Ask questions about the company and the job to get the ball rolling. Show your portfolio. Keep thinking how you can convey more about you and your skills, and then turn the conversation in that direction.
Remember: You're in Control
Even if you run into one of these three types of interviewers, you have some control over the interview. Clearly communicate the points you want to make about yourself, and make sure those points "stick in their minds," Meehl say.
Lastly, realize the job search is a process, and as such, you need to continue networking. "Keep up your activity level so that this is not your only interview and there are other prospects for you," Meehl advises.
By Lynda M. Bassett, Monster Contributing Writer
At some point in the job search process, it happens: You have a really bad interview. Except in some instances it's not you who blows it -- it's the hiring manager.
There could be a million reasons why this person is not prepared for the job interview, from the fact that it's Monday morning to that he's out of practice. The challenge for you, the job candidate, is to try to turn the interview around, make a favorable impression and work the situation to your advantage.
It is possible to save a lackluster job interview -- it just takes a little bit of finesse mixed with some assertiveness. Here are three different problem interviewer types you may encounter and how to handle them.
The Harried Interviewer
Problem: This kind of hiring manager is late, completely unprepared, forgets your resume and maybe even spaces out that today is the interview.
Solution: "Give the person time to get settled, and express sympathy, [as in], ‘I can tell that your work here is important and busy,'" says Joanne Meehl, a career coach called The Resume Queen. Also, give the interviewer a chance to reschedule.
If you cannot push the meeting back, lead the interviewer into the interview by saying something like, "Would it help if I told you about myself in relation to this job?" The key is saying this in a friendly, professional tone. "How you do it says a lot about you," Meehl says.
The Overly Chatty Interviewer
Problem: You may get a hiring manager who spends too much time talking about the job, the company or any number of other things. You know you have only about an hour to sell yourself.
Solution: "At some point, they do have to breathe," says Meehl. Wait for a pause, and then ask the hiring manager a question that you immediately follow up with an answer. For instance, you could say, "How would you describe the work systems in this department? For example, in my last job I created a backwards calendar so all team members knew what was due when and the projects were always completed on time."
Another tactic is to give the interviewer something to read, like your portfolio, and then lead that into a discussion about your skills, Meehl says.
The bottom line is to "treat the person with respect but interject to some degree, [because] if you don't, your competition will," Meehl says.
The Unskilled Interviewer
Problem: This is an interviewer who doesn't know what he's doing. Maybe the person was "roped into being there," says Meehl. "Maybe they just don't know what to do." In a way, it is you who is teaching them how to be an interviewer, she explains.
Solution: Once again, you have to take control of the interview, but in a subtle way. Ask questions about the company and the job to get the ball rolling. Show your portfolio. Keep thinking how you can convey more about you and your skills, and then turn the conversation in that direction.
Remember: You're in Control
Even if you run into one of these three types of interviewers, you have some control over the interview. Clearly communicate the points you want to make about yourself, and make sure those points "stick in their minds," Meehl say.
Lastly, realize the job search is a process, and as such, you need to continue networking. "Keep up your activity level so that this is not your only interview and there are other prospects for you," Meehl advises.
Wednesday, June 23
This Week in Healthcare IT
Health IT Business News Roundup for the Week of June 18, 2010
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
HealthcareFirst, a developer of Web-based clinical and financial software, has acquired software developer Lewis Computer Services for an undisclosed sum.
Castlight Health -- a Software-as-a-Service company that provides consumer information on health care treatment options and costs -- has raised $60 million in its Series C funding round.
Contracts
The New York eHealth Collaborative, a regional health IT extension center for New York state, has selected NextGen Healthcare Information Systems as a preferred EHR vendor for the health care providers it serves.....the NYC Regional Electronic Adoption Center for Health, a regional extension center for New York City, also has designated NextGen as a preferred EHR vendor.
The Minnesota Health Information Exchange has announced plans to offer DrFirst's Rcopia electronic prescribing software on its health care provider portal...Summersville Regional Medical Center in West Virginia has selected Healthcare Management Systems to provide clinical and financial information systems for its inpatient services and physician clinics...Richmond Bone & Joint Clinic in Texas has selected NCR Corporation's MediKiosk self-service patient check-in and payment system.
Product Development and Marketing
SCIOinspire, a provider of business process applications for health plans and hospitals, has announced a partnership to provide its PRO Series software and Just InTime Wellness application to HMC Companies, a provider of health care management services.
Merge Healthcare, a health IT applications provider, recently announced a distribution agreement with Microdata Tecnologia, a Brazilian manufacturer of medical imaging services, to provide Microdata with exclusive access to a Portuguese-language version of Merge's eFilm Workstation medical image viewing software.
Personnel
Carl Dvorak -- executive vice president of health care software provider Epic Systems -- has been elected chair of the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association, a trade association of EHR firms...Charles Jarvis -- vice president of health care services and government relations at EHR vendor NextGen Healthcare Information Systems -- has been elected vice chair of the HIMSS EHR Association.
Mark Goines -- former senior vice president and general manager of the consumer division for Intuit, a provider of consumer financial services software -- has joined the Board of Directors at Practice Fusion, a provider of Web-based EHR services.
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
HealthcareFirst, a developer of Web-based clinical and financial software, has acquired software developer Lewis Computer Services for an undisclosed sum.
Castlight Health -- a Software-as-a-Service company that provides consumer information on health care treatment options and costs -- has raised $60 million in its Series C funding round.
Contracts
The New York eHealth Collaborative, a regional health IT extension center for New York state, has selected NextGen Healthcare Information Systems as a preferred EHR vendor for the health care providers it serves.....the NYC Regional Electronic Adoption Center for Health, a regional extension center for New York City, also has designated NextGen as a preferred EHR vendor.
The Minnesota Health Information Exchange has announced plans to offer DrFirst's Rcopia electronic prescribing software on its health care provider portal...Summersville Regional Medical Center in West Virginia has selected Healthcare Management Systems to provide clinical and financial information systems for its inpatient services and physician clinics...Richmond Bone & Joint Clinic in Texas has selected NCR Corporation's MediKiosk self-service patient check-in and payment system.
Product Development and Marketing
SCIOinspire, a provider of business process applications for health plans and hospitals, has announced a partnership to provide its PRO Series software and Just InTime Wellness application to HMC Companies, a provider of health care management services.
Merge Healthcare, a health IT applications provider, recently announced a distribution agreement with Microdata Tecnologia, a Brazilian manufacturer of medical imaging services, to provide Microdata with exclusive access to a Portuguese-language version of Merge's eFilm Workstation medical image viewing software.
Personnel
Carl Dvorak -- executive vice president of health care software provider Epic Systems -- has been elected chair of the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association, a trade association of EHR firms...Charles Jarvis -- vice president of health care services and government relations at EHR vendor NextGen Healthcare Information Systems -- has been elected vice chair of the HIMSS EHR Association.
