For information technology professionals, analyzing big data is part and parcel of the job. As a number of industries have become increasingly reliant on this high-tech information as part of their daily business operations, it has become even more important for IT professionals to have the abilities to accurately interpret collected code and system-generated informatics and present their findings to the rest of the organization.

The healthcare industry is one particular area that has recently created a wealth of new opportunities for IT professionals looking to diversify their skills and industry experience. In fact, according to recent research published in "Industrial Relations: A Journey of Economy and Society," 434,282 information technology positions were created in the healthcare sector in the years between 2007 and 2011 alone. 

Most of these are a direct consequence of the 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act – HITECH – which was implemented to encourage healthcare organizations to transition to the use of electronic health records (EHRs). Nowadays, with new mandates from the Affordable Care Act and the fact that technology seemingly changes at the speed of light, this need for IT professionals in the healthcare sector is even more apparent.

Hi-tech impact
This has consequently led to an 86 percent rise in monthly job postings that specifically require experience in EHRs. According to the report, 43 percent of listings required system installation or workflow design capabilities, with the latter skill directly linked to an increased reliance on data analysis within the healthcare provider itself.

With this demonstrated need for experienced IT professionals within the sector, federal mandates and potential financial penalties imposed by HITECH have encouraged many healthcare providers to take steps to alleviate any gaps in their digital coordination efforts. For IT professionals, this brings about two new types of opportunities: jobs with external IT vendors that are being hired by hospitals and healthcare providers, as well as opportunities to be hired on staff within the healthcare organizations themselves. In an effort to make sense of the data that is being used to monitor patients, hospitals are not only bringing on new IT staff, but also creating initiatives to help their current staff become more aware of analytics.

A recent case study published by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives showed that a hospital in California was able to reduce readmissions by 25 percent through the installation of user-friendly technology that utilized predictive analytics and teleconferencing to dovetail care efforts between facilities.  This advancement allowed the staff at that medical facility to digitally share information that could identify high-risk patients.

With that in mind, the adoption and acceptance of big data has already been keenly felt within the healthcare sector, especially now that the much-anticipated Affordable Care Act has been rolled out to online consumers. Though it has experienced some technical glitches since its launch on October 1, there is no reason to believe that it won't take full advantage of data analytics in the years to come, most of which will be directed towards ongoing patient care and effective budget strategies.