University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

By: Ian Montgomery Clinical Associate Professor and Executive MHA Program Director Advancing to Leadership is the program’s tagline and that’s exactly what our 2018 graduates are doing! Within just four months of graduation, 75% of that cohort advanced to promotions or new jobs. One is Sean Boarini, (Executive) MHA '18, who is now the Director of Surgical Services at The Iowa Clinic in Des Moines. Sean shared his administrative expertise with our traditional-track first-year students when they were there for a site visit in September. (see below) Sean Boarini (Executive) MHA '18 presenting to first-year Iowa MHA traditional-track students. Two recent Executive MHA graduates chose to leave their employments and start administrative fellowships. Katie Fredericks, (Executive) MHA '18, joined Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles in July of this year and Katie Schaier, (Executive) MHA '18, will join UI Physicians in June 2019. Leaving employment after graduation to...

2018 First-Year EMHA Cohort  By: Ian Montgomery Clinical Associate Professor and Executive MHA Program Director  The executive MHA track continues to experience growth in almost every dimension. This year’s incoming cohort is the largest (15), has the highest percentage of clinicians (2/3), and most students attending our Des Moines campus (7). We are especially proud of the experiential diversity in our cohorts, with our five-year totals showing parity in clinician/manager enrollment.  The program currently has 28 instructors, and two-thirds of those are healthcare administrators. Almost every course has two instructors, with 82% (all but three courses) including at least one who also works as a healthcare administrator.  Bri Johnson has also been promoted to Coordinator of Executive Academic Programs where she’ll focus on prospective student development and faculty support.  We’re excited to start ramping up recruitment for 2019 admi...

By: Alexa Saco (MHA '20) The University of Iowa MHA Program has one of the most dedicated alumni bases in the country. Because of their support, we have been able to provide a record amount of financial assistance in 2018-19. Last fall and early spring, we were able to award over $37,680 in recruitment scholarships, and 28 Graduate Assistantships (worth approximately $630,000) to help recruit exceptionally talented MHA students to Iowa. Additionally, this fall we were able to provide over $19,000 in merit-based scholarships to our returning students to honor their outstanding work. Through the generosity of our alumni community, we are happy to be able maintain Iowa’s reputation of recruiting and developing outstanding MHA students.  A major priority of the University, College and our MHA program is to ensure our programs support diversity, equity and inclusion. By securing funding through the College of Public Health and the University of Iowa Graduate College, we...

MHA 2020 Cohort at UnityPoint Health - Des Moines with MHA alumni Swati Panchal (MHA '17) and Paige Jaeger (MHA '13) By: Alexa Saco (MHA '20)  For the first time as a class, the University of Iowa first-year MHA students made their way to Des Moines to visit with alumni at two different health care organizations. Being the first excursion of the year, the day started off right with coffee and doughnuts.  The first visit of the day was an exceptional presentation at The Iowa Clinic in West Des Moines. The students were greeted and given a thorough and engaging overview of The Iowa Clinic by alumnus and current Administrative Fellow, Carly Correll (MHA ’17). They were able to get the administrative and clinician perspectives on running a physician-owned health care organization from Pediatrician Dr. Dan Pelzer and the administrative perspectives from Director of Inpatient Surgical Services Sean Boarini (MHA ’18), and Jamie Carlson, the Chief Human Resources Offi...

By: Alexa Saco (MHA '20)  MHA Class of 2020 On August 20 th  the University of Iowa MHA program started the academic year with a group of 24 new students eager to begin their journey of master’s level education. The MHA class of 2020 is a well-rounded group of students showing outstanding potential for the future of health care. The incoming class is characterized by high levels of academic achievement paired with diverse backgrounds in the health care workforce. The new cohort’s work experiences range from positions as entry-level administrators in hospitals, health insurance consultants, x-ray technicians, Medicare coverage analysts, and much more. They bring an extensive amount of knowledge to the table from all aspects of health care and this is reflected in their appetite in the classroom. As far as extracurricular activities go over the first few months, the students have gotten involved in a wide variety. These include volunteer opportunities such as even...