Mark Goines -- former senior vice president and general manager of the consumer division for Intuit, a provider of consumer financial services software -- has joined the Board of Directors at Practice Fusion, a provider of Web-based EHR services.
Tuesday, June 22
Ask a Recruiter: What to Wear?
Appropriate interview attire is a vital component of a successful job search. First impressions are important and, right or wrong, the first thing any hiring manager is going to evaluate is how you look. By that, I mean do you look groomed? Professional? Conservative (enough)? If you arrive in a wrinkled suit, with scuffed shoes, reeking of cigarette smoke, you stand a good chance of making a bad impression and in a recovering job market, people are removed from hiring processes for far less every day.
For men, putting together a job interview outfit should be simple. Look neat--your suit should be clean, pressed, it should fit properly and should be complemented by shiny shoes. *And linen, seersucker, pastels, 'coat and tie' are all out of the question here; I don't care where you live. A navy blue, black or gray business suit is the only appropriate option.
For women, it's far more complicated. Obviously, a business suit is required for women as well. Generally, a skirt suit is considered more formal and therefore, more professional--a matter of opinion to be sure, but if you really want the job it's better to be safe than sorry. If you are unwilling, unable or simply entirely too uncomfortable to go the route of the skirt suit, the important thing to remember is that by wearing a pants suit you may be taking a risk. If you are okay with that, go for it. The skirt suit alone doesn't guarantee a great impression, however. It must be an appropriate color (stick with navy, black or gray and don't confuse a 'dress' suit for a business suit). It must be paired with an appropriate top with a modest neckline. And length is vital; nothing below the knee ever. Practice sitting, standing, crossing your legs, observe where the skirt falls/how far it rises. When it doubt, throw it out--a wandering hemline is a huge interview liability. As for the rest of the ensemble, less is generally more--that goes for perfume, make up, jewelry, accessories.
For men, putting together a job interview outfit should be simple. Look neat--your suit should be clean, pressed, it should fit properly and should be complemented by shiny shoes. *And linen, seersucker, pastels, 'coat and tie' are all out of the question here; I don't care where you live. A navy blue, black or gray business suit is the only appropriate option.
For women, it's far more complicated. Obviously, a business suit is required for women as well. Generally, a skirt suit is considered more formal and therefore, more professional--a matter of opinion to be sure, but if you really want the job it's better to be safe than sorry. If you are unwilling, unable or simply entirely too uncomfortable to go the route of the skirt suit, the important thing to remember is that by wearing a pants suit you may be taking a risk. If you are okay with that, go for it. The skirt suit alone doesn't guarantee a great impression, however. It must be an appropriate color (stick with navy, black or gray and don't confuse a 'dress' suit for a business suit). It must be paired with an appropriate top with a modest neckline. And length is vital; nothing below the knee ever. Practice sitting, standing, crossing your legs, observe where the skirt falls/how far it rises. When it doubt, throw it out--a wandering hemline is a huge interview liability. As for the rest of the ensemble, less is generally more--that goes for perfume, make up, jewelry, accessories.
Monday, June 21
Weekly Wisdom: June 21, 2010
Why Your Job Search Is Not All About You
by Kaitlin Madden of CareerBuilder
We all get calls from telemarketers. Their generic, impersonal sales pitches typically yield responses like: "Really? Why would I let you spend 10 minutes telling me about your vacuuming services? I have a vacuum cleaner in the closet." Click.
Chances are you have received this type of call. And chances are you have hung up before you even know what the caller has to offer.
Were the vacuum company to peek in your window for a few hours (creepy -- but go with me here) they'd find out you were a single parent with three kids, two shedding cats and a bad case of seasonal allergies. With this new background information, the call might go something like:
"Hello Ms. Murphy! Since you're so busy you barely have time to vacuum these days, I'll send my professional cleaning service to your home. In addition to saving you time, our filter-equipped vacuums will get rid of the pet hair on your furniture and decrease the amount of airborne allergens in your home!" Since the telemarketer just solved three of your most pestering problems, you're probably more inclined to listen to his or her sales pitch.
Vacuum cleaners and allergies aside, applying to a company without targeting your application to its needs is a lot like making a random courtesy call. Employers aren't going to pay attention to you unless they know what you can do for them.
Solve a problem, land a job
"You have a job for one reason: to solve a company's problem," says Debra Benton, author of "Lions Don't Need To Roar" and "The $100,000 Club." "You do not have a job because you need or want one; that is irrelevant to the marketplace." That means you need to stop focusing on what your strengths are and start focusing on how your strengths can help the company you'd like to work for, Benton suggests.
Putting it all out there -- strategically
Rich Dukas, president and CEO of Dukas Public Relations, says that targeting your cover letter to address the needs of each company you apply to is the only way to get noticed. "Specificity rules," he says. "I am impressed when a candidate spends the time to learn about our firm and tells me in a cover letter and interview how they would directly contribute to our business. Generic cover letters don't cut it."
Using employer-centric language when applying to a position can also help, Benton advises. "Every part of your communication should be them-oriented instead of you-oriented, from the first word in your cover letter," she says. "Instead of writing, 'Dear Mr. Smith, I'm interested in a job at XYZ ...' your letter should start with 'Dear Mr. Smith, You have an exciting position at XYZ that I'm interested in ...'. Just making the first word 'you' versus 'I' is the start of a myriad of ways to be company-oriented."
Tina Chen, director of operations at Carlisle Staffing in Illinois, says today's tough job competition makes it especially necessary to focus your job search on the needs of employers and how you can make their organization a better one. "Employers are no longer just looking for 'qualified candidates' but rather those who will go above and beyond to justify their seat, so job seekers really need to stay ahead of the curve and lay their best assets on the table," Chen says.
The bottom line: Employment is a relationship
Although it is important for your communication with a prospective employer to stress how your skills can meet its needs; employment is ultimately a relationship, and you still need to keep your own interests in mind.
"Take a step back, assess the potential employers that you would like to work for, do your homework and decide if there could be a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Look at it as 'job dating.' In order for the relationship to work, both parties have to bring something to the table," Chen advises.
Kurt Weyerhauser, managing partner at Kensington Stone, an international search firm in California, also compares employment to a long-term relationship. "It's like a marriage of sorts," he says. "Most of us who are married realize that we wouldn't be married if leading up to the wedding it had been all about –'me' or, for that matter, all about my spouse's interests. The key is to understand that while your primary interest is you, it's not your sole interest."
by Kaitlin Madden of CareerBuilder
We all get calls from telemarketers. Their generic, impersonal sales pitches typically yield responses like: "Really? Why would I let you spend 10 minutes telling me about your vacuuming services? I have a vacuum cleaner in the closet." Click.
Chances are you have received this type of call. And chances are you have hung up before you even know what the caller has to offer.
