By Jeff Rowe, Editor (original article found here)
Needless to say, the answer to the above question is “No”, but an interesting graphic choice on the title page of a recent report from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) unwittingly makes a good point.
In short, state HIT efforts currently underway across the country come in many shapes and sizes, and, as this blurb puts it, “it can be overwhelming to encapsulate how these ventures are related and what people and organizations are in charge of them.”
Making sense of the state-by-state array of ventures is the goal of the 2010 State Health IT Initiatives, the fourth such compendium that “outlines where state health IT initiatives stand and draws attention to the role of the state CIO in these efforts.”
From Alabama to Wyoming, readers are provided with a snapshot of how each state is approaching HIE development. As the report’s introduction points out, “ A statewide HIEs key objective is to provide an enterprise-wide architecture that will be secure, efficient, and interoperable for the exchange of information amongst all stakeholders. The state CIOs recognize that there is no better opportunity than now for carrying out these goals.”
Those goals, however, are where much of the similarity ends between the programs, for as quickly becomes clear there are apparently, well, at least 50 different approaches to structuring an effective HIE.
Alabama’s HIE, for example, has a 23-member governing Commission and includes the involvement of several state agencies. In Iowa, on the other hand, a 9-member Executive Committee calls the shots and the operation is housed entirely within the Iowa Department of Public Health.
It seems reasonable to suggest that, at some point, a certain level of uniformity will help tie the HIEs together, but for the time being the states are clearly focusing on figuring out what works for their own healthcare sectors.
We’ve referred before to Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis’ vision, articulated in a speech in 1932, of the states as “laboratories of democracy.” When it comes to building HIEs, the 2010 NASCIO report gives readers a good look at how those laboratories are doing.
Wednesday, July 28
This Week in Healthcare IT
courtesy of ihealthbeat.org
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Ingenix plans to acquire Picis, a maker of clinical health IT systems, for an undisclosed amount.
Contracts
MedWest Health System of North Carolina has selected Allscripts' EHR and practice management software; Erie County Medical Center in New York and Centra, a hospital system in central Virginia, also have selected Allscripts' EHR system.
Vohra Wound Physicians, a national network of physicians, has selected athenahealth's revenue cycle management services; Capella Healthcare, a hospital system operating in seven states, has selected an EHR service from athenahealth.
The Jersey City Medical Center has selected a Web-based diagnosis tool by Isabel Healthcare to help physicians make patient diagnoses...Saint Luke's Health System -- which operates hospitals in Kansas and Missouri -- has chosen services by CapSite to improve its capital expenditure process.
Health care payer and provider HealthPartners has selected Diversinet's MobiSecure Health platform to expand mobile offerings to subscribers...Kingman Regional Medical Center in Arizona has selected Surgical Information Systems' integrated perioperative information management system.
Primary Wound Care Specialists in Florida has selected ExpressMD Solutions' Electronic House Call patient monitoring program...Akron General Health System has chosen to deploy at four emergency departments in Ohio a subscription health information service by My LifePlan…the Individual Practice Association Medical Group of Santa Clara County in California has selected several Health Access Solutions applications to help the network establish care coordination platforms.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has signed a five-year contract with Thomson Reuters for a health care reporting system containing the names of 1.8 million beneficiaries...The University of Michigan Health System has selected Epic Systems' suite of ambulatory and inpatient information systems.
Product Development and Marketing
Tenet Healthcare has selected MEDHOST to help distribute its Care Clock software at multiple facilities across the U.S....HealthStream, a learning and research applications provider for the health care industry, has entered into a partnership with the American Nurses Association to expand the offering and update the delivery of HealthStream's online continuing education services.
CIGNA, a health services firm, has partnered with HealthCompare, an online health insurance comparison portal, to develop an online research guide for health insurance plans...Target Health and LifeOnKey have entered into a partnership that consolidates their electronic clinical tools and EHR software…The American Osteopathic Association and HealthFusion, a provider of EHR and practice management services, have partnered to promote EHR use among AOA's member physicians.
Personnel
Kevin Friedman -- former U.S. Naval officer and aviation medicine physician -- has been named medical director of the Telemedicine Consulting Network, an organization of health care workers dedicated to promoting telehealth technology...Matthew Swindells -- former group managing director of health at Tribal Group, a provider of public sector services -- has been named a senior executive at health IT vendor Cerner's Global organization.
Sarah Bloom -- director of field operations at the corporate office of HCA Midwest, a health care provider in Kansas City, Mo. -- has been named the organization's CIO...Joyce Sensmeier -- vice president for Informatics at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society -- has been recognized as a fellow with the American Academy of Nursing...Deborah Leyva -- a health industry expert -- has been appointed clinical solutions executive at medical device data integration and interoperability program provider Nuvon.
Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2010/7/23/health-it-business-news-roundup-for-the-week-of-july-23-2010.aspx#ixzz0v0l4URgi
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Ingenix plans to acquire Picis, a maker of clinical health IT systems, for an undisclosed amount.
Contracts
MedWest Health System of North Carolina has selected Allscripts' EHR and practice management software; Erie County Medical Center in New York and Centra, a hospital system in central Virginia, also have selected Allscripts' EHR system.
Vohra Wound Physicians, a national network of physicians, has selected athenahealth's revenue cycle management services; Capella Healthcare, a hospital system operating in seven states, has selected an EHR service from athenahealth.
