Back to school: Courses help physicians learn health IT

The American College of Physician Executives has a new 40-hour course program in health IT that can help M.D. who lead hospitals, integrated health delivery networks, physician groups, and committees better understand the important health IT projects underway at their organizations. The ACPE certificate program can also give the participants a head start for a earning a master's degree in healthcare management from several U.S. universities. According to ACPE's description of its new program, the courses promise to provide information that allows physicians executives to "be conversant on IT issues and fundamentals; develop the skills to manage the people implementing IT; and successfully strategize, plan, and implement health IT changes."