Were the vacuum company to peek in your window for a few hours (creepy -- but go with me here) they'd find out you were a single parent with three kids, two shedding cats and a bad case of seasonal allergies. With this new background information, the call might go something like:
"Hello Ms. Murphy! Since you're so busy you barely have time to vacuum these days, I'll send my professional cleaning service to your home. In addition to saving you time, our filter-equipped vacuums will get rid of the pet hair on your furniture and decrease the amount of airborne allergens in your home!" Since the telemarketer just solved three of your most pestering problems, you're probably more inclined to listen to his or her sales pitch.
Vacuum cleaners and allergies aside, applying to a company without targeting your application to its needs is a lot like making a random courtesy call. Employers aren't going to pay attention to you unless they know what you can do for them.
Solve a problem, land a job
"You have a job for one reason: to solve a company's problem," says Debra Benton, author of "Lions Don't Need To Roar" and "The $100,000 Club." "You do not have a job because you need or want one; that is irrelevant to the marketplace." That means you need to stop focusing on what your strengths are and start focusing on how your strengths can help the company you'd like to work for, Benton suggests.
Putting it all out there -- strategically
Rich Dukas, president and CEO of Dukas Public Relations, says that targeting your cover letter to address the needs of each company you apply to is the only way to get noticed. "Specificity rules," he says. "I am impressed when a candidate spends the time to learn about our firm and tells me in a cover letter and interview how they would directly contribute to our business. Generic cover letters don't cut it."
Using employer-centric language when applying to a position can also help, Benton advises. "Every part of your communication should be them-oriented instead of you-oriented, from the first word in your cover letter," she says. "Instead of writing, 'Dear Mr. Smith, I'm interested in a job at XYZ ...' your letter should start with 'Dear Mr. Smith, You have an exciting position at XYZ that I'm interested in ...'. Just making the first word 'you' versus 'I' is the start of a myriad of ways to be company-oriented."
Tina Chen, director of operations at Carlisle Staffing in Illinois, says today's tough job competition makes it especially necessary to focus your job search on the needs of employers and how you can make their organization a better one. "Employers are no longer just looking for 'qualified candidates' but rather those who will go above and beyond to justify their seat, so job seekers really need to stay ahead of the curve and lay their best assets on the table," Chen says.
The bottom line: Employment is a relationship
Although it is important for your communication with a prospective employer to stress how your skills can meet its needs; employment is ultimately a relationship, and you still need to keep your own interests in mind.
"Take a step back, assess the potential employers that you would like to work for, do your homework and decide if there could be a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Look at it as 'job dating.' In order for the relationship to work, both parties have to bring something to the table," Chen advises.
Kurt Weyerhauser, managing partner at Kensington Stone, an international search firm in California, also compares employment to a long-term relationship. "It's like a marriage of sorts," he says. "Most of us who are married realize that we wouldn't be married if leading up to the wedding it had been all about –'me' or, for that matter, all about my spouse's interests. The key is to understand that while your primary interest is you, it's not your sole interest."
Wednesday, June 16
This Week in Healthcare IT
courtesy, as always, of ihealthbeat.org
Health IT Business News Roundup for the Week of June 11, 2010
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
Halfpenny Technologies, a provider of health information exchange applications, has acquired Laboratory Management Services, a provider of clinical data acquisition and reporting tools for health plans and clinical laboratories, for an undisclosed sum.
Contracts
Picis, a global provider of information tools for acute care settings, has selected Clinical Architecture's Symedical interoperability application...The New York eHealth Collaborative, a regional health IT extension center for New York state, has selected Greenway Medical Technologies as a preferred EHR provider for the health care providers it serves.
IASIS Healthcare plans to implement Wolters Kluwer Health's UpToDate clinical decision support software in its 16 hospitals covering six states...Cook Children's Medical Center in Texas has selected Patient Care Technology Systems' Amelior Tracker system for medical equipment tracking.
University of Buffalo School of Medicine has selected Allscripts' EHR system for its 450 physicians...WakeMed Health & Hospitals in North Carolina has adopted Ingenious Med and Thomson Reuters' Clinical Xpert Billing charge capture application.
Product Development and Marketing
Dell, a computer manufacturer, has entered into a partnership with Practice Fusion, an online EHR provider, to offer a package of hardware, software and online services to doctors in small and mid-sized medical practices...MEDecision, a provider of health care management applications, has entered into a partnership with NaviNet, a health care communications network, to offer patient clinical summaries to health care providers in NaviNet's network.
Allscripts, an EHR vendor, has entered into a partnership with software vendor RemitDATA to market RemitDATA's Reimbursement Pro revenue cycle management software. Softheon, a health care software business provider, has entered into a partnership that will allow Softheon to implement FalconStor Software's data protection applications to create cloud-based data protection tools for the health care industry.
Personnel
Angela Kennedy -- professor and chair of the Health Informatics and Information Management program at Louisiana Tech University -- has been selected to serve as chair of the board for the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education, an accreditation organization for health IT degree programs...Kel Callahan -- former vice president of business development for HIPAAT International, a provider of health IT privacy applications -- has been selected as the firm's president and COO.
Ed Park -- chief technology officer of athenahealth -- has been named executive vice president and COO of the company...Jeremy Delinsky -- senior vice president of athenahealth's athenaNet Intelligence division -- has been named the CTO of the company...Derek Hedges -- senior vice president of business development and product strategy at athenahealth -- has been named senior vice president of corporate development for the company.
John Hoyt -- former leader of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's organizational affiliate program -- has been named executive vice president for organizational services at HIMSS and executive head for HIMSS Analytics...Franklin Baumann -- former medical director at health insurer UnitedHealthcare -- has been appointed chief medical officer of Emdeon, a provider of health care revenue and payment cycle management applications.
Reese Gomez -- senior vice president and owner/partner with Dearborn Advisors, a health IT consulting firm -- has been named managing director and national practice leader of management consulting for maxIT Healthcare, a provider of IT consulting services for health care providers.
Health IT Business News Roundup for the Week of June 11, 2010
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
Halfpenny Technologies, a provider of health information exchange applications, has acquired Laboratory Management Services, a provider of clinical data acquisition and reporting tools for health plans and clinical laboratories, for an undisclosed sum.
Contracts
Picis, a global provider of information tools for acute care settings, has selected Clinical Architecture's Symedical interoperability application...The New York eHealth Collaborative, a regional health IT extension center for New York state, has selected Greenway Medical Technologies as a preferred EHR provider for the health care providers it serves.
IASIS Healthcare plans to implement Wolters Kluwer Health's UpToDate clinical decision support software in its 16 hospitals covering six states...Cook Children's Medical Center in Texas has selected Patient Care Technology Systems' Amelior Tracker system for medical equipment tracking.
University of Buffalo School of Medicine has selected Allscripts' EHR system for its 450 physicians...WakeMed Health & Hospitals in North Carolina has adopted Ingenious Med and Thomson Reuters' Clinical Xpert Billing charge capture application.
