University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

By: Matt Brummond (MBA/MHA ‘20) Hello from beautiful Southern California! This summer I am working for Edwards Lifesciences as an intern in the Global Health Economics and Reimbursement (GHER) department.   Edwards (NYSE: EW) is a medical device company headquartered in Irvine, CA.   The Irvine campus has eight buildings and houses 4,000 of the company’s 12,000 employees.   Edwards specializes in producing transcatheter heart valves and critical care monitoring technology. The GHER department conducts outcomes research, reacts to changes to healthcare policy and reimbursement, and works to improve market access for Edwards products.   My role on the GHER team has been supporting the Critical Care business unit.   I have been fortunate to work on a wide range of projects that has provided me with a great learning experience.   For one of my projects I analyzed data and created graphs and figures for a manuscript on perioperative hypotension that is being submitt

By: Nicole Vershaw (MHA '20) Hello from Chicago! This summer I’ve had the incredible opportunity of interning at UChicago Medicine, a not-for-profit academic medical health system based on the campus of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park, with hospitals, outpatient clinics, and physician practices throughout Chicago, its suburbs, and Northwest Indiana. During my time at UCM I’ve had the absolute privilege of having Debi Albert, CNO and Senior VP of Patient Care Services, as my preceptor. Debi oversees all inpatient care including nursing, lab, pharmacy, therapy, business continuity, patient logistics, nursing excellence, patient experience, the ED, and the new Level 1 Trauma Center. Throughout my internship I’ve been able to work various projects. At UCM, patient falls are the largest category of reported safety events, with the injury resulting in increased costs, increased length of stay, decreased reimbursement and a negative impact on a patient’s quality of l

By: Alex Smolik (MHA '20) Hello from Grinnell! Located directly between Iowa City and Des Moines, UnityPoint Health—Grinnell Regional Medical Center (GRMC) is a 49 bed, private, nonprofit hospital that has been providing care across east central Iowa since 1919. Previously an independent hospital, Grinnell Regional Medical Center recently joined UnityPoint Health, one of the most integrated health systems in the nation. GRMC offers a range of services from da Vinci robotic surgeries to walk-in care, but the hospital is especially known for its nationally recognized Comprehensive Bariatric Center.  Projects are endless at Grinnell Regional Medical Center with some post-integration work still left to be completed. There is an intense focus on IT around the hospital with an Epic go live date of September 29 th creeping near. In addition to sitting on the Epic Steering Committee and assisting in go-live prep, I have had the opportunity to work with clinical staff to imp

By: Libby Kovert (MHA '20) Hello from Philadelphia! I have had the opportunity to spend my summer with Jefferson Health at the Methodist Hospital. Jefferson Methodist Hospital is a 168-bed inpatient urban community hospital located in South Philadelphia. I am lucky to be exposed to various types of healthcare settings, whether it be staying at Jefferson Methodist in South Philadelphia, traveling to the academic medical center, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, located in Center City, or visit the Navy Yard that houses ambulatory services. I have had an incredible experience and I am sad to be leaving in just two short weeks. I am fortunate to have Dennis Delisle, Vice President of Operations, as my preceptor. During my time as an Administrative Intern, I have been exposed to high level meetings and participated in collaborative discussions. I am currently working on creating a surge plan for the hospital to ensure proper allocation of staff and resources in the even

By: Dexter Golinghorst (JD/MHA '20) Greetings from Chicago! It is hard to believe that the summer is winding down. I’ve just concluded my eighth week at McDermott Will & Emery LLP as a summer associate in the firm’s health care group in the Chicago office. McDermott Will & Emery is an international law firm with 20 offices located across the United States and around the globe. McDermott has over 1,100 attorneys working for the firm in multiple areas of expertise. I am in the health group, which was recently recognized as the Health Practice Group of the Year by Law360. As a summer associate, I have worked on several projects ranging from broad research projects, to discrete regulatory matters. I have also had the opportunity to work on health transactions and participate in client calls and presentations. It has been really great to see attorneys at the top of their game in action and the work alongside other Iowa JD/MHA alumni that work at the firm. When I am not

By: Alexa Saco (MHA '20) This week marks my seventh week in my administrative internship at the Office of Statewide Clinical Education Programs (OSCEP).  OSCEP is part of the administrative offices of the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. We have a principal responsibility for developing and coordinating collegiate outreach programs for medical education and community service. Working under the guidance of Lynette Lancial, an alumna of the Master of Health Administration Program at the University of Iowa, has been nothing but wonderful. As for my main summer project, it involves creating an opportunities directory for the physician work force needs throughout the state of Iowa.  My responsibilities have included but not limited to speaking with administrators and executives throughout the state to better understand their recruitment needs, understanding mergers and acquisitions of health care systems and how this directly effects recrui

By: Kelsie Ferstl (MHA '20) Hello from Minneapolis! Today marks the start of my eighth week at HealthPartners, Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital. I am over halfway through my internship experience and cannot believe how fast the time has gone! HealthPartners is a large, integrated health system that serves over 1.2 million patients through 90+ clinics and hospitals in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Additionally, HealthPartners offers insurance in six states to 1.8 million members. Methodist Hospital is located on the southwest side of Minneapolis and is recognized as an area leader in cancer, cardiovascular and maternity care, and neurorehabilitation medicine.   Additionally, Methodist Hospital was recognized as a Watson Health Top 100 Hospital in 2019. I have had the privilege of serving as the Operations Intern under the direction of the President of Methodist Hospital and Vice President of Home Care, Hospice, and Community Senior Care, Jennifer Myster. I am working o

By: Emma McIntire (MHA '20) Greetings from Omaha! This summer I am working as a graduate administrative intern at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Children’s is the only full-service, pediatric healthcare center in the state of Nebraska and serves approximately 150,000 patients annually.   The hospital is currently home to 145 licensed beds, but is expected to grow quickly with the addition of the Hubbard Center for Children, a new nine-floor tower with over 100 new beds set to open in 2021. I work under the direction of Shaun Custard, Director of the Heart Center, and focus primarily on operations within the cardiac service line. I am currently working on a variety of engaging projects, including streamlining outreach clinic workflows for sites throughout Nebraska and surrounding states, analyzing OR start times to increase efficiency, and working with the Virtual Care Systems Coordinator to identify where the need and opportunities for tele