Summer Internship: Parkridge Health System

By: Jared Lesher

Parkridge Main Campus

Hello from Chattanooga! I am spending my summer as the administrative intern at the Parkridge Health System in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Parkridge is a five hospital system and part of the TriStar Division of the Hospital Corporation of America. Parkridge Health System is comprised of Parkridge Medical Center, Parkridge East, Parkridge Valley, and Parkridge West. The best part of my internship so far has been my ability to move between every facility and interact with all the leadership. I have also had the ability to observe the clinical processes at many of the facilities. For example, in my first week at Parkridge East, I observed a robotic surgery which used the da Vinci Surgical System. Also, I have observed a partial night shift in the emergency department.

Some of the projects I have been involved in include a division-wide staffing analysis to determine potential opportunities for improved efficiency within individual departments. This project has included a large amount of data analysis and is beginning to roll into communications with Chief Staffing Officers (CSOs) at each of the facilities to discuss potential opportunities and the potential “story” behind each one. Also, I have been tasked with analyzing the major moveable assets at Parkridge Valley, our behavioral health facility, to determine if the assets have been disposed of materially, but not within the accounting system. The benefit of this audit will be decreasing the overall property tax for this facility which could have a positive impact on the EBDITA. Finally, I was recently tasked with running a cost analysis for a service line at the main campus. Originally, this project was to simply cost out the two services performed in the service line. However, as with many projects, the scope has grown to analyzing the entire service line to determine how it should be modified, either within the facility, or by moving forward in a partnership off-site with the local surgery group that offers the services.

The Tennessee River at dusk as seen from downtown Chattanooga

Outside of work I have been enjoying life in Chattanooga. I joined a Crossfit gym my first week here and have made some great friends through the various events they hold at the gym. Also, the outdoor activities in Chattanooga are virtually unlimited. The city is surrounded with mountains with numerous hiking trails and rock climbing activities. Also, I will be white water rafting in the coming weeks on the same course used for the 1996 Summer Olympics. I have also been lucky enough to travel to Nashville for CMA Fest and other activities with my MHA classmates and some of our alumni.