Product Development and Marketing
Dell, a computer manufacturer, has entered into a partnership with Practice Fusion, an online EHR provider, to offer a package of hardware, software and online services to doctors in small and mid-sized medical practices...MEDecision, a provider of health care management applications, has entered into a partnership with NaviNet, a health care communications network, to offer patient clinical summaries to health care providers in NaviNet's network.
Allscripts, an EHR vendor, has entered into a partnership with software vendor RemitDATA to market RemitDATA's Reimbursement Pro revenue cycle management software. Softheon, a health care software business provider, has entered into a partnership that will allow Softheon to implement FalconStor Software's data protection applications to create cloud-based data protection tools for the health care industry.
Personnel
Angela Kennedy -- professor and chair of the Health Informatics and Information Management program at Louisiana Tech University -- has been selected to serve as chair of the board for the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education, an accreditation organization for health IT degree programs...Kel Callahan -- former vice president of business development for HIPAAT International, a provider of health IT privacy applications -- has been selected as the firm's president and COO.
Ed Park -- chief technology officer of athenahealth -- has been named executive vice president and COO of the company...Jeremy Delinsky -- senior vice president of athenahealth's athenaNet Intelligence division -- has been named the CTO of the company...Derek Hedges -- senior vice president of business development and product strategy at athenahealth -- has been named senior vice president of corporate development for the company.
John Hoyt -- former leader of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's organizational affiliate program -- has been named executive vice president for organizational services at HIMSS and executive head for HIMSS Analytics...Franklin Baumann -- former medical director at health insurer UnitedHealthcare -- has been appointed chief medical officer of Emdeon, a provider of health care revenue and payment cycle management applications.
Reese Gomez -- senior vice president and owner/partner with Dearborn Advisors, a health IT consulting firm -- has been named managing director and national practice leader of management consulting for maxIT Healthcare, a provider of IT consulting services for health care providers.
Tuesday, June 15
Ask a Recruiter: Background Checks
Do most companies really perform background checks?
Yes.
According to the experts, as many as 80% of all resumes contain data that is intentionally misleading. Today, perhaps more than ever, companies understand that bringing you on board is an investment, and smart business-owners treat your hiring process as such. At any stage in the process, falsified credentials and inconsistent or undisclosed information can, and almost certainly will, crush any hope you had of getting that dream job.
What do we recommend?
Don't lie. It is what it is, so you need to bite the bullet and take your chances. Whether it's a DUI or falling just 4 credits short of your Bachelor's degree, it is imperative that you remain truthful throughout the process. If they like you, it's probably something the hiring managers can work with or overlook--they may not even care--but ONLY if you are open about it. If the truth comes out and it appears that you have purposefully been dishonest about or omitted those details from your application or resume, it doesn't matter how much the hiring managers like you or how seemingly insignificant the details, they can't trust you.
Yes.
According to the experts, as many as 80% of all resumes contain data that is intentionally misleading. Today, perhaps more than ever, companies understand that bringing you on board is an investment, and smart business-owners treat your hiring process as such. At any stage in the process, falsified credentials and inconsistent or undisclosed information can, and almost certainly will, crush any hope you had of getting that dream job.
What do we recommend?
Don't lie. It is what it is, so you need to bite the bullet and take your chances. Whether it's a DUI or falling just 4 credits short of your Bachelor's degree, it is imperative that you remain truthful throughout the process. If they like you, it's probably something the hiring managers can work with or overlook--they may not even care--but ONLY if you are open about it. If the truth comes out and it appears that you have purposefully been dishonest about or omitted those details from your application or resume, it doesn't matter how much the hiring managers like you or how seemingly insignificant the details, they can't trust you.
Monday, June 14
Weekly Wisdom: June 14, 2010
Interview Questions: The Good, The Bad and The Unavoidable...
from www.interviewquestions.com
1. Tell me about yourself.
This is not an invitation to tell your perspective employer how much you weighed at birth or what you did over the weekend. This question is to find out about why you are right for this job. Your answer should be a quick summary of your best qualities and why they are relevant for this position in their organization. Once you have determined your answer, write it down and practice saying it ahead of time. This will make your answer come out more relaxed and natural.
2. What do you know about our company?
You hopefully have done your homework before now, which should have included researching the company thoroughly. You can’t go into an interview not knowing about the company that you are hoping will hire you. The Internet is a wonderful tool for research. Take advantage of all that information and make sure you are up to date on recent articles and accomplishments of this company.
3. What did you like and dislike about your previous job?
Wow! Are you stressing now or what? This is not a trick question. It’s a chance to highlight the positive aspects of your past job. Respond with the good points from your former job that corresponds with the position you are seeking with this new company.
You should give one quick answer to the “dislike” question. Don’t say that there was nothing you disliked about your previous job. If you say that then you will be seen as untruthful, because after all, you are interviewing for a new job! You could say that the previous company was a smaller company and you were looking to be a part of a growing organization to achieve your future goals.
4. Why should we hire you for this position?
Don’t just say, “Because I am the best person suited for this job.” You need to explain that your skills and experience, along with the knowledge of this position will make you the best candidate for the job. Describe what makes you unique and how you can bring those traits to the position to become a valuable employee. Describe some of your previous accomplishments in a similar type job.
5. Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
This question is to find out if you have career goals and if you plan on staying with the company. Sometimes a perspective employer will not want to take the time and money to incorporate you if you will not be staying with the company for long. You should think carefully before answering this question because it could make or break the interview. Describe your goals to become more involved in the organization as you enjoy your work as a new employee. State that you are always open to trying things outside of your job description.
6. Do you prefer to work alone or as a team?
This is to see how well you can work together in the workplace with existing employees. You should say that you definitely are confident enough to take on assignments alone but would fit right in working as a team member. Hearing and considering points of views from others, to make a proper decision, is something that you have enjoyed in previous jobs.
7. What do you consider your weakness?
This should be dealt with briefly enough to state your weakness but more to highlight what you are doing to improve on your weakness. Some might consider being demanding or aggressive to be a weakness, but that could be turned around to highlight the fact that you are a go-getter and like to push forward to make sure tasks are completed on time.
8. What are your strengths?
Pick 2 or 3 of your best strengths and elaborate on them. These could be things like your ability to comprehend new programs and ideas, your positive attitude and how you enjoy working with others to achieve a common goal in the workplace. Give some examples that showcase these qualities.
9. Why did you apply for this job?
A definite answer not to say is that you are applying because you are not happy at your current/previous job. Your research will give you all the information that you need to answer this question. You state that you are looking to advance in this industry and with this organization you feel that can be easily accomplished. Your goals match well with the company. It’s an opportunity to learn and grow in your field.
