I have already lamented the sorry state of IT consulting in a previous blog, but today’s KLAS Report sheds some light on the state of the industry. EMR sales hit a seven-year low in 2008. Also in the news was a report of layoffs at Kaiser with a loss of 700 jobs from the data center and 160 from its IT workforce.
Still, there is hope. 2009 still has the potential for a turn-around since “meaningful” use of the EMR, although still a buzz-word is being recognized as an ethical obligation. Quality care has been recognized as cost effective care and only a well designed and well implemented EMR will achieve this goal. In the meantime I am working on my fly fishing skills with the full faith and knowledge that soon I’ll be trading the river for a seat on a Delta commuter.