By: Marisa Polonsky (MHA '19) University of Iowa MHA Students at Rush University Medical Center  The Iowa MHA Program has made it an annual tradition to attend the ACHE CHEF Fellowship Fair in Chicago. It was hosted this year in the beautiful facilities of the Northwestern Prentice Women’s Hospital on the evening of September 20th. This annual event provides an opportunity for our students to interact with other fellowship candidates from health administration programs across the Midwest, and network with current fellows and program sponsors from 30+ administrative fellowship programs across the country. To kick off the night, our very own Matthew Jerome (2nd year MHA Student) helped kick off the event by facilitating the Q & A session with ACHE President Deborah Bowen. Students then attended the Fellowship Fair and were able to rotate to tables representing each of the fellowship programs in attendance to learn about the program structure, application process, and un...

By: Cameron Steeples (MHA '19)  Nothing makes one appreciate the marvels of the modern world like air travel. In 1853, U.S. Naval Commodore, Matthew Perry, sent a legion of "Black Ships" to open a Japanese society that had been closed to the world for more than 200 years. His voyage took nine excruciating months and featured unpleasant distractions like malaria and yellow fever. By contrast, my trip took 16 hours and was marred by the comparitively mild indignity of a layover in Denver. In these dark days of anti-vaxxers and alternative facts, going airborne in a 300-ton contraption helps reaffirm one's belief in the primacy of the scientific method. During my three month internship in Japan, this respect for scientific progress and continuous improvement were readily apparent at both Kameda Medical Center (KMC) and Nihon Keiei Consulting Group (NKGR). From the cutting edge collaboration in the KMC Digital Pathology department, to the data analytics insights...

By: Benjamin Mohr (MHA '19)  Greetings!  This summer I had the opportunity to do my summer internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC). UIHC is a large, nationally ranked academic medical center that serves patients in the state of Iowa and beyond. UIHC employs more than 13,000 people, has 811 beds, and admits more than 36,000 patients annually for in-patient hospital care. UIHC is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in Gynecology, Pulmonology, Urology, Cancer, Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, and Otolaryngology. UIHC is also a Magnet Recognized organization for nursing, and I was able to be a part of the site visit this summer.  During my internship, I had the pleasure of working with Sabi Singh, the Chief Operating Officer at UIHC, who served as my preceptor. About 60-70% of my project work this summer was in perioperative services, where I worked directly with many clinical and non-clinical leaders. One of my larger proje...

By: Bobby Skogsbergh (MHA '19)  This summer I have had the privilege of interning for two different healthcare systems. My internship has consisted of splitting time between Atrium Health in North Carolina and Advocate Aurora Health in Illinois and Wisconsin.  Atrium Health is a comprehensive not-for-profit healthcare system based out of Charlotte, North Carolina that spans across South Carolina and Georgia as well. This healthcare system employs over 65,000 individuals and has roughly 32,000 patient encounters each day. My time spent in Charlotte was under the guidance of Atrium Health CEO Mr. Gene Woods, and the experience included exposure to every facet of their system. I split time between their 874 bed flagship hospital, Carolinas Medical Center, as well as the support center where Mr. Woods and his team of executives oversee the system-wide enterprise. A significant portion of my experience involved strategy, growth, and access within the core market of Atriu...

By: Layne Croney (MHA '19) This summer I had the opportunity to intern for PacificSource Health Plans in Springfield, Oregon.  PacificSource is an independent, not-for-profit community health plan that provides medical and dental benefits to more than 3,900 Northwest employers and covers more than 272,000 people with group and individual health insurance plans. The full-service organization has licensure in four states—Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Washington—and employs around 1,000 people. My preceptor, Mr. Ken Provencher, President and CEO since 2001, helped make my experience with PacificSource excellent by ensuring I had ample opportunity to both work and interact with him and numerous other members of the Executive Management Group (EMG). In addition to bi-monthly one-on-one meetings with my preceptor, I was also very fortunate to get to attend the monthly EMG meetings and have individual meetings with almost all 28 members of the group.  O...

