At the time of this writing, healthcare reform in the U.S. continues to be front-page news. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it seems that massive changes are under way for this industry along with the people, processes and technologies that support it.

Healthcare reforms and E-records are also playing out in many other parts of the globe — notably Canada and western Europe — affecting careers, patient care and costs. While the challenges and solutions associated with managing electronic health records are debated, our Smart Practices article this month focuses on one specific part of the equation: the impact on IT skills and staffing.

The massive task of complying with E-healthcare initiatives is just one example of the increasing pressures placed upon all CIOs. Yet, it’s creating opportunities as well. At a time of high unemployment, there is great demand for anyone with combined expertise in medicine, healthcare procedures, finance and technology — obviously, a difficult skill set to find. Other vertical industries are looking for operational savvy combined with business and IT experience, too. As long as this demand outpaces the human-capital supply, healthcare organizations — like enterprises in every industry — will need to train new employees and retrain current staff to meet the challenges ahead.

One prominent IT executive — Intel’s former CEO Andy Grove —- sees technology merging with medicine and business savvy in the new field of transactional medicine. He says expansion of this area of study will more quickly put medical discoveries into mass production. Grove told The New York Times recently that he supports creation of a master’s degree program in translational medicine at the University of California to bridge the gap between medical advances and IT. “Why doesn’t technology give us medical treatments,” he asked, “that are better, faster, cheaper? A system that works, heaven forbid, like the chip world.”

Also offering advice and raising questions this month is contributor Dean Meyer. A CIO coach and author of eight books about shared services and organizational transformation, Meyer addresses the tough issue of funding innovation. In his Insights column, he explains how three common financial errors actually inhibit IT innovation and prevent CIOs from adequately funding their ideas. Instead, he says, “by thinking like a business within the business,” IT executives can demonstrate leadership and set aside funds for innovation without charging internal business customers for the efforts.

While the topics differ, all of these issues illustrate the increasingly complex situation CIOs face in the year ahead: The need to have integrated skill sets that encompass multiple specializations has never been greater.

How are you keeping pace with professional demands for your own career, and how are you preparing your staff for 2010 and beyond? Let me and your peers know on the Exchange … and Happy Holidays!

Paula Klein
Editor and Community Manager
Smart Enterprise Exchange