US healthcare struggles with IT support

Tennessee healthcare executives say they are struggling to find IT professionals to support the rapid changes transforming healthcare and the way they do business, says BizJournals.

“By necessity, we at times are using a lot of contractors and folks to fill in temporarily,” says Kyle Duke, chief information security officer at healthcare group HealthSpring. “Just finding the talent level to fill those gaps is sometimes challenging and continues to be a challenge.”

Filling the healthcare IT gap was the focus of a forum at the Frist Centre for the Visual Arts, organised by the Nashville healthcare and technology councils. Executives from healthcare providers, health IT professional support organisations and academia discussed strategies for developing the talent needed to drive health IT innovation in Tennessee.

The government of the Cayman Islands is planning a national healthcare conference in November as part of its goal to improve the country's healthcare system and see the industry play a part in developing the local economy, writes Cayman News Service.

Health minister Mark Scotland says the industry would be a future driver of growth. “It affects everyone, and our goal is to create a forum where we can bring together the divergent views, interests and collective intellect of all stakeholders with the benefit of international experts to develop a cohesive approach that will ensure a modern and sustainable healthcare system in the Cayman Islands,” he adds.

'A participative approach in setting the agenda for health' will cover the impact of technology on healthcare delivery; as well as the potential for public/private-sector partnerships in sustainable healthcare delivery and questions of the sustainability of current expenditure on healthcare.

A hi-tech scheme that helped a young boy with a tumour in his skull get quick treatment is to be rolled out across Scotland, it has been announced, reports The Local.

The Scottish Government has invested £6.6 million in the project, which will see new IT links put in place between high street opticians and hospitals.

The move will allow optometrists to send images of patients they suspect have serious eye problems directly to specialist doctors in hospitals. The consultant can then decide that day if the person needs a hospital appointment.