By Turner Taliaferro Smith, III, Psy.D., Vice President, Business Development, TeleHealth Solutions

The secret is out. Georgia has become a hotbed for health IT (HIT) companies, both veteran and startup. Georgia holds down the nation’s top spot with more than 225 HIT companies, nine of which have cumulative revenues of close to $5 billion. There are several reasons why.

Metro Atlanta ranks in the top five U.S. markets for total bandwidth and fiber access and two of the country’s largest fiber routes – north/south and east/west – cross in metro Atlanta. The region’s powerful technology grid will sustain health IT business expansion for decades to come.

Rapid job growth is another important factor. The growth in Georgia health IT is something for job seekers to get excited about. Georgia’s technology sector continues to be one of the most powerful job creators in the state with more than 4,000 net new jobs in 2014. Since 2010, Georgia has also added more than 25,000 new technology positions—over 272,000 IT jobs in five short years.

Health IT

“The health IT industry in Georgia is healthy and thriving as a result of the region’s robust infrastructure and the ongoing collaboration between our HIT corporations, academic institutions and healthcare providers,” says David Hartnett, vice president, economic development, Metro Atlanta Chamber. “Georgia also delivers a skilled workforce and pro-business environment that ensures a solid foundation to help small and mid-sized HIT companies continue to scale.”

A perfect example of a Georgia HIT company that continues to scale is McKesson. “Georgia has a unique combination of assets that are quite attractive for technology companies. In addition to a thriving service economy, the state has a strong educational system and an international travel hub in Atlanta, making for a great place to live and work. The growing number of technology companies has created a community that promotes innovation and best practices, which is highly valuable to McKesson as we continue to advance our business,” says Robert Hendricks, Chief Technology Officer, McKesson.

Fueling this progress and excitement is the annual Health IT Leadership Summit. The Health IT Leadership Summit was founded in 2010 by three organizations to support the growth of the health IT industry: the Georgia Dept. of Economic Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber and the Technology Association of Georgia’s Health Society. In its sixth year and hosted in Atlanta, the Summit brings together health IT leaders, job seekers and students for easy, one-day access to educational sessions, exhibits and networking. Click here for more details and early bird registration.

For more details about Georgia’s growing HIT scene, watch this video.