The Georgia Department of Education has tapped the Institute for Healthcare Information Technology (IHIT) to revamp its high school curriculum for digital health and health IT. As the digital health and health IT market continues to grow at a rapid pace, so do the opportunities for jobs. According to Statista, in 2019 the global digital health market was worth ~$175 billion. With an expected CAGR of ~25 percent from 2019 to 2025, the digital health market should see a sixfold increase. By 2025, the digital health market will amount to ~ $660 billion U.S. dollars.

Hospital systems, digital health and health IT organizations are continually looking for talent to fill the widening void on jobs that range from implementation specialists, medical billers and security analysts to cancer registry and healthcare coach coordinators. It will be imperative for students in Georgia to get the right training in order to compete for these well-paying positions. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies, which will require qualified HIT workers to support many of the new technologies that are being used by hospitals and providers.

"As Georgia continues to be a leader in health IT and digital health, we must ensure that our industry partners work closely with our academic institutions to ensure that what students are learning is relevant, up-to-date, and immediately marketable," said Kirk Barnes, board member of The Institute for Healthcare Information Technology. Barnes leads the IHIT education subcommittee team consisting of Mary Beth Marchione of WIPFLI and fellow board member, GA HIMSS President Sepi Browning.