10. How do you feel about working long hours and weekends?
Surely you won’t answer this question with a bold statement of how you only want to put in your 40-hour workweek and the weekends are out because that’s your party time! The correct way to approach this question is to say that you would be open to working longer hours to achieve a specific goal or important project. Occasional weekends could be arranged if the need should arise. Stress that you strive to get your work done during regular business hours, but understand the occasional need to sacrifice some of your personal time for the betterment of the company.
from www.interviewquestions.com
1. Tell me about yourself.
This is not an invitation to tell your perspective employer how much you weighed at birth or what you did over the weekend. This question is to find out about why you are right for this job. Your answer should be a quick summary of your best qualities and why they are relevant for this position in their organization. Once you have determined your answer, write it down and practice saying it ahead of time. This will make your answer come out more relaxed and natural.
2. What do you know about our company?
You hopefully have done your homework before now, which should have included researching the company thoroughly. You can’t go into an interview not knowing about the company that you are hoping will hire you. The Internet is a wonderful tool for research. Take advantage of all that information and make sure you are up to date on recent articles and accomplishments of this company.
3. What did you like and dislike about your previous job?
Wow! Are you stressing now or what? This is not a trick question. It’s a chance to highlight the positive aspects of your past job. Respond with the good points from your former job that corresponds with the position you are seeking with this new company.
You should give one quick answer to the “dislike” question. Don’t say that there was nothing you disliked about your previous job. If you say that then you will be seen as untruthful, because after all, you are interviewing for a new job! You could say that the previous company was a smaller company and you were looking to be a part of a growing organization to achieve your future goals.
4. Why should we hire you for this position?
Don’t just say, “Because I am the best person suited for this job.” You need to explain that your skills and experience, along with the knowledge of this position will make you the best candidate for the job. Describe what makes you unique and how you can bring those traits to the position to become a valuable employee. Describe some of your previous accomplishments in a similar type job.
5. Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
This question is to find out if you have career goals and if you plan on staying with the company. Sometimes a perspective employer will not want to take the time and money to incorporate you if you will not be staying with the company for long. You should think carefully before answering this question because it could make or break the interview. Describe your goals to become more involved in the organization as you enjoy your work as a new employee. State that you are always open to trying things outside of your job description.
6. Do you prefer to work alone or as a team?
This is to see how well you can work together in the workplace with existing employees. You should say that you definitely are confident enough to take on assignments alone but would fit right in working as a team member. Hearing and considering points of views from others, to make a proper decision, is something that you have enjoyed in previous jobs.
7. What do you consider your weakness?
This should be dealt with briefly enough to state your weakness but more to highlight what you are doing to improve on your weakness. Some might consider being demanding or aggressive to be a weakness, but that could be turned around to highlight the fact that you are a go-getter and like to push forward to make sure tasks are completed on time.
8. What are your strengths?
Pick 2 or 3 of your best strengths and elaborate on them. These could be things like your ability to comprehend new programs and ideas, your positive attitude and how you enjoy working with others to achieve a common goal in the workplace. Give some examples that showcase these qualities.
9. Why did you apply for this job?
A definite answer not to say is that you are applying because you are not happy at your current/previous job. Your research will give you all the information that you need to answer this question. You state that you are looking to advance in this industry and with this organization you feel that can be easily accomplished. Your goals match well with the company. It’s an opportunity to learn and grow in your field.
10. How do you feel about working long hours and weekends?
Surely you won’t answer this question with a bold statement of how you only want to put in your 40-hour workweek and the weekends are out because that’s your party time! The correct way to approach this question is to say that you would be open to working longer hours to achieve a specific goal or important project. Occasional weekends could be arranged if the need should arise. Stress that you strive to get your work done during regular business hours, but understand the occasional need to sacrifice some of your personal time for the betterment of the company.
Friday, June 11
This week in Healthcare IT
And this week's big news...Allscripts and Eclipsys to merge!
Health IT Business News Roundup for the Week of June 4, 2010
Contracts
Caro Community Hospital in Michigan, Cedar County Memorial Hospital in Missouri, and Salem Township Hospital and Washington County Hospital in Illinois have selected NextGen Healthcare's Inpatient Clinicals suite of decision support, order management and documentation applications...St. Croix Regional Medical Center in Wisconsin has selected NextGen Healthcare's Inpatient Clinicals suite, ambulatory EHR and practice management applications.
Minnesota has selected MEDecision's InFrame health information exchange service and Nexalign health care decision support system for a state employee PHR program...The Electronic Health Network, a provider of patient health education and wellness applications, has selected Cisco's Medical Data Exchange system for deployment in its 22 South Carolina locations.
The Veterans Health Administration has awarded IT company Harris an eight-month, $10.9 million contract to help VA adopt new standards related to the HIPAA privacy and security rules...Manatee County in Florida has selected SCIOinspire's PROGuide care management analytics, work flow and outreach software for its county health plans.
Product Development and Marketing
Drugmaker Pfizer has entered into a partnership with Epocrates, a provider of clinical information and decision support tools, to offer health care providers mobile access to the Pfizer Medical Information Group, a resource for product information and adverse event reporting...BridgeHead Software, a provider of health data storage applications, has announced a partnership with data recovery firm SunGard Availability Services, to jointly distribute the Secure2Disk backup and recovery application to health care providers.
Streamline Health Solutions, a provider of document work flow and management applications, has announced an agreement with MRO, a provider of disclosure management applications and services, to market Streamline Health's document work flow and management applications and MRO's release-of-information processing tools.
Personnel
David Nace -- vice president and medical director of health IT firm McKesson --- has been named to the board of directors of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, a coalition of employers, consumers and health care groups that advocate for the medical home model.
Health IT Business News Roundup for the Week of June 4, 2010
Contracts
Caro Community Hospital in Michigan, Cedar County Memorial Hospital in Missouri, and Salem Township Hospital and Washington County Hospital in Illinois have selected NextGen Healthcare's Inpatient Clinicals suite of decision support, order management and documentation applications...St. Croix Regional Medical Center in Wisconsin has selected NextGen Healthcare's Inpatient Clinicals suite, ambulatory EHR and practice management applications.
Minnesota has selected MEDecision's InFrame health information exchange service and Nexalign health care decision support system for a state employee PHR program...The Electronic Health Network, a provider of patient health education and wellness applications, has selected Cisco's Medical Data Exchange system for deployment in its 22 South Carolina locations.
The Veterans Health Administration has awarded IT company Harris an eight-month, $10.9 million contract to help VA adopt new standards related to the HIPAA privacy and security rules...Manatee County in Florida has selected SCIOinspire's PROGuide care management analytics, work flow and outreach software for its county health plans.
Product Development and Marketing
Drugmaker Pfizer has entered into a partnership with Epocrates, a provider of clinical information and decision support tools, to offer health care providers mobile access to the Pfizer Medical Information Group, a resource for product information and adverse event reporting...BridgeHead Software, a provider of health data storage applications, has announced a partnership with data recovery firm SunGard Availability Services, to jointly distribute the Secure2Disk backup and recovery application to health care providers.
