Summer Internship: Kaiser Permanente


By: Ryan O'Malley (MHA '19)
Kaiser Permanente is an organization that consists of three branches. The Kaiser Health Plans (Which I am employed), Kaiser Family Hospitals and Permanente Medical Groups. Kaiser works very differently than other health care organizations because the payer and provider are all under the same umbrella. Kaiser Permanente spans 10 states mostly in the west, but also Georgia, Maryland, DC and Virginia. I work in a Kaiser Health Plan office in IT Process Consulting. 
My work consists of analyzing data from a recently gone live IT ticketing system called ServiceNow and helping with developing IT processes for service continuity. I also worked on a project to match warning incident signs with possible user restoration server failures. The internship program also consists of weekly meetings with other interns and a tour of the Kaiser innovation center this week. 
Working for the Kaiser Health Plan is interesting because it is the branch that binds the other two together. The work we do in process consulting helps develop the method for large scale tasks such as implementing new software at hospitals and medical offices. It seems to put me at a distance from the actual health care being performed, yet is important to keeping the entire organization running. 
Outside of work I have explored the bay area as well as Sacramento. Last weekend I visited some family friends in Sacramento and since one of them is a physician he gave me a tour of a brand-new Kaiser Clinic. Many of the design elements I noted were like the new Stead Family Children’s hospital. I really like how healthcare is transforming spaces into more welcoming, patient friendly and light filled spaces to help make the entire healthcare experience better for all.
Overall, I think this internship is really showing me the corporate and insurance side of health care. It is a valuable experience to learn about the things that go behind the scenes to make healthcare technology work for the providers and ultimately lead to better patient care.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adriana Kotchkoski (MHA '24): Nihon Keiei Consulting Group

Image
Konnichiwa from Japan!   As I sit down to write this blog post, I am filled with a sense of gratitude and accomplishment as I reflect on my time as an intern at Nihon Keiei Consulting Group in Osaka, Japan. This summer has been nothing short of remarkable, offering me a unique blend of professional development and cultural immersion that I will cherish forever.   During my time at Nihon Keiei, I had the opportunity to engage in in-depth research and analysis, creating comprehensive market profiles for the healthcare sectors in the Philippines and India. These profiles laid the foundation for strategic expansion plans, and it was an honor to present my findings and recommendations to a senior consultant during insightful one-on-one meetings. These interactions were not only professionally enriching but also allowed me to witness firsthand how strategic decisions shape the course of an organization's growth.   One of the most rewarding experiences during my internship was t...
Read more

Devante Davis (MHA '24): UCHealth - Southern Region

Image
Hello my name is Devante Davis I am going into my 2 nd year as an MHA student at the University of Iowa!    I am currently interning at UCHEALTH southern region in Colorado Springs, and UCHEALTH mission statement is to Improve lives through providing quality care. My preceptor is Andrew Ritchie the Chief Operation Officer of the UCHEALTH southern region. He great a developing talent while unlocking hiding potential within his interns, and fellow! My favorite project was evaluating what the rest of the world is doing to recover from this global nursing shortage. Summarizing the data and be a part of creating a valuable plan to implement into the UCHEALTH southern region. A few other fun events I attended were the pikes peak annual racing event, viper’s baseball game, the incline!  
Read more

Naudya Chhuon, UIHC Accounting and Financial Services (MHA '25)

Image
This summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Finance and Accounting Services team (FAS) at the University of Iowa. My internship allowed me to better understand what it is like to work in finance and accounting, especially within the healthcare industry. From managing a vaccination clinic project to tackling financial models, I got to contribute to some and be a part of some fun projects. One of the highlights of my internship was being the go-to person for all things related to the HPV vaccination clinic with the Population Health team. This project provides Shoes for patients under 13 years old who obtain their 2 nd  dose of the HPV vaccine. I found myself at the center of communication between four different teams, which meant I got to lead meetings, and make sure we were all on the same page. Our big event is coming up in the second week of August, and I am proud of how smoothly everything has been running so far.  Another big part of my summer was getting my han...
Read more