The healthcare industry continues to grow despite the current economy. Population growth, longer life expectancies, and rapidly rising drug, diagnostic and treatment costs have taxed the U.S. healthcare system to its limits. To address these and other challenges, reform initiatives are now attempting to streamline patient care, extend insurance availability and make medical services more affordable. Healthcare facilities need skilled professionals who can quickly respond to these and other developments.

Although the healthcare industry continues to expand, employers are still cautious when making hiring decisions. Many facilities look to existing staff or temporary professionals to fill in until a full-time replacement is deemed necessary and a strong applicant is hired.

Trends Affecting Hiring

• Electronic medical records conversion – As more hospitals and medical offices transition from paper to electronic records, facilities will need assistance with scanning, formatting and saving patient data.
• Certifications valued – Hiring managers seek healthcare workers with certifications that give facilities greater confidence that the applicant has the baseline knowledge and skills applicable to the role. Also, a certification underscores an applicant's commitment to ongoing education and may be an indicator he or she is likely to remain in the healthcare field.
• Billing and collections professionals in demand – Healthcare facilities seek experienced billing and collections specialists to assist patients with the payment process and ensure organizations receive timely reimbursement.
• Industry knowledge sought for specialized positions – Coding systems evolve, software is frequently updated and health insurance plans change. Consequently, employers seek workers who stay current with the latest industry developments. As healthcare providers transition from ICD-9 coding to ICD-10, for example, employers will likely seek applicants with ICD-10 experience in the coming year.

Skills and Attributes in Demand

• Specialized certifications – These demonstrate that the applicant has a baseline level of knowledge within the healthcare industry.
• Medical software expertise – Hiring managers look for candidates with medical software experience that can be applied toward whichever system the facility uses.
• Familiarity with multiple types of insurance – Employers seek applicants who understand insurance, such as Medicare, Medicaid, HMO or PPO.
• Strong interpersonal skills – Hiring managers seek candidates who are multilingual, compassionate, trustworthy and who have great communication skills.
• Affiliation with associations – Applicants with healthcare association memberships demonstrate their commitment to ongoing education and a desire to remain in the healthcare industry.