Streamline Health Solutions, a provider of document work flow and management applications, has announced an agreement with MRO, a provider of disclosure management applications and services, to market Streamline Health's document work flow and management applications and MRO's release-of-information processing tools.
Personnel
David Nace -- vice president and medical director of health IT firm McKesson --- has been named to the board of directors of the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative, a coalition of employers, consumers and health care groups that advocate for the medical home model.
Thursday, June 10
Ask a recruiter: Compensation Requirements
The question is inevitable; but how and when you answer can easily make or break your next job offer, so what's a savvy job-seeker to do?
It depends on the situation...
It depends on the situation...
- Are you speaking with your recruiter? Be frank. (S)he needs to know what you made last year, what you made your best year, what you expect to make this year and how you expect to make it. A W-2 may be required at some point in the hiring process, so be completely honest.
- Is this your first interview with the company? If you are working with a third party recruiter, the HR team should (a) already have your compensation information and (b) have provided your recruiter with a suitable range that (s)he in turn should have shared with you--or at the very least, confirmed that your requirements are compatible with--before submitting your information to the hiring authority. Therefore, the best way to avoid capping your potential offer or getting yourself kicked out of the process altogether is to answer that you are familiar with the range and that you are comfortable with it.
- Is this your final interview with the company? Is the hiring manager trying to close the deal? If the question is delivered in the context of anything along the lines of "so, what would it take to get you on my team," take a deep breath before you answer; they probably like you and you are probably being considered for an offer, but this is in NO WAY a blank check. If pressed to provide a direct answer, be honest but understand that it is not your next employer's responsibility to subsidize the 30K commission you just decided to walk away from, signing bonuses are rare these days and non-recoverable draws are virtually non-existent. Be fair to yourself but be reasonable; keep in mind that the majority of job changes only result in a marginal base salary increase and if you are asking for more than what seems reasonable, you had better have a good reason to do so and you had better be comfortable talking about it... Does the new job involve a move? More travel? Are you losing benefits? Gaining responsibilities?
- Are you currently underpaid? While it may seem reasonable to expect a single job change to bring you up to market value, that may or may not happen. On the one hand, the company should be fair and offer you what you're technically worth, regardless of what you made at your last company. On the other hand, most employers are not going to jump at the opportunity to subsidize a major standard of living adjustment just because it would appear that you failed to advocate for yourself the last time you got an offer. Do you suspect that they aren't going to make you an offer that's commensurate with where you would like to be? Keep growth opportunities in mind--how soon would you be eligible for a performance-based increase? Are there any bonus opportunities? Finally, if you are underpaid, how did you get that way? Were you hired to do one job and slowly transitioned into another without an appropriate change in compensation? Had you been out of work for 18 months when you took the offer?
Friday, June 4
Weekly Wisdom Preview: June 7, 2010
13 Ways Your Resume Can Say 'I'm Unprofessional'
By Lisa Vaas
Hiring pros share the faux pas they find in real resumes, including wacky e-mail addresses, defunct phone numbers and cookie-cutter templates.
1. Random/cute/shared e-mail accounts
2. Failure to proofread
3. Bikini pictures (or any other kind)
4. Unprofessional voicemail
5. Lazy words, ‛etc.’
6. Cookie-cutter resumes
7. Everything but the kitchen sink
8-13 ad infinitum...
•Listing a spouse as a reference
•Not spelling out the name of an employer or school (“LSU” instead of “Louisiana State University” or “ZDE” instead of “Ziff Davis Enterprise”)
•Not providing a city or state for an employer or school
•Omitting the area code from a phone number for a reference or employer
•Providing only a first name for a supervisor or reference
•Including phone numbers that are no longer in service for references or employers
To the above, the HIT Recruiters would add:
By Lisa Vaas
Hiring pros share the faux pas they find in real resumes, including wacky e-mail addresses, defunct phone numbers and cookie-cutter templates.
1. Random/cute/shared e-mail accounts
2. Failure to proofread
3. Bikini pictures (or any other kind)
4. Unprofessional voicemail
5. Lazy words, ‛etc.’
6. Cookie-cutter resumes
7. Everything but the kitchen sink
8-13 ad infinitum...
•Listing a spouse as a reference
•Not spelling out the name of an employer or school (“LSU” instead of “Louisiana State University” or “ZDE” instead of “Ziff Davis Enterprise”)
•Not providing a city or state for an employer or school
•Omitting the area code from a phone number for a reference or employer
•Providing only a first name for a supervisor or reference
•Including phone numbers that are no longer in service for references or employers
To the above, the HIT Recruiters would add:
- manipulating the margins and reducing font size to stay within an imaginary page limit
- incorrect use or incorrect spelling of industry buzzwords (ex: HIPPA instead of HIPAA)
- including irrelevant personal details like marital status, names and ages of children, personal interests (reading, jogging, squaredancing, spending time with family...)
Wednesday, June 2
This Week in Healthcare IT
courtesy of ihealthbeat.org
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
Healthscreen Solutions, a provider of physician practice services and EHR software, reported a Q2 2010 gross profit of $2,784,623 on $4,069,087 in revenue.
Contracts
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District in California has selected QuadraMed's CPR EHR system and several additional QuadraMed applications...Vermont Information Technology Leaders has selected athenahealth, a provider of Web-based health care business services, as its preferred EHR provider.
St. Luke's Hospital in Minnesota has selected eClinical Works' EHR and integrated practice management systems...Guadalupe County Hospital in New Mexico has announced that it will implement Medsphere's OpenVista EHR system.
Davis County Hospital in Iowa, Paynesville Area Hospital in Minnesota and Renville County Hospital and Clinics in Minnesota have purchased McKesson's Paragon hospital information system, practice management application and EHR software.
Product Development & Marketing
InstyMeds, a vendor of automated physician dispensing systems, has entered into a strategic partnership with DocuTAP, an EHR and practice management application provider, to integrate InstyMed's dispensing system with DocuTAP's prescription order software.
Allscripts, a provider of health care software and connectivity applications, has entered into a partnership with IntrinsiQ to integrate IntrinsiQ's IntelliDose chemotherapy management application with Allscripts' product suite.
Personnel
Eric Demers -- former vice president of operations, North America at Orion Health, a provider of clinical work flow and integration technology -- has been named senior vice president of life sciences at MEDecision, a provider of collaborative health care management applications...Brett Michalak -- former platform developer for Tickets.com -- has been named CIO of Crescent Healthcare, a provider of integrated pharmacy and nursing services at facilities in California and Florida.
Dale Alverson -- medical director at the University of New Mexico's Center for Telehealth and Cybermedicine Research -- has been named president of the American Telemedicine Association, a not-for-profit organization that advocates for telemedicine technology...Eric Rosenbach -- executive director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government -- has been named managing director of national security at the Markle Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that funds policy research and health IT programs.