The Jersey City Medical Center has selected a Web-based diagnosis tool by Isabel Healthcare to help physicians make patient diagnoses...Saint Luke's Health System -- which operates hospitals in Kansas and Missouri -- has chosen services by CapSite to improve its capital expenditure process.
Health care payer and provider HealthPartners has selected Diversinet's MobiSecure Health platform to expand mobile offerings to subscribers...Kingman Regional Medical Center in Arizona has selected Surgical Information Systems' integrated perioperative information management system.
Primary Wound Care Specialists in Florida has selected ExpressMD Solutions' Electronic House Call patient monitoring program...Akron General Health System has chosen to deploy at four emergency departments in Ohio a subscription health information service by My LifePlan…the Individual Practice Association Medical Group of Santa Clara County in California has selected several Health Access Solutions applications to help the network establish care coordination platforms.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has signed a five-year contract with Thomson Reuters for a health care reporting system containing the names of 1.8 million beneficiaries...The University of Michigan Health System has selected Epic Systems' suite of ambulatory and inpatient information systems.
Product Development and Marketing
Tenet Healthcare has selected MEDHOST to help distribute its Care Clock software at multiple facilities across the U.S....HealthStream, a learning and research applications provider for the health care industry, has entered into a partnership with the American Nurses Association to expand the offering and update the delivery of HealthStream's online continuing education services.
CIGNA, a health services firm, has partnered with HealthCompare, an online health insurance comparison portal, to develop an online research guide for health insurance plans...Target Health and LifeOnKey have entered into a partnership that consolidates their electronic clinical tools and EHR software…The American Osteopathic Association and HealthFusion, a provider of EHR and practice management services, have partnered to promote EHR use among AOA's member physicians.
Personnel
Kevin Friedman -- former U.S. Naval officer and aviation medicine physician -- has been named medical director of the Telemedicine Consulting Network, an organization of health care workers dedicated to promoting telehealth technology...Matthew Swindells -- former group managing director of health at Tribal Group, a provider of public sector services -- has been named a senior executive at health IT vendor Cerner's Global organization.
Sarah Bloom -- director of field operations at the corporate office of HCA Midwest, a health care provider in Kansas City, Mo. -- has been named the organization's CIO...Joyce Sensmeier -- vice president for Informatics at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society -- has been recognized as a fellow with the American Academy of Nursing...Deborah Leyva -- a health industry expert -- has been appointed clinical solutions executive at medical device data integration and interoperability program provider Nuvon.
Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2010/7/23/health-it-business-news-roundup-for-the-week-of-july-23-2010.aspx#ixzz0v0l4URgi
Tuesday, July 27
Ask a Recruiter: Murphy's Law
Q: I’m traveling for a face to face interview—what can I do to ensure a worry-free trip?
A: It’s an interview, so good luck with the not worrying part, but I always recommend that candidates plan for the worst case scenario. Remember Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong (especially if you really, really, really want the job).
So, protect yourself:
► Make sure you leave your house with the appropriate identification, at least one credit card and cash (yes, even if they’re paying for everything).
► Bring copies of your resume—one for each person on your itinerary and extras just in case—and the directions/map, meeting agenda and emergency contact info provided by the company.
► Double and triple check that you have your phone and its charger, laptop and USB flash drive (if you need it) and any presentation materials. For further insurance, email any presentation materials and your resume to yourself as a backup.
► Never, ever check your luggage if you can avoid it.
► Arrange for one, but assume you won’t get a wake-up call. Set the in-room alarm and the alarm on your phone.
► Contact lens wearers? Bring your glasses.
► Packing pantyhose, ladies? Better bring two pairs just in case.
Don’t be caught unprepared—as the expression goes, you’re better safe than sorry!
A: It’s an interview, so good luck with the not worrying part, but I always recommend that candidates plan for the worst case scenario. Remember Murphy’s Law: anything that can go wrong will go wrong (especially if you really, really, really want the job).
So, protect yourself:
► Make sure you leave your house with the appropriate identification, at least one credit card and cash (yes, even if they’re paying for everything).
► Bring copies of your resume—one for each person on your itinerary and extras just in case—and the directions/map, meeting agenda and emergency contact info provided by the company.
► Double and triple check that you have your phone and its charger, laptop and USB flash drive (if you need it) and any presentation materials. For further insurance, email any presentation materials and your resume to yourself as a backup.
► Never, ever check your luggage if you can avoid it.
► Arrange for one, but assume you won’t get a wake-up call. Set the in-room alarm and the alarm on your phone.
► Contact lens wearers? Bring your glasses.
► Packing pantyhose, ladies? Better bring two pairs just in case.
Don’t be caught unprepared—as the expression goes, you’re better safe than sorry!
Monday, July 26
Weekly Wisdom: July 26, 2010
A Move Down the Job Ladder Might Give You a Leg Up
Whether you’ve taken a less-senior position or started serving coffee to pay the bills, you can create the impression of career progress.
By Debra Donston-Miller
We like to consider our careers a progression. And a progression only knows one direction.
What happens when you have to make a career move that feels like a step sideways, backward or down? Will your next employeer recognize the change in direction? Will progress, once stopped, cease to restart?
If the stories of hundreds of job seekers and career experts are to be believed, such a move might feel like retreat, but it’s all part of a modern career path that involves sidings and tangents but ultimately represents progress. Taking a less-senior position won't necessarily derail your career, as long as you are smart about how you present the experience — and the reasons for it — to prospective employers.