By: Garret Danelz (MHA '19) Bleeding Black & Gold in Northwestern Wildcat territory. This morning, I walked into the hospital for the last day of my summer internship at NorthShore University HealthSystem. Located just north of Chicago, NorthShore is an integrated health system housing four hospitals – Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park, and Skokie. NorthShore was the first Illinois healthcare system to be Magnet-recognized and has been named to the Watson Health Top 100 Hospitals list a record 19 times. NorthShore is also dedicated to medical education and research as the teaching affiliate for the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. My preceptor, Dave Rahija, President of the Skokie Hospital campus, has successfully leveraged these unique aspects of NorthShore and integrated them into my internship experience. Dave believes in high-level exposure and has given me a seat at the table at many Executive Leadership meetings. I have grown both personally ...

By : Jamison Robinett (MHA '19) Greetings from beautiful Utah! This summer I have been privileged to be the administrative intern at St. Mark’s Hospital, the flagship hospital for Hospital Corporation of America’s Mountain Division, also known as MountainStar Healthcare. Sitting in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, St. Mark’s was the first hospital in the state and has been providing Utahans and surrounding residents with compassionate and quality healthcare s ervices for nearly 150 years. Today, St. Mark’s is a 308-bed community hospital which employs approximately 2,000 individuals, treats 55,000 patients annually in the emergency department, and performs 34,000 surgeries each year.  If someone were to ask me to describe the ideal internship, I don’t think that my description would deviate much from my experience at St. Mark’s. From day one, I was adopted into the administrative team and hit the ground running. My preceptor was not one individual, but rather the entire ad...

By: Hannah Fink (MHA ’19) Hello from Ada, Oklahoma! This summer I have enjoyed the opportunity to be an administrative intern at Mercy Hospital Ada. The Mercy ministry is located within the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Additional clinics, outpatient services, and outreach ministries are in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Mercy Hospital Ada is a 156-bed community hospital with multiple specialty clinics. My experience has expanded well beyond the hospital walls. I have attended biweekly Mercy West regional leadership meetings in Oklahoma City, as well as leadership events in Joplin, MO and Rogers, AR. I have been working alongside an astounding preceptor and accessible senior leadership team. My preceptor believes I should not only gain experience through project work, but also by shadowing and working in different hospital departments in order to benefit from various perspectives. I have spent time in dietary services, environmental services, em...

By: Mathew Jerome (MHA '19)  I have had the opportunity to spend my summer interning with the University of Iowa Physician’s group, or UIP. UIP is Iowa’s largest multi-specialty medical and surgical group, with over 1,000 physicians working in 19 different departments. The physician’s group falls under the UI Health Care umbrella, where medicine, research, and education intersect as part of the larger academic medical center.  Working for an organization like UIP has allowed me to be involved in a wide variety of projects and experiences. UIP recently took over the intake and implementation of all telemedicine initiatives within UIHC, and I have been able to work on the team that facilitates these new telemedicine projects. Working directly with doctors, administrators, clinicians, project managers, HCIS, and finance has given me a broad and valuable foundation on which to build my career as I move forward. Another great experience has been leading my own piece of a...

By: Zach Ahrens (MHA '19) Greetings from Iowa City! This summer I had the opportunity to intern at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC). This 5.5+ million square foot facility is home to 811 hospital beds, and annually admits more than 36,000 patients and receives more than 60,000 emergency room visits. UIHC employs roughly 1,648 physicians, dentists, residents, and fellows, in addition to over 9,900 non-physician staff members, 2,300 nurses and 1,400 volunteers. All working together to provide world class health care to the residents of Iowa. During my internship, I had the distinct pleasure of having Dr. Theresa Brennan, the Chief Medical Office (CMO) of UIHC, as my preceptor. I have been able to work closely with Dr. Brennan on data-driven projects that focus on a wide variety of populations such as palliative care patients and the physicians that work for UIHC. Additionally, since Dr. Brennan is a board-certified Interventional Cardiologist, I have shad...