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
Healthscreen Solutions, a provider of physician practice services and EHR software, reported a Q2 2010 gross profit of $2,784,623 on $4,069,087 in revenue.
Contracts
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District in California has selected QuadraMed's CPR EHR system and several additional QuadraMed applications...Vermont Information Technology Leaders has selected athenahealth, a provider of Web-based health care business services, as its preferred EHR provider.
St. Luke's Hospital in Minnesota has selected eClinical Works' EHR and integrated practice management systems...Guadalupe County Hospital in New Mexico has announced that it will implement Medsphere's OpenVista EHR system.
Davis County Hospital in Iowa, Paynesville Area Hospital in Minnesota and Renville County Hospital and Clinics in Minnesota have purchased McKesson's Paragon hospital information system, practice management application and EHR software.
Product Development & Marketing
InstyMeds, a vendor of automated physician dispensing systems, has entered into a strategic partnership with DocuTAP, an EHR and practice management application provider, to integrate InstyMed's dispensing system with DocuTAP's prescription order software.
Allscripts, a provider of health care software and connectivity applications, has entered into a partnership with IntrinsiQ to integrate IntrinsiQ's IntelliDose chemotherapy management application with Allscripts' product suite.
Personnel
Eric Demers -- former vice president of operations, North America at Orion Health, a provider of clinical work flow and integration technology -- has been named senior vice president of life sciences at MEDecision, a provider of collaborative health care management applications...Brett Michalak -- former platform developer for Tickets.com -- has been named CIO of Crescent Healthcare, a provider of integrated pharmacy and nursing services at facilities in California and Florida.
Dale Alverson -- medical director at the University of New Mexico's Center for Telehealth and Cybermedicine Research -- has been named president of the American Telemedicine Association, a not-for-profit organization that advocates for telemedicine technology...Eric Rosenbach -- executive director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government -- has been named managing director of national security at the Markle Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that funds policy research and health IT programs.
Tuesday, June 1
Ask a Recruiter: The Counteroffer
Don't think this applies to you? Think again--counteroffers are everywhere these days. It's almost always easier and less expensive to keep you on the team (for now) than it is to spend time, effort and money looking for and training your replacement.
At some time in your career, you have probably heard that the most effective way to guarantee that your boss will start looking for your replacement is to accept a counteroffer. It's true.
Here's why:
1. Trust. Think about it--every time you have a dentist appointment, have to leave early to pick the kids up from school or take a vacation day, in the back of your boss's mind, he/she is wondering if you're out on a job interview.
2. Trust continued. If your boss can't trust you, guess who makes the top of the list next time there's a RIF? That's right, you do--especially if your counteroffer involved a significant raise. And if you're offered a severance package, it is almost guaranteed to include a non-compete clause that makes it impossible to seek employment with your company's direct competitors.
3. Fact: According to the National Employment Association, 80% of the people who accept counteroffers are no longer with the company 6 months later.
4. A counteroffer is a temporary fix; not a long term solution. Why did you decide to pursue opportunities outside of your organization in the first place? Better hours? Company culture? Shorter commute? Upward mobility? It is unlikely that a counteroffer will fully and specifically address the concern that originally led you to look. Once the temporary excitement of being 'needed' wears off; once you realize that your big raise only works out to an extra $50 per week after taxes and insurance and that doesn't seem like such a great trade off anymore, you are inevitably back to square one.
5. An attractive counteroffer means that your company only values you to the degree required to keep you from leaving. If you are worth 120K today, why weren't you worth 120K a year ago, when you started, or when you asked for a raise two months ago? A company that is clearly only interested in paying you as little as it can get away with may not be the sort of company you want to be a part of for the long term. Obviously, you can do better.
At some time in your career, you have probably heard that the most effective way to guarantee that your boss will start looking for your replacement is to accept a counteroffer. It's true.
Here's why:
1. Trust. Think about it--every time you have a dentist appointment, have to leave early to pick the kids up from school or take a vacation day, in the back of your boss's mind, he/she is wondering if you're out on a job interview.
2. Trust continued. If your boss can't trust you, guess who makes the top of the list next time there's a RIF? That's right, you do--especially if your counteroffer involved a significant raise. And if you're offered a severance package, it is almost guaranteed to include a non-compete clause that makes it impossible to seek employment with your company's direct competitors.
3. Fact: According to the National Employment Association, 80% of the people who accept counteroffers are no longer with the company 6 months later.
4. A counteroffer is a temporary fix; not a long term solution. Why did you decide to pursue opportunities outside of your organization in the first place? Better hours? Company culture? Shorter commute? Upward mobility? It is unlikely that a counteroffer will fully and specifically address the concern that originally led you to look. Once the temporary excitement of being 'needed' wears off; once you realize that your big raise only works out to an extra $50 per week after taxes and insurance and that doesn't seem like such a great trade off anymore, you are inevitably back to square one.
5. An attractive counteroffer means that your company only values you to the degree required to keep you from leaving. If you are worth 120K today, why weren't you worth 120K a year ago, when you started, or when you asked for a raise two months ago? A company that is clearly only interested in paying you as little as it can get away with may not be the sort of company you want to be a part of for the long term. Obviously, you can do better.
Weekly Wisdom-May 31, 2010
In a recovering job market, there are companies that will take advantage of an out of work professional (or a current employee trying to keep his/her job); and there are professionals who are eager to return to work (or keep his/her job) at any cost, including a significant pay cut. If you find yourself in that situation, keep reading...
Three Ways to Recover from a Blown Salary Negotiation
By Dona DeZube, Monster Finance Careers Expert
You lowballed yourself during your salary negotiation and now your paycheck is smaller than you'd like. In some cases, you can go back and ask for a higher salary without jeopardizing your job, experts say.
Of course, the best time for negotiating salary is before you accept the job offer. Asking for more soon after you're hired is not without risk.
"Going back to renegotiate areas about which you have already agreed does have the risk of making you look like someone who doesn't honor your agreements," says Janet Civitelli, PhD, a workplace psychologist and career coach in Houston. "It can leave a bad taste in the mouth of the hiring manager and launch your relationship with your new boss on a sour note."
Instead of asking for more money, consider negotiating compensation and benefits not addressed in the initial round, such as a signing bonus, more vacation time, tuition reimbursement, professional memberships or a flexible schedule.
"This way, your total compensation package goes up and your reputation remains intact," Civitelli says.
Still want to go for it? Try one of these three negotiation strategies:
Argue Pay Parity
Sometimes you don't realize you should be earning more until you find out what your coworkers are getting. That's what happened to Ashley Baxter, a Texas marketing professional who found a male coworker was getting $10,000 more for doing less.
"I put my resume on the market and received a job offer from another company," she says. "I then went to my employer and let them know that I felt slighted by the way they treated my salary negotiation and did not appreciate being monetarily undervalued in comparison to my coworker who did less work."