“The key is to make ‘lesser positions’ sound interesting and worthwhile to future employers," said Nacie Carson, a career-development specialist who focuses on career transition. Regardless of the job, you can create the impression of progress, she said. “Unemployed individuals can spend their time doing absolutely anything as long as they can explain to someone else how it gave them new skills and justify how the experience helped them grow," she said. "Employers at all levels want to see people using their time well, not just waiting for the next best thing."
People who are actively engaged in the workforce — even in a position that may not be their first choice — will usually be more appealing to employers, especially when interviewing for the kind of job that will right the career ship, said Dianne Durkin, founder and president of the Loyalty Factor, a consulting and training firm.
"Learning opportunities are everywhere, and it is important to continue to move forward even when you are looking for the perfect career move," Durkin said. "While working even in less senior positions, your brain maintains growth and focus, both of which are important in growing your career. You may learn skills that you would not have the opportunity to learn in your desired position. There are always learning opportunities in every environment."
Bud Whitehouse agreed, saying it's a matter of marketing. "When you come down to it, what you're marketing in the job search is not your last job; it's the package of skills that you bring to solve somebody's problem, said Whitehouse, the director of Career Management of Virginia and a career coach for nearly 20 years. "Interviewing is an art, and what it really comes down to is your mindset."
Debra Yergen, author of the "Creating Job Security Resource Guide," said taking a step down can work to your advantage if you use the trends you observe to give you a fresh take on a company, an industry, or how employees are thinking and behaving today. "In an interview, it's important to let a future employer know that while you may have taken the position to keep the lights on, it was invaluable to your career because of what you learned," Yergen said. "Share something you observed and how it changed your thinking and ultimately made you a better senior-level manager. Relate your newfound understanding in a way that can benefit a future employer, especially if your 'step backward' gives you a significant leap forward in better connecting with future staff."
Serving coffee in the morning, interviewing in the afternoon
There may be value in taking a less-senior position; that doesn't mean it will be easy to get one, especially in the same industry in which you have been working. Many hiring managers are leery of hiring an overqualified candidate, for fear the person will leave at the first opportunity.
Kimberly Bishop, an executive recruiter and career-management expert, said it's very important to be proactive at all points in the job search: On your resume, address why you are seeking a less-senior position, and during the interview, create a positive message about your experiences. If you don't address the elephant in the room up front, Bishop said, people will form their own — potentially negative — assumptions.
With that said, Bishop acknowledged that shifts in industry and the current economy have changed perceptions about resume gaps and frequent job changes.
This is something that Cynthia E. Kazalia, placement specialist at New Directions Career Center, has seen many times. "This shift, undoubtedly prompted by this challenging economy, has softened long-held, fiercely guarded tenets," she said. "Recruiters and human-resource professionals seem to understand the basic need to survive and applaud efforts to do so. I think this is, perhaps, because few families have emerged unscathed by the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It has served as a great equalizer between rich and poor, young and old. Quality candidates now serve morning coffee at Starbucks, then transform themselves for an afternoon interview within their field of expertise."
Kazalia said she believes employers will ultimately benefit from these detours taken by senior management. "While the job seekers may shed their survival jobs as employment opportunities in corporate America expand, it will be virtually impossible to let go of the life lessons learned on the road less travelled. These individuals will return to their more familiar roles with a deeper understanding of life and a better awareness of their fellow human beings."
Whether you’ve taken a less-senior position or started serving coffee to pay the bills, you can create the impression of career progress.
By Debra Donston-Miller
We like to consider our careers a progression. And a progression only knows one direction.
What happens when you have to make a career move that feels like a step sideways, backward or down? Will your next employeer recognize the change in direction? Will progress, once stopped, cease to restart?
If the stories of hundreds of job seekers and career experts are to be believed, such a move might feel like retreat, but it’s all part of a modern career path that involves sidings and tangents but ultimately represents progress. Taking a less-senior position won't necessarily derail your career, as long as you are smart about how you present the experience — and the reasons for it — to prospective employers.
“The key is to make ‘lesser positions’ sound interesting and worthwhile to future employers," said Nacie Carson, a career-development specialist who focuses on career transition. Regardless of the job, you can create the impression of progress, she said. “Unemployed individuals can spend their time doing absolutely anything as long as they can explain to someone else how it gave them new skills and justify how the experience helped them grow," she said. "Employers at all levels want to see people using their time well, not just waiting for the next best thing."
People who are actively engaged in the workforce — even in a position that may not be their first choice — will usually be more appealing to employers, especially when interviewing for the kind of job that will right the career ship, said Dianne Durkin, founder and president of the Loyalty Factor, a consulting and training firm.
"Learning opportunities are everywhere, and it is important to continue to move forward even when you are looking for the perfect career move," Durkin said. "While working even in less senior positions, your brain maintains growth and focus, both of which are important in growing your career. You may learn skills that you would not have the opportunity to learn in your desired position. There are always learning opportunities in every environment."
Bud Whitehouse agreed, saying it's a matter of marketing. "When you come down to it, what you're marketing in the job search is not your last job; it's the package of skills that you bring to solve somebody's problem, said Whitehouse, the director of Career Management of Virginia and a career coach for nearly 20 years. "Interviewing is an art, and what it really comes down to is your mindset."
Debra Yergen, author of the "Creating Job Security Resource Guide," said taking a step down can work to your advantage if you use the trends you observe to give you a fresh take on a company, an industry, or how employees are thinking and behaving today. "In an interview, it's important to let a future employer know that while you may have taken the position to keep the lights on, it was invaluable to your career because of what you learned," Yergen said. "Share something you observed and how it changed your thinking and ultimately made you a better senior-level manager. Relate your newfound understanding in a way that can benefit a future employer, especially if your 'step backward' gives you a significant leap forward in better connecting with future staff."
