Sarah Guritz (MHA '22): University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics - Revenue Cycle Management

Hello from Iowa City! 

This summer, I have had the opportunity to intern at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) under Mark Henrichs, interim CFO of UI Health Care. In addition, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside and shadowing project managers, financial planners, budget/financial officers, coders, and auditors.   

My main project this summer is working on the hospital-wide Coding and Documentation Improvement (CDI) initiative. The purpose of the CDI Program is to improve documentation accuracy, to improve communication, continuity, and quality of care. As a result, accurate public reporting metrics can be sent out, and proper reimbursement will be rendered. My focus has been on conducting data analysis of clinic and departmental data to identify key Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRGs) where areas of opportunity exist. I have pulled Vizient data from Tableau to see how UIHC compares to other Academic Medical Centers over the past several fiscal years. 

I have also been working on a benchmarking analysis project under the direction of Mary Ann Allan, Director of Budget. The goal is to conduct market research on outpatient departments to assess the current performance levels and identify areas of improvement when compared to other institutions. We have identified clinic expense percentiles that fell into the 20th percentile and below and 80th percentile and above to assess best practices and standardized processes. 

Additional opportunities I have taken part in are capital plan meetings for FY21-25, operating budget meetings, noon seminars, and rounding. Rounding has been a great experience to gather insight on a variety of departments such as safety and security, engineering services, food and nutrition, community clinics, and pharmacy operations.   

On the weekends, I have enjoyed taking time to relax, going to the Coralville reservoir, boating in Des Moines and Lake Geneva, and going home to visit my family in Nebraska.

*A Note From The Editor*

If you would like to keep up with Sarah, you can find her here at LinkedIn! 

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