The Ohio State University Case Competition

By: Lauren Waggoner

Last week, I had the unique opportunity to attend The Ohio State University Case Competition. This case competition is restricted to first year graduate students. From the case, we had the opportunity to act as consultants and provide an implementation strategy for a hospital taking on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, or MACRA. Before the competition, we had the ability to present to the University of Iowa Health Management and Policy Alumni Board. This was a great opportunity for my team because it allowed us to practice before the case competition. Following our presentation, the alumni proposed questions to us that we may receive from our panel of judges and also gave us feedback on our presentation skills. After our practice presentation, we flew to Columbus, Ohio, the night before the competition. All of the teams participating gathered at The Boathouse, a restaurant on the Olentagy River that overlooks the Columbus Skyline. A dinner was held, and we had the opportunity to hear the CEO of Primary One Health, Charleta Tavares, speak about defeating health disparities.

The morning of the competition, we practiced our presentation in the hotel room numerous times so that we would feel at ease when it was time to address the group. We were the last team to present and were hoping to leave a lasting impression with the judges. Our presentation could not have gone better. Everyone recited their portions according to plan, and we were prepared for all of the questions our judges asked during our 5-minute Q & A session. Unfortunately, we did not advance to the finals, but I learned a great deal from participating in the case competition. I learned about the importance of thinking “outside the box” and trying to think of unique but feasible ideas. I also learned the importance of having great team members and a supportive mentor/coach behind me. After being in the program for only 7 months I was very nervous and tentative about signing up for the competition. Dr. Gentry assured me this would be a great opportunity to learn more about the healthcare industry and that this was a great chance to work with my peers in a group. I am thankful for the opportunity given to me by Dr. Gentry and would recommend to future candidates in the program that they seize the moment because it may present opportunities in the future.