Serving coffee in the morning, interviewing in the afternoon
There may be value in taking a less-senior position; that doesn't mean it will be easy to get one, especially in the same industry in which you have been working. Many hiring managers are leery of hiring an overqualified candidate, for fear the person will leave at the first opportunity.
Kimberly Bishop, an executive recruiter and career-management expert, said it's very important to be proactive at all points in the job search: On your resume, address why you are seeking a less-senior position, and during the interview, create a positive message about your experiences. If you don't address the elephant in the room up front, Bishop said, people will form their own — potentially negative — assumptions.
With that said, Bishop acknowledged that shifts in industry and the current economy have changed perceptions about resume gaps and frequent job changes.
This is something that Cynthia E. Kazalia, placement specialist at New Directions Career Center, has seen many times. "This shift, undoubtedly prompted by this challenging economy, has softened long-held, fiercely guarded tenets," she said. "Recruiters and human-resource professionals seem to understand the basic need to survive and applaud efforts to do so. I think this is, perhaps, because few families have emerged unscathed by the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It has served as a great equalizer between rich and poor, young and old. Quality candidates now serve morning coffee at Starbucks, then transform themselves for an afternoon interview within their field of expertise."
Kazalia said she believes employers will ultimately benefit from these detours taken by senior management. "While the job seekers may shed their survival jobs as employment opportunities in corporate America expand, it will be virtually impossible to let go of the life lessons learned on the road less travelled. These individuals will return to their more familiar roles with a deeper understanding of life and a better awareness of their fellow human beings."
Thursday, July 22
This Week in Healthcare IT
www.ihealthbeat.org
Contracts
Christ Hospital in New Jersey has selected ITelagen to provide it with electronic health records as part of a back-office suite of health IT applications...Central Penn Management Group, a management services organization in Pennsylvania, has selected Allscripts' EHR for its affiliated group Physicians Alliance Limited.
Lehigh Valley Respiratory Care, an oxygen and medical equipment company in Pennsylvania, has selected Authentidate Holding's Inscrybe Healthcare service to allow physicians to process care orders electronically…Westbury Hospital in Houston is implementing Prognosis Health Information Systems' EHR system...The Iowa Health IT Regional Extension Center has selected Greenway Medical Technologies' PrimeSuite integrated EHR and practice management system.
Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital in West Virginia has selected Eclipsys' Sunrise Enterprise suite of clinical and revenue cycle programs, as well as Eclipsys' Enterprise Performance Management application suite...Sharp HealthCare in San Diego has selected the Allscripts' Allscripts Community Record EHR to provide connectivity across its facilities...Millennium Pharmaceuticals: The Takeda Oncology Company in Massachusetts has selected HumanConcepts' OrgPlus work force decision support software.
Product Development and Marketing
Imaging company Kodak has partnered with MedCo Data, a health care office technology provider, to establish a scanning application for converting paper-based patient charts into electronic data for the MedCo Data Vault...StoneRiver Pharmacy Solutions, a prescription billing services provider, has entered into a partnership with out-of-network specialist Progressive Medical to create a combined electronic service that would identify payers for out-of-network pharmacy benefits.
Axolotl, a provider of browser-based products and services for secure health information exchange, has partnered with Anakam, a provider of security technologies, to provide a secure user authentication platform for the Santa Cruz Health Information Exchange...Medrium, a provider of independent medical health IT tools, has partnered with Thomson Reuters to incorporate Thomson Reuters' Micromedex evidence-based medication information into Medrium's newly released EHR.
Health IT provider TriZetto Group has entered into a partnership with professors A. Mark Fendrick and Michael Chernew of the Value-Based Insurance Design Institute to integrate chronic-condition templates into TriZetto's value-based benefits application...Advanced Medical Pricing Solutions, a provider of medical billing verification, and cost-containment firm TC3 Health have entered into a partnership to provide insurers with more offerings for hospital billing applications.
Michigan Avenue Immediate Care in Chicago has joined with Healthagen, a developer of health IT software, to offer the iTriage smartphone application, which provides users with medical resources and specific facility information…Indiana University's Pervasive Technology Institute, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and Cook Medical have entered into a partnership to create i2iconnect.org, an online service linking investors and technology transfer professionals with firms looking to develop health care innovations.
CMS Telehealth, a provider of telehealth services, has entered into a partnership, allowing it to market MedApps' Mobile Health Monitoring System in New York and New Jersey … Henry Schein Medical Systems, a provider of practice management and EHR tools, has joined as a participating vendor in the AmericanEHR Partners Program, an online tool allowing physicians to compare EHR choices.
Personnel
Trace Devanny -- president of health IT firm Cerner -- has been selected for a new position as CEO of TriZetto Group, a provider of integrated care management applications; Cerner chair and CEO Neal Patterson will take on an additional title as president of the company following Devanny's departure.
Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2010/7/16/health-it-business-news-roundup-for-the-week-of-july-16-2010.aspx#ixzz0uPkqyUMR
Contracts
Christ Hospital in New Jersey has selected ITelagen to provide it with electronic health records as part of a back-office suite of health IT applications...Central Penn Management Group, a management services organization in Pennsylvania, has selected Allscripts' EHR for its affiliated group Physicians Alliance Limited.
