Summer Internship: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC)

By: Nikki Haas

Hi all!

 

I’m writing from Iowa City where I am interning at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. So far this summer, I’ve had the privilege to work alongside numerous people in various departments across UI HealthCare, such as surgeons, financial analysts, coders, etc.  This includes my preceptor, Mark Henrichs, UIHC’s CFO and Assistant VP for Finance.

 

This summer I am primarily working on the Clinical Documentation Improvement initiative. It is one of twenty hospital-wide initiatives that have been chartered for FY21. The goal of this project is to create a standardized methodology that providers use when documenting in the patient’s electronic medical record. In effect, UIHC can assure more complete and accurate documentation, which will positively impact the adequacy, continuity, and quality of care, as well as improve reimbursement.

 

My specific role in the project is I am creating a Clinical Documentation Improvement Handbook that will be used as the CDI team onboards additional departments. The handbook provides an overview of the CDI initiative and educates readers of the purposes of the project, who is involved, what they do, etc. It also includes documentation best practices (top diagnosis codes to make sure are being documented) for each department, a data inventory, and a CDI glossary. The goal of this handbook is to help providers, administration, etc. better understand the initiative, which will increase engagement and longevity of the initiative. As a result, these factors should also decrease the amount of time it takes to complete this hospital-wide project.

 

In addition to my project work, I’ve participated in COVID federal funds meetings, telehealth and ILI clinic meetings, rounding in various departments around the hospital, and also Lunch and Learns with my fellow interns.

While this summer looks a little different than past years due to COVID, I’ve still been able to do many fun things outside of work. I’ve hiked at Lake MacBride, hung out at the Coralville reservoir, visited my family in my hometown, watched a ton of Netflix, and a lot more! It’s been a great month and I’m excited to continue my internship and hopefully see my cohort this fall!