By: Mackenzie Schutz (MHA '19) Hello from Minnesota! This summer has offered me a unique and truly valuable opportunity to return to my home town community to experience the challenges and opportunities of rural healthcare delivery.   New Ulm Medical Center (NUMC), a part of Allina Health, is a non-profit hospital and clinic striving to be a national model for rural healthcare. Being part of a larger system allows the medical center the opportunity to realize additional opportunities for cost savings, expertise, and standardization when appropriate.  This summer I am under the direction of NUMC President, Toby Freier; however, I am fortunate to have access to the expertise, talent, and leadership skills of all members of the administrative staff. The immense amount of hard work and resilience throughout the organization has established for me many admirable leadership skills and qualities I desire to emulate as a young careerist and beyond.  Although small...

By: Brayden Longnecker (MHA '19) Interstate-380 and I have become very good friends this summer as I’ve traveled many miles back and forth from Iowa City to UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids. UnityPoint Health (UPH), St. Luke’s is part of a system that employs more than 34,000 and operates 37 hospitals of varying sizes. About a dozen Iowa MHA graduates work for UPH in Cedar Rapids and I’ve had the opportunity to meet with many of them. Joe Kim (MHA ’17) has an office just two doors down from mine and he’s been a great resource. The team here at St. Luke’s has been incredibly welcoming and supportive of having an intern around for which I am very grateful.  My time at work has been a combination of observation and project work. My preceptor, Joe Linn, VP of Operations, expressed to me the value of watching leaders in action as well as working on projects. He oversees seven functional areas including Behavioral Health and Human Resources which are b...

By: Marisa Polonsky (MHA '19) Greetings from Boston! I have been incredibly lucky to spend my summer as an administrative intern at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which is currently ranked #4 in the US News and World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll. It is nationally ranked in 16 adult and 3 pediatric specialties. Established in 1811, the MGH is the third oldest general hospital in the country and the site of many historic achievements. These include the first public demonstration of anesthesia (in 1846) and first medical social service (established in 1905). Along with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and several other institutions, the MGH is part of the Partners HealthCare system.  This summer my project work has been focused in the Pathology Department under the guidance of my preceptor Jeannette Le, Director of Laboratory Medicine Operations. I have also received guidance from Bill Hynes, Executive Director, MGH Pathology Service. My projects have focused on bil...

By: Ashley Holstun (MHA '19)  Greetings from America’s Dairyland! I am spending my summer at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (CHW) in Milwaukee. I am very fortunate to be under the direction of my preceptor, Scott Turner, COO (MA ’97). CHW is a private, independent, non-profit health care system dedicated solely to caring for pediatric patients and their families. At our Milwaukee hospital we have 298 beds and are considered a Level 1 Trauma Center. Our hospital located in Fox Valley currently has 42 beds, 22 of which are for NICU babies. Although we are an independent system, we are a major teaching affiliate of the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). We also have several “care closer to home” sites including 25 primary care clinics, 16 behavioral health care locations, and an outpatient surgery center. CHW is heavily involved in the community with 25 community services locations helping to advance our mission of making Wisconsin kids the healthiest in the nation....

By: Loralyn Werkmeister (MHA/MBA, 2019) This summer I’ve had the pleasure of interning with MediRevv, here in Coralville, Iowa. MediRevv is a revenue cycle management company that helps healthcare organizations across the United States improve cash flow and grow revenue. Through its wide array of service lines such as full business office outsourcing, insurance and patient pay A/R follow up, and medical coding services, MediRevv serves as a valued partner to academic medical centers, physician groups, and local community hospitals alike. MediRevv is in its 11 th  year of operation and was recently named the Corridor Business Journal’s 11 th  Fastest Growing Company!  There are many sayings at MediRevv, including that of Work Hard, Play Hard. And you know they mean it when it’s printed on the lanyards staff wear with their badges every day! My time with MediRevv has been just that- I’ve worked hard, and I’ve played hard. I’ve been fortunate to shadow and work with m...