Lehigh Valley Respiratory Care, an oxygen and medical equipment company in Pennsylvania, has selected Authentidate Holding's Inscrybe Healthcare service to allow physicians to process care orders electronically…Westbury Hospital in Houston is implementing Prognosis Health Information Systems' EHR system...The Iowa Health IT Regional Extension Center has selected Greenway Medical Technologies' PrimeSuite integrated EHR and practice management system.
Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital in West Virginia has selected Eclipsys' Sunrise Enterprise suite of clinical and revenue cycle programs, as well as Eclipsys' Enterprise Performance Management application suite...Sharp HealthCare in San Diego has selected the Allscripts' Allscripts Community Record EHR to provide connectivity across its facilities...Millennium Pharmaceuticals: The Takeda Oncology Company in Massachusetts has selected HumanConcepts' OrgPlus work force decision support software.
Product Development and Marketing
Imaging company Kodak has partnered with MedCo Data, a health care office technology provider, to establish a scanning application for converting paper-based patient charts into electronic data for the MedCo Data Vault...StoneRiver Pharmacy Solutions, a prescription billing services provider, has entered into a partnership with out-of-network specialist Progressive Medical to create a combined electronic service that would identify payers for out-of-network pharmacy benefits.
Axolotl, a provider of browser-based products and services for secure health information exchange, has partnered with Anakam, a provider of security technologies, to provide a secure user authentication platform for the Santa Cruz Health Information Exchange...Medrium, a provider of independent medical health IT tools, has partnered with Thomson Reuters to incorporate Thomson Reuters' Micromedex evidence-based medication information into Medrium's newly released EHR.
Health IT provider TriZetto Group has entered into a partnership with professors A. Mark Fendrick and Michael Chernew of the Value-Based Insurance Design Institute to integrate chronic-condition templates into TriZetto's value-based benefits application...Advanced Medical Pricing Solutions, a provider of medical billing verification, and cost-containment firm TC3 Health have entered into a partnership to provide insurers with more offerings for hospital billing applications.
Michigan Avenue Immediate Care in Chicago has joined with Healthagen, a developer of health IT software, to offer the iTriage smartphone application, which provides users with medical resources and specific facility information…Indiana University's Pervasive Technology Institute, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and Cook Medical have entered into a partnership to create i2iconnect.org, an online service linking investors and technology transfer professionals with firms looking to develop health care innovations.
CMS Telehealth, a provider of telehealth services, has entered into a partnership, allowing it to market MedApps' Mobile Health Monitoring System in New York and New Jersey … Henry Schein Medical Systems, a provider of practice management and EHR tools, has joined as a participating vendor in the AmericanEHR Partners Program, an online tool allowing physicians to compare EHR choices.
Personnel
Trace Devanny -- president of health IT firm Cerner -- has been selected for a new position as CEO of TriZetto Group, a provider of integrated care management applications; Cerner chair and CEO Neal Patterson will take on an additional title as president of the company following Devanny's departure.
Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2010/7/16/health-it-business-news-roundup-for-the-week-of-july-16-2010.aspx#ixzz0uPkqyUMR
Wednesday, July 21
Ask a Recruiter: On Takesies Backsies
I took the job, but now I'm having second thoughts--how do I get out of it without destroying my relationship with the recruiter?
My short answer is: follow the golden rule and put yourself in the recruiter's shoes.
S/he may never let on, but the recruiter that got you your last job came to work every day between your signed offer letter and your start date just a little bit uneasy. We're superstitious--like baseball players. In our office, we don't put the placement on the board until we're sure it's going through because we don't want to jinx it, because every recruiter has at least one nightmare story about the candidate who didn't show up on her first day or the guy who swore up and down he'd never accept a counteroffer (obviously, he did).
Here's the thing. Sure, we love our commission checks--we're recruiters, after all--but we do what we do at least in part because we recognize the enormous impact a job change has on a candidate's life. We go into this knowing they're not all going to work out the way we'd like. The point is that they work out the way you'd like and it's our job to pay attention and do the best we can to make that happen. But when it doesn't, when something, anything, casts doubt or comes between you and that start date, it's time to pick up the phone and call your recruiter. If you respect us enough to let us know what's going on as soon as possible, we can respect your decision--whatever the outcome may be. We're grown ups; we can handle it. Furthermore, we can plan appropriately for it. If we know there's a chance, however remote, that you aren't going to be able to move forward we have time to get back in touch with that number two candidate or make some calls to qualify a solid backup in time to save the deal and preserve our relationship with the client.
My short answer is: follow the golden rule and put yourself in the recruiter's shoes.
S/he may never let on, but the recruiter that got you your last job came to work every day between your signed offer letter and your start date just a little bit uneasy. We're superstitious--like baseball players. In our office, we don't put the placement on the board until we're sure it's going through because we don't want to jinx it, because every recruiter has at least one nightmare story about the candidate who didn't show up on her first day or the guy who swore up and down he'd never accept a counteroffer (obviously, he did).
Here's the thing. Sure, we love our commission checks--we're recruiters, after all--but we do what we do at least in part because we recognize the enormous impact a job change has on a candidate's life. We go into this knowing they're not all going to work out the way we'd like. The point is that they work out the way you'd like and it's our job to pay attention and do the best we can to make that happen. But when it doesn't, when something, anything, casts doubt or comes between you and that start date, it's time to pick up the phone and call your recruiter. If you respect us enough to let us know what's going on as soon as possible, we can respect your decision--whatever the outcome may be. We're grown ups; we can handle it. Furthermore, we can plan appropriately for it. If we know there's a chance, however remote, that you aren't going to be able to move forward we have time to get back in touch with that number two candidate or make some calls to qualify a solid backup in time to save the deal and preserve our relationship with the client.
