University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

Rural Policy Research Institute By: Aaron Horsfield Greetings from our nation’s capital! Amid the high humidity and copious sightseeing, I have had the privilege to intern with the Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) as the National Policy Program Intern. RUPRI was founded in 1990 to address the concerns of members of the Senate Agricultural Committee regarding the lack of data, information, and analysis surrounding the impact of public policy on rural communities. The Institute focuses upon research, policy analysis and engagement, and dissemination and outreach in Health Policy, Poverty and Human Services, State Policy, and many other areas of work.   This summer, Jocelyn Richgels, Director of RUPRI’s National Policy Programs, has served as my preceptor and mentor. She has been monumental in introducing me to the staffers on the Hill, has allowed me to attend Senate and House briefings not only related to rural, but to my own interests, and has welcomed me to a variet...

By: Steph Kraft Sheley I worked this summer at National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW) in New York City. NAPW is a national legal advocacy organization that works to safeguard the rights and welfare of pregnant and parenting people. NAPW recognizes that low income people, people of color and drug-using people are the most vulnerable to punishment for the outcomes of their pregnancies.  NAPW challenges such attempts at punishment through litigation and litigation support. NAPW also provides public education on the issues of pregnancy and drug use. My main task throughout the summer was to draft legal memoranda related to two cases in which pregnant women were criminally punished for the outcomes of their pregnancies. The purpose of these memos was to research in-depth specific areas of state law and analyze how the law might be applied to those cases. One of the cases for which I drafted a memo is approaching appeal at the state high court level, while the other has yet to ...

By: Lindsey Reed Greetings from Iowa City! I am one of many interns at the growing University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC). It is Iowa’s only comprehensive academic medical center; comprised of UI Health Care, UI Children’s Hospital (pictured), and UI Carver College of Medicine. Consistently ranked as a top hospital in the United Sates, Iowa was also ranked America’s #1 Employer by Forbes magazine. My internship experience has been somewhat unconventional, being longer and larger in scope than most. I am an intern in the Health Care Information Systems (HCIS) division, which operates and maintains UIHC’s electronic medical record. I was fortunate to begin my journey in January 2015 and will continue until May 2016. This has not only allowed me to take a central role in many projects, but also shadow and meet a number of individuals within the organization. With the changes and advancement in healthcare, information is king. I am surrounded by progressive-minded in...

By: Chip Rank I am very fortunate to be an Administrative Intern with Columbia St. Mary’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this summer. Columbia St. Mary’s is comprised of four hospitals, over 60 community clinics and several Urgent/Express Care Centers throughout Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Sheboygan counties. Columbia St. Mary’s is a part of Ascension Health. Ascension Health is the largest nonprofit healthcare system in the United States with hospitals and related facilities in 20 states. My preceptor for the summer is Travis Andersen, President/CEO of Columbia St. Mary’s Health System and an alumnus of the University of Iowa MHA program. He has done a phenomenal job of making me feel like a member of his team during my internship. Travis managed my internship with an open door policy to almost every meeting/event that he attends. One experience in particular that I find very interesting is attending the Integrated Health Network (IHN) of Wisconsin meetings. IHN is the st...

By: Katie Gaudian Burlington, Iowa has kept me very busy this summer. From exciting projects at my internship to adventurous weekend trips with family and friends, I haven’t slowed down since the start. Great River Health Systems is a regional integrated health-care system that includes a 378-bed medical center, a 160-bed long-term and skilled care facility, a hospice house, a home health agency, retail pharmacies, retail medical equipment and supplies providers, and multiple specialty and primary care physician clinics. I have had a chance to look into each of these areas as well as see how they all work together. Specific projects that I have worked on include researching and updating core privileges for physician credentialing, taking part in a cost containment team, standardizing the outside lab referral process, increasing provider efficiency in the EHR with data analysis, diving into market data, and many more. Not only have I been able to attend all the meetings my heart ...

By: Jeralyn Westercamp Hello from the Quad Cities! You know it's summer in Iowa when RAGBRAI rolls across the state from its origin in Sioux City to its finish in Davenport. Much like the riders in RAGBRAI, I have encountered multiple cities and gazed at agricultural scenery in my commute to the Quad Cities. The Quad Cities includes the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa along with Rock Island and Moline in Illinois. I have had the privilege to intern with the Quad Cities UnityPoint Clinic Administration in Moline, where I experience the best of both states daily. I have been fortunate to receive exposure at the system, regional, and individual level through my internship with UnityPoint Clinic. UnityPoint Clinic is a part of UnityPoint Health, which is the 15th largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. with 8 regions, more than 280 physician clinics, and 29 hospitals throughout Iowa and Illinois. UnityPoint Clinic utilizes nearly 900 physicians and providers ...