University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

By Sharese Van Sloten On November 14, the first-year HMP class had the opportunity to get out of the classroom and travel to Des Moines to learn about healthcare from Central Iowa healthcare executives. The speakers shared information about their organizations, their personal career paths, the healthcare field, and other important things to know, as we begin our careers in this fast paced field. Bill Leaver, CEO, UnityPoint Health Our day started with speakers from the two leading hospitals in the Des Moines area, Unity Point Health System and Mercy Medical Center.  Bill Leaver, the President and CEO of Unity Point Health System, started the day with a great speech about the future of healthcare and what it takes to be successful in this field. His message shared key points about achieving success in healthcare. To be successful, a person must be willing to take risks, to “think big” and look beyond the hospital, and be able to demonstrate their ability to change probl...

On October 24 and 25 The Department of Health Management and Policy hosted the 35 th Annual Iowa Healthcare Executive Symposium. During the two-day event, faculty, students, staff, alumni, and area healthcare executives came together to discuss several perspectives on healthcare transformation. During the first day, several alum of the program, spanning four decades, participated in a panel where they shared perspectives on mapping out early career development. The second day, Paul H. Keckley, PhD, Executive Director at Deloitte Center for Health Solutions shared his vision for the future of healthcare delivery. Shawn Martin, Vice President of Advocacy and Practice Advancement at American Academy of Family Physicians spoke about the intersection of public policy and healthcare transformation. Finally, Richard Breon, MA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Health spoke from the perspective of an organization at the forefront of healthcare change.  Below are seve...

Chris Evans, Eric Mooss, and Todd Defreece presenting to students By Matt Belanger It was around this time last year when I heard about strong alumni engagement from University of Iowa MHA graduates. It was an important factor in my decision to become a Hawkeye, but I didn’t appreciate this engagement until the speed-networking event on September 19 th , when more than twenty alumni traveled back to Iowa City to spend time with the first-year class. Their willingness to give back to the program and help us succeed had a strong impact on many first-year students including myself. Before the event started, we were fortunate to have excellent guidance via a presentation from Eric Mooss (’04 MHA), Chris Evans (’08 MHA), and Todd Defreece (’10 MHA/MBA). They shared personal stories that illustrated the importance of networking and answered all sorts of questions. They helped set the tone for a very productive evening.  Once we arrived at Brown Deer Golf Course, t...

Aaron DeBoer, '03, Carly Woythaler Runestad, '04, and Mark Brown, '05. In late September, second and third-year MHA and MPH in Policy students attended a career seminar provided jointly by the HMP department and Witt-Kieffer, an executive search firm, aimed at preparing students for upcoming fellowship interviews. During the first day of the seminar, Aaron DeBoer, Associate Director of Physician Operations and Strategy at Navigant Consulting, presented on his lessons from interviewing and being interviewed. Next, students asked questions to an alum panel about factors for success in fellowships and first employment. To end the day, David Olson, Chief Strategy Officer for Froedtert Health presented tips for succeeding in phone interviews. Students then broke up into groups with alum. In these groups, the alumni conducted mock phone interviews with the students, giving them an idea of what to expect for upcoming fellowship phone interviews. Alum and fellow students the...

By Lauren Wong In a brief span of five days, not even the sweltering heat could keep 24 strangers from establishing new-found friendships and class cohesiveness. The class of 2015 kicked off the fall semester with Orientation week, which was filled with various activities and events. Being in a new environment, it took us some time to adjust and become acquainted with new faces. However, as the week progressed, we soon realized this was just the beginning of two incredible years we would share together. Students at the ropes course Dr. Vaughn, Professor and Director of the MHA Program , along with Ian Montgomery, Clinical Associate Professor and Executive in Residence, began our semester with the opening convocation. We became very familiar with the formality of introductions such as name, hometown, education, and an interesting fact; by the end I’m sure we had everyone’s bio memorized. However, it wasn't until the outdoor ropes course that we began to ...