Monday, July 19
Weekly Wisdom: Monday, July 19, 2010
20 Common LinkedIn Mistakes Online Job Seekers Make
Abbreviated from original by Kevin Cormac @ www.newgradlife.blogspot.com
1. Not personalizing your LinkedIn public profile URL.
2. Not including a photo.
3. Not adding links to websites or web pages.
4. Not having a searchable professional headline that brands your unique promise of value and resonates with your target audience.
5. Having no (or only 1 or 2) recommendations.
6. Not immediately generating chemistry in the Summary section with value proposition and differentiating positioning statements.
7. Not including your “Interests” in the Additional Information section at the bottom of your profile.
8. Not reinforcing your executive brand throughout your profile.
9. Not proofreading and re-proofreading and having someone else proofread your profile for typos and grammatical errors.
10. Not having a 100% complete profile.
11. Not updating your profile regularly.
12. Neglecting LinkedIn Groups.
13. Inviting people you don’t know at all to join your LinkedIn network.
14. Automatically accepting invitations to join someone’s LinkedIn network.
15. Not personalizing the default invitation to connect message.
16. Not including a link to your LinkedIn profile within your email signature.
17. Promoting yourself (or product) too heavily in LinkedIn Groups.
18. Not checking out LinkedIn company profiles.
19. Overlooking the LinkedIn Jobs tab.
20. Not diving into LinkedIn Answers.
21. Not using the new LinkedIn and Twitter interface, updating your LinkedIn profile with all or select tweets.
Abbreviated from original by Kevin Cormac @ www.newgradlife.blogspot.com
1. Not personalizing your LinkedIn public profile URL.
2. Not including a photo.
3. Not adding links to websites or web pages.
4. Not having a searchable professional headline that brands your unique promise of value and resonates with your target audience.
5. Having no (or only 1 or 2) recommendations.
6. Not immediately generating chemistry in the Summary section with value proposition and differentiating positioning statements.
7. Not including your “Interests” in the Additional Information section at the bottom of your profile.
8. Not reinforcing your executive brand throughout your profile.
9. Not proofreading and re-proofreading and having someone else proofread your profile for typos and grammatical errors.
10. Not having a 100% complete profile.
11. Not updating your profile regularly.
12. Neglecting LinkedIn Groups.
13. Inviting people you don’t know at all to join your LinkedIn network.
14. Automatically accepting invitations to join someone’s LinkedIn network.
15. Not personalizing the default invitation to connect message.
16. Not including a link to your LinkedIn profile within your email signature.
17. Promoting yourself (or product) too heavily in LinkedIn Groups.
18. Not checking out LinkedIn company profiles.
19. Overlooking the LinkedIn Jobs tab.
20. Not diving into LinkedIn Answers.
21. Not using the new LinkedIn and Twitter interface, updating your LinkedIn profile with all or select tweets.
Friday, July 16
This Week in Healthcare IT
as always, courtest of ihealthbeat.org
Contracts
Swope Health Services in Missouri has selected eClinicalWorks' unified EHR and practice management system; Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, Iowa's regional health IT extension center, also has chosen eClinical Works' unified EHR and practice management system...Wichita Clinic in Kansas has selected GE Healthcare's Centricity EHR system for all 12 of its locations.
St. Cloud Medical Group in Minnesota has selected a database from Greenway Medical Technologies to implement practice management, EHR, patient portal and remote mobile access software...New Jersey-based Capital Health Systems has selected Aprima Medical Software's EHR application...Community Health in North Carolina and South Carolina has deployed a cloud computing application from technology provider Peak 10.
Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania has implemented Aethon's MedEx electronic tracking and documentation system for its hospital-based pharmacies...VHA, a national health care network, has selected athenahealth's Web-based EHR, practice management and patient communication services for its physician practices.
Product Development and Marketing
Spring Medical Systems, a provider of software applications for small- and medium-sized physician practices in Indiana, has entered into a partnership with NoMoreClipboard.com to integrate NoMoreClipboard.com's patient portal into Spring Medical's SpringCharts EHR system.
Personnel
Colleen Woods, former CIO of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, has been appointed New Jersey health IT coordinator for Gov. Chris Cristie's (R) administration...Mark Trigsted -- former vice president and general manager at health IT vendor McKesson -- has been appointed executive vice president of health care for mobile health software provider Diversinet.
Dev Ittycheria -- former president of the Enterprise Service Management division of BMC software -- has joined the board of director's for athenahealth, a provider of Web-based health IT applications...David Fairbrook -- a physician and former medical director at two nursing homes -- has been appointed president of the user group and chair of the clinical advisory committee for ClearPractice, a provider of health IT services for small physician practices.
Jeff Segal -- former CEO of image technology firm intoPIX of America -- has been named chief technology officer of WellAWARE Systems, a provider of wellness monitoring applications.
Contracts
Swope Health Services in Missouri has selected eClinicalWorks' unified EHR and practice management system; Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, Iowa's regional health IT extension center, also has chosen eClinical Works' unified EHR and practice management system...Wichita Clinic in Kansas has selected GE Healthcare's Centricity EHR system for all 12 of its locations.
St. Cloud Medical Group in Minnesota has selected a database from Greenway Medical Technologies to implement practice management, EHR, patient portal and remote mobile access software...New Jersey-based Capital Health Systems has selected Aprima Medical Software's EHR application...Community Health in North Carolina and South Carolina has deployed a cloud computing application from technology provider Peak 10.
Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania has implemented Aethon's MedEx electronic tracking and documentation system for its hospital-based pharmacies...VHA, a national health care network, has selected athenahealth's Web-based EHR, practice management and patient communication services for its physician practices.
Product Development and Marketing
Spring Medical Systems, a provider of software applications for small- and medium-sized physician practices in Indiana, has entered into a partnership with NoMoreClipboard.com to integrate NoMoreClipboard.com's patient portal into Spring Medical's SpringCharts EHR system.
Personnel
Colleen Woods, former CIO of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, has been appointed New Jersey health IT coordinator for Gov. Chris Cristie's (R) administration...Mark Trigsted -- former vice president and general manager at health IT vendor McKesson -- has been appointed executive vice president of health care for mobile health software provider Diversinet.
Dev Ittycheria -- former president of the Enterprise Service Management division of BMC software -- has joined the board of director's for athenahealth, a provider of Web-based health IT applications...David Fairbrook -- a physician and former medical director at two nursing homes -- has been appointed president of the user group and chair of the clinical advisory committee for ClearPractice, a provider of health IT services for small physician practices.
Jeff Segal -- former CEO of image technology firm intoPIX of America -- has been named chief technology officer of WellAWARE Systems, a provider of wellness monitoring applications.
Ask a Recruiter: Compensation
When is the best time to ask about compensation?
If you're talking to a recruiter: after you volunteer what you're currently making.
If you're talking to a hiring manager: never.
Never, you ask? Yes. Seriously. Never.
The compensation discussion should always be initiated by the hiring manager.
1. In most cases, the person you are speaking with already knows what you make, so unless you have given him/her some reason to believe you're willing to take a ridiculous pay cut to be considered for this opportunity, it's fair to assume that what they're looking to offer is within a reasonable range of your current package. The hiring manager isn't going to waste time talking to you if your expectations are light-years apart.
2. The number one red flag in recruiting is a candidate who seems overly concerned about the money. It's our job to get you a fair offer and it's in our best interest to get you the best offer we can because what we earn is based on that number. So, have no fear; we will not invest countless hours taking you though a process that we know won't get you the number you're looking for. Asking too soon or too often gives the impression that you're for sale, that you're willing to work for the highest bidder. And there are a about a million reasons why that makes you a terrible investment for us and our clients.
3. It's the law of supply and demand; the more they like you, the more they need you, the closer you are to a generous offer. Don't ask them to commit to a number or a range before you've had the opportunity to demonstrate your true value.
For more on the topic, visit The Ladders.
If you're talking to a recruiter: after you volunteer what you're currently making.
If you're talking to a hiring manager: never.
Never, you ask? Yes. Seriously. Never.
The compensation discussion should always be initiated by the hiring manager.
1. In most cases, the person you are speaking with already knows what you make, so unless you have given him/her some reason to believe you're willing to take a ridiculous pay cut to be considered for this opportunity, it's fair to assume that what they're looking to offer is within a reasonable range of your current package. The hiring manager isn't going to waste time talking to you if your expectations are light-years apart.
2. The number one red flag in recruiting is a candidate who seems overly concerned about the money. It's our job to get you a fair offer and it's in our best interest to get you the best offer we can because what we earn is based on that number. So, have no fear; we will not invest countless hours taking you though a process that we know won't get you the number you're looking for. Asking too soon or too often gives the impression that you're for sale, that you're willing to work for the highest bidder. And there are a about a million reasons why that makes you a terrible investment for us and our clients.
3. It's the law of supply and demand; the more they like you, the more they need you, the closer you are to a generous offer. Don't ask them to commit to a number or a range before you've had the opportunity to demonstrate your true value.
For more on the topic, visit The Ladders.
Monday, July 12
Weekly Wisdom: July 12, 2010
Top 5 Unforgivable Resume Errors (in no particular order): HIT Edition
- You cannot be CCHIT certified
- It's HIPAA--not HIPPA
- Leaving HER in place of EHR (your MS Word autocorrect function will 'fix' EHR every time)
- Not enough detail: while employers value generic skill on some level, in a rapidly-growing industry, your experience is a tremendous asset, so providing details that paint a clear picture of your breadth of relevant knowledge is essential to making sure you don't miss out on your dream job
- Too much information: don't overwhelm your reader with non-essential information--you don't win a prize for using the most acronyms or strategically peppering your resume with today's top industry buzz word
Thursday, July 8
Wednesday, July 7
This Week in Healthcare IT
Health IT Business News Roundup courtesy of ihealthbeat.org
M&A, Financial Reports and Funding
Mercer, a consulting firm, has acquired Innovative Process Administration, a provider of self-service health and benefits administration technology, for an undisclosed sum.
Contracts
Arizona Integrated Physicians has selected eClinicalWorks' unified EHR and practice management system...Bayonne Medical Center in New Jersey has deployed Picis' ED PulseCheck emergency department information system.
Hoag Memorial Presbyterian Hospital in California has selected Medicity's suite of health IT services to help the facility develop a community-wide health information exchange...Virginia HIT, the state's federally designated health IT regional extension center, has selected athenahealth to provide Web-based services to primary care practices in Virginia.
Product Development and Marketing
Medrium, a provider of medical billing and revenue cycle management applications, has entered into a partnership with RelayHealth that will allow Medrium to use RelayHealth's Results Distribution System to provide LabCorp laboratory test results to physicians through Medrium's EHR system.
