Summer Internship: University of Iowa Physicians

A facilities manager introduces UIP and UIHC interns to
Tru D, a UV disinfection robot. 

By: Mitch Billimack (MHA ’18)

What hospital has the largest pneumatic tube system in the world, so complex that it requires the equivalent of an air traffic controller? What hospital has one of the most advanced ultraviolet disinfection machines to prevent hospital acquired infections (HAIs), equipped with 8 lasers and automatic time-of-day sensing and adjustment? What hospital must onboard and train 6,000 new employees every June and July?

Greetings from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), the friendly tertiary care center right across the river! This summer, I am interning with Todd Patterson, Chief Operating Officer of University of Iowa Physicians (UIP). UIP is the entity that employs all 900+ physicians and providers working in UIHC. UIP also operates a network of more than 70 specialty community outreach clinics, several Quickcares, several primary care locations, and Iowa River Landing (IRL), a large outpatient center.

UIP is extremely well integrated within UIHC. I have had the good fortune of getting experience on both the hospital side and physician side. Both UIP and UIHC have internship programs, and both groups of interns have gotten to do weekly rounding with different departments across the hospital. In these sessions, we’ve met different administrators and leaders who have told us about what they do and offered some advice for us as early careerists. All of the interns are also responsible for space surveys, where we collectively walk approximately 6,000,000 square feet of UIHC and IRL to verify space utilization.

My main project this summer has been to lead a system-wide revenue cycle project focused on automating charge capture, the process of documenting a procedure to be able to obtain reimbursement. The goal is to eradicate paper charge capture and the manual entry of charges. This project involves both physician billing and hospital billing. Therefore, I’ve gotten to interact with people from all over the organization, including physicians, nurses, administrators, patient financial services, coders, and information systems and app developers who are responsible for building a solution in EPIC. It has been a phenomenal experience! 

Outside of work, I’ve become an avid biker. I have been commuting to work every day on my new bike and have taken advantage of Iowa City’s extensive network of trails after work. I’ve also become an avid indulger of Taco Tuesday at El Patron and food trucks every Thursday at UIHC. I’m looking forward to catching up with my classmates in the next month and hearing about everyone else’s experience!