She got an immediate 8 percent raise, but her relationship with her boss changed. "He became reluctant to approach me about everyday tasks and avoided emailing or talking to me unless it was absolutely necessary," Baxter says.
Three months later, she left for a job offering a better salary and benefits package. "I'm very glad I went through the experience, as it has given me the confidence to not be afraid of asking for what I deserve in business situations."
If you find out you're being underpaid compared with coworkers, try this line, says Michael Schatzki, a negotiation trainer and principal of Negotiation Dynamics in Far Hills, New Jersey: "You convinced me that this is all you could pay, and it turns out everyone is making $X more than me even though they have less experience. Can you explain to me what's going on?"
That statement will back the boss into a corner, so help him back out by saying, "I understand you were probably under pressure, but we need to fix this, right? We need to have equity, right?"
Have suggestions ready, such as a new title or a new area of responsibility that will bring you to where you should be financially while staying within company salary bands.
Get a Competing Offer
Using a competing offer to increase your current salary is a wonderful, but tricky strategy because nobody likes being threatened, says Lee Miller, author of Get More Money on Your Next Job…In Any Economy.
"Be nonthreatening, nice and positive and yet let them know that you know you're below market," he says.
A good line for this tactic comes from Richard Deems, PhD, coauthor of Make Job Loss Work for You: Get Over It and Get Your Career Back on Track: "I realized that this job is paying well under the market for what I do, and it's my fault for not asking for more going in. I have another job offer, but I don't want to take it because I love it here and working here is right for my career. In light of where the market is, can you adjust the salary to bring it more in line with the market?"
Don't have a competing offer? Don't lie and say you do. Use this line instead: "I have been talking to other professionals in this same position and they say the going rate is $X."
Blame It on the Cost of Living
If you're relocating, blame the high cost of living in the local market, says Dianne Durkin, president of Loyalty Factor, a corporate consulting and training firm in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Try this line: "After a more careful scrutiny of local financials, I underestimated the cost of living. Would it be possible for me to accept the position at X dollars?" And X should be no more than 10 percent higher than the original offer, Durkin says.
Not all companies will accept this strategy, so consider carefully whether it's worth pursuing, she adds.
Keep Looking
If you try one of these tactics and it doesn't work, be on guard. Work extra hard to repair any damage you may have done to your relationship with your new boss. Keep your resume updated, your network fired up and continue to seek better-paying opportunities.
**Editorial note: any recruiter worth his/her salt will caution you not to accept a counteroffer from your current employer or use a job search as a bargaining chip--ask for compensation comensurate to your peers or your position, but if you want to keep your job, don't barge into your boss's office with an offer from your company's top competitor with the expectation that your honesty will be rewarded with a blank check.
Three Ways to Recover from a Blown Salary Negotiation
By Dona DeZube, Monster Finance Careers Expert
You lowballed yourself during your salary negotiation and now your paycheck is smaller than you'd like. In some cases, you can go back and ask for a higher salary without jeopardizing your job, experts say.
Of course, the best time for negotiating salary is before you accept the job offer. Asking for more soon after you're hired is not without risk.
"Going back to renegotiate areas about which you have already agreed does have the risk of making you look like someone who doesn't honor your agreements," says Janet Civitelli, PhD, a workplace psychologist and career coach in Houston. "It can leave a bad taste in the mouth of the hiring manager and launch your relationship with your new boss on a sour note."
Instead of asking for more money, consider negotiating compensation and benefits not addressed in the initial round, such as a signing bonus, more vacation time, tuition reimbursement, professional memberships or a flexible schedule.
"This way, your total compensation package goes up and your reputation remains intact," Civitelli says.
Still want to go for it? Try one of these three negotiation strategies:
Argue Pay Parity
Sometimes you don't realize you should be earning more until you find out what your coworkers are getting. That's what happened to Ashley Baxter, a Texas marketing professional who found a male coworker was getting $10,000 more for doing less.
"I put my resume on the market and received a job offer from another company," she says. "I then went to my employer and let them know that I felt slighted by the way they treated my salary negotiation and did not appreciate being monetarily undervalued in comparison to my coworker who did less work."
She got an immediate 8 percent raise, but her relationship with her boss changed. "He became reluctant to approach me about everyday tasks and avoided emailing or talking to me unless it was absolutely necessary," Baxter says.
Three months later, she left for a job offering a better salary and benefits package. "I'm very glad I went through the experience, as it has given me the confidence to not be afraid of asking for what I deserve in business situations."
If you find out you're being underpaid compared with coworkers, try this line, says Michael Schatzki, a negotiation trainer and principal of Negotiation Dynamics in Far Hills, New Jersey: "You convinced me that this is all you could pay, and it turns out everyone is making $X more than me even though they have less experience. Can you explain to me what's going on?"
That statement will back the boss into a corner, so help him back out by saying, "I understand you were probably under pressure, but we need to fix this, right? We need to have equity, right?"
Have suggestions ready, such as a new title or a new area of responsibility that will bring you to where you should be financially while staying within company salary bands.
Get a Competing Offer
Using a competing offer to increase your current salary is a wonderful, but tricky strategy because nobody likes being threatened, says Lee Miller, author of Get More Money on Your Next Job…In Any Economy.
"Be nonthreatening, nice and positive and yet let them know that you know you're below market," he says.
A good line for this tactic comes from Richard Deems, PhD, coauthor of Make Job Loss Work for You: Get Over It and Get Your Career Back on Track: "I realized that this job is paying well under the market for what I do, and it's my fault for not asking for more going in. I have another job offer, but I don't want to take it because I love it here and working here is right for my career. In light of where the market is, can you adjust the salary to bring it more in line with the market?"
Don't have a competing offer? Don't lie and say you do. Use this line instead: "I have been talking to other professionals in this same position and they say the going rate is $X."
Blame It on the Cost of Living
If you're relocating, blame the high cost of living in the local market, says Dianne Durkin, president of Loyalty Factor, a corporate consulting and training firm in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Try this line: "After a more careful scrutiny of local financials, I underestimated the cost of living. Would it be possible for me to accept the position at X dollars?" And X should be no more than 10 percent higher than the original offer, Durkin says.
Not all companies will accept this strategy, so consider carefully whether it's worth pursuing, she adds.
Keep Looking
If you try one of these tactics and it doesn't work, be on guard. Work extra hard to repair any damage you may have done to your relationship with your new boss. Keep your resume updated, your network fired up and continue to seek better-paying opportunities.
**Editorial note: any recruiter worth his/her salt will caution you not to accept a counteroffer from your current employer or use a job search as a bargaining chip--ask for compensation comensurate to your peers or your position, but if you want to keep your job, don't barge into your boss's office with an offer from your company's top competitor with the expectation that your honesty will be rewarded with a blank check.
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