Personnel
John Glaser -- former CIO of Partners HealthCare System in Boston -- has been named CEO of the Health Services Business Unit for Siemens, a provider of technology and services for the health care industry and fields...Monte Gibbs -- former CTO for the social networking platform MyLife.com -- has been named CTO of Private Access, a provider of data and privacy management applications.
Tuesday, July 6
Ask a Recruiter: Phone Interviews
When do I get to speak to someone in person?
This is one I've been getting a lot lately, particularly from people who haven't been in the market for a new job in a while. The phone interview seems to have replaced the face to face interview almost entirely in some industries--personally, I can recall at least one occasion when a successful hire has been made based solely on telephone interviews. That's right, my client hired him before anyone in the company ever met him face to face. Is he, or am I, just that good? While, I would certainly like to think so, it all comes down to time, money and the nature of business today. And what it means for you is that it's more important than ever to nail your telephone interviews; they aren't just screening tools anymore. You have to learn how to sell yourself, make a connection, look for social cues and consistently engage your interviewer all without seeing his/her face. More tips can be found here.
This is one I've been getting a lot lately, particularly from people who haven't been in the market for a new job in a while. The phone interview seems to have replaced the face to face interview almost entirely in some industries--personally, I can recall at least one occasion when a successful hire has been made based solely on telephone interviews. That's right, my client hired him before anyone in the company ever met him face to face. Is he, or am I, just that good? While, I would certainly like to think so, it all comes down to time, money and the nature of business today. And what it means for you is that it's more important than ever to nail your telephone interviews; they aren't just screening tools anymore. You have to learn how to sell yourself, make a connection, look for social cues and consistently engage your interviewer all without seeing his/her face. More tips can be found here.
Weekly Wisdom: July 5, 2010
Looking for a job when you have been out of work is tough. It's exhausting. Some days it feels as if the forces of the universe are working against you. Looking for a job if you're 55 or better can feel nearly impossible, but only if you let it.
Here are some additional tips for older job seekers:
Step 1.
Don't walk into the interview a victim. Shed previous negative interview experiences and thoughts of age-discrimination; focus on what you bring to the table instead of all the reasons why they may not offer you a seat. Connect, be enthusiastic, your experience is an asset--don't downplay your resume, use it to demonstrate that you've got what they're looking for.
Step 2.
Talk about (and think of) your experience in terms of skill sets; not lengthy stories about relationships with past employers. Highlight your accomplishments instead of your years of experience; what you did is far more important than how long you were there.
Step 3.
Shatter stereotypes: be flexible, energetic, tech savvy. Buy a Blackberry or an iPhone, use a laptop, spend time brushing up on your computer skills. Hang out on Linkedin.com, visit the company website and make full use of the available online tools. If you are a true novice, acquire basic computer skills: start with Microsoft Office applications and learn to do Internet research.
Step 4.
Your resume should be honest (really honest, not technically true but purposely misleading), however, don't feel obligated to share every detail. If you don't feel comfortable listing the year you graduated, leave it off--but don't bristle when someone asks you to confirm your year of graduation. Try a functional resume; group your skills, highlight your accomplishments, pull out what they need to know if they don't get past the first half page of your resume and list your employers and tenures separately. You don't have to go all the way back with dates, but list all the companies.
Step 5.
Be prepared for questions you won't want to answer such as "How long do you plan to work?" and "Do you believe you are overqualified for this job?"
Step 6.
Seek out age-friendly employers and look for organizations that will be a good cultural fit; you should probably limit your applications to young, hip technology startups where the entire executive team was born after 1980. Check out the executives and middle management online, find out who your peers would be--look for the people you want to work with and work for.
adapated from SFGate.com (with additional notes by HITRecruiters)
Here are some additional tips for older job seekers:
Step 1.
Don't walk into the interview a victim. Shed previous negative interview experiences and thoughts of age-discrimination; focus on what you bring to the table instead of all the reasons why they may not offer you a seat. Connect, be enthusiastic, your experience is an asset--don't downplay your resume, use it to demonstrate that you've got what they're looking for.
Step 2.
Talk about (and think of) your experience in terms of skill sets; not lengthy stories about relationships with past employers. Highlight your accomplishments instead of your years of experience; what you did is far more important than how long you were there.
Step 3.
Shatter stereotypes: be flexible, energetic, tech savvy. Buy a Blackberry or an iPhone, use a laptop, spend time brushing up on your computer skills. Hang out on Linkedin.com, visit the company website and make full use of the available online tools. If you are a true novice, acquire basic computer skills: start with Microsoft Office applications and learn to do Internet research.
Step 4.
Your resume should be honest (really honest, not technically true but purposely misleading), however, don't feel obligated to share every detail. If you don't feel comfortable listing the year you graduated, leave it off--but don't bristle when someone asks you to confirm your year of graduation. Try a functional resume; group your skills, highlight your accomplishments, pull out what they need to know if they don't get past the first half page of your resume and list your employers and tenures separately. You don't have to go all the way back with dates, but list all the companies.
Step 5.
Be prepared for questions you won't want to answer such as "How long do you plan to work?" and "Do you believe you are overqualified for this job?"
Step 6.
Seek out age-friendly employers and look for organizations that will be a good cultural fit; you should probably limit your applications to young, hip technology startups where the entire executive team was born after 1980. Check out the executives and middle management online, find out who your peers would be--look for the people you want to work with and work for.
adapated from SFGate.com (with additional notes by HITRecruiters)
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