ONC Announces Exams for HIT Pros

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released its first set of exams designed to help healthcare providers and other employers assess the health IT competencies of their existing staff and potential employees.

The health information technology professionals examinations will measure skill levels in the competencies identified as essential for key health IT professional workforce roles, including clinician/practitioner consulting, implementation management and support, practice workflow and information management redesign, technical/software support, and training.

In addition to assessing health IT competencies, ONC expects that the exams will help employers identify the need for additional staff training and more accurately evaluate their HI technology staffing needs.

"Hospitals, health professionals, vendors, and even ONC grantees will benefit from knowing they are employing professionals with a proven skill set," said Farzad Mostashari, the national coordinator for health information technology, in a statement.

Vouchers to take the exam free of charge are available for students trained through the community college consortia program and individuals with relevant experience, training, or education in healthcare or information technology.