Dressed in scrubs to observe in Labor/Delivery. By Claire Watkins This summer I had the privilege of completing my administrative internship at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, IL.  Rush-Copley is a 210-bed acute care hospital located on an expansive medical campus in Illinois’ second largest city.  The hospital has a unique strategic affiliation with Rush University Medical Center, which allows the organization to collaborate in several clinical areas and brings the resources of academic medicine to the western suburbs of Chicago.  Rush-Copley is the leading provider of health services to the greater Fox Valley area offering distinct centers of excellence designed to meet the healthcare needs of the ever g rowing and diverse community that it serves. As the Administrative Intern this summer, I was fortunate to work closely with Rush-Copley’s administrative team, who were committed to ensuring I got the most out of my internship experience.  Repor...

By Jessica Larson Hello from the west coast! This summer I am working for the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts (AWPHD), part of the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA), in Seattle, Washington. WSHA is a membership organization that represents hospitals and health-related organizations in Washington by providing issues management and analysis, information, advocacy, and other services. AWPHD is an arm of the association that represents Public Hospital Districts which are governmental entities that face specific policy and regulatory issues related to publicly elected (rather than appointed) board members and tax-collecting authority. As a dual MHA and MPH in Policy student, working for a state hospital association has proven to be a great learning opportunity. I get exposure to policy-making at the ground level and have developed a better understanding of the important role of legislators in influencing the healthcare system as well as an appreciatio...

By Adam Price and Katherine Read The University of Iowa Health Alliance (UIHA) was formed in the summer of 2012 and is a collaboration between the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Genesis of the Quad Cities, Mercy Cedar Rapids, and Mercy Health Network out of Des Moines. UIHA is comprised of more than 50 hospitals and 160 physician clinics throughout the state of Iowa. The partnership allows each organization to maintain its legacy and independence, while promoting clinical integration and care coordination. It does not involve a merger of assets or changes in ownership or control. The structure is designed to sustain and honor the members’ local missions and governance authorities, while participating in a larger effort to lead needed changes in the health care system. The alliance also is designed to encourage additional health care providers in Iowa and contiguous states to join and participate in these important initiatives. This internship has provided us enormous ...

By Tessa Quintero Greetings from New Ulm!  I am completing my summer internship at the New Ulm Medical Center in New Ulm, MN.  The Medical Center is a 25 bed critical access hospital with a 115 room hospital-based clinic attached and is a part of the Allina Health Network.  Allina is the largest medical provider in Minnesota with 12 hospitals and 100+ clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  The New Ulm Medical Center provides care to a service area of 40,000 people in the south western portion of Minnesota. I am working primarily with the President of the Medical Center in the administrative offices and taking on a variety of projects.  Some of my major projects include: Developing a senior care model that integrates Long Term Care and Assisted Living facilities with the Medical Center and presenting to the Board of Trustees Researching and reporting on regional market trends for Waterbirth and presenting to the medical staff Writing a One Year Evaluati...

By Jeremy Murdock Hello everyone!  This summer I am working in Burlington, Iowa at Great River Medical Center as the Administrative Intern to CEO Mark Richardson. Great River Medical Center is a 378-bed hospital and is part of Great River Health Systems, an integrated health-care system that provides care for area residents that spans the entire care continuum including retail pharmacies, a new long-term care center, a hospice house, an outpatient renal dialysis center, a cancer care center, and a network of primary and specialty care clinics located throughout the region. They also contract manage a critical access hospital in nearby Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.  My preceptor, Mark Richardson, is an Iowa MHA alum and a strong supporter of the program. He has been a CEO for over 25 years, 16 of those years at Great River Health Systems. His leadership and experiences in building a successful culture of engagement amongst employees and of focusing on the quality of patient ...

By Alisa Strohbehn Greetings from Iowa City! My summer internship stems from my Graduate Administrative Assistant position in the Department of Ophthalmology here at the University of Iowa. I am working with the Administrator, Larry McGranahan, and the Administrative Assistant, Pat Smith. Larry is a graduate of the Master of Health Administration program at the University of Iowa and is a great mentor. Pat Smith graduated from Luther and has been working in the department for over thirty years, and she has taught me so many things about HR. My job and internship has allowed me to work with all members of the administration team, including the DEO, Marketing Director, Grants Administrator, Nurse Manager, and Senior Accountant. This job and internship has been a wonderful experience with a variety of projects. One of my big projects for the year was credentialing the incoming Fellow Associates. This included daily correspondence with the new fellows as well as the credential...