Mekenna Ollinger (MHA '23): UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital

 

Hello from Denver, Colorado!

This summer, I have been fortunate enough to spend my administrative internship at UCHealth at the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) in the Oncology Department with senior director, Khari Reed. Some may know him in the organization by his blue and yellow basketball sneakers, but I know him as a kind, thoughtful, and dedicated mentor and leader in healthcare.

Voted as #1 hospital in Colorado, UCH is a three region, non-profit healthcare system that sites hospitals and facilities throughout Colorado with affiliations in Wyoming and Nebraska. In the Metro Region, where UCH is located, in conjunction with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, it is a 678-bed, Level 1 trauma center with eight top-ranking specialties.

UCHealth’s internship is a 10-12 week cohort model program that provides students with an individual preceptor and department, with a plethora of opportunities such as a Green Belt certification, Lunch-and-Learns with executive leaders across the organization, tours of all three regions, shadowing clinicians to house supervisors, clinics to surgeries, one-on-one project coaching, and attending any and all high-level leadership meetings. Being an intern at an Academic Medical Center (AMC), a large organization, I have been able to remain independent, start conversations with leaders and clinicians, and advocate for my needs; which is certainly a pro to bouncing ideas and knowledge off of other interns and fellows. This organization truly invests in its interns because the fellowship search remains among past interns.

The main project that I am working on this summer is focused on increased patient access in Oncology Services Lines across all UCHealth clinics. UCHealth has an overarching strategic plan in Oncology of getting 62% of new patient visits (NPV) scheduled within 14 days. Administrators and clinicians have expressed not having enough clinic space, but compared to national metrics, oncology services are below utilization maximization, which will not grant expansion until, internally, gaps are found, and resolved. With the patient at the forefront, we realize that no patient wants to endure the anxiety of waiting 14 days from time of cancer diagnosis until he or she can be seen in clinic. As learned thus far, there are many metrics that account for “access” outcomes. Using the DMAIC framework, in my first six weeks, I have collected efficiency data, by provider, for nine ambulatory service lines, that has included fill rate, provider session times, NPV, return patient visit (RPV), and provider weekly schedules. Khari and I have decided to hone in on efficiency of providers and to discover other barriers such as scheduling rules in provider templates that causes delays. By the end of the summer, I hope to have worked closely with each practice administrator, the CMO, and Khari to provide a tool or best practice initiative to start working toward the benchmark of continued access with an outcome goal of improving patient satisfaction increasing revenue for space expansion in years to come.

While my main project devotes a good chunk of my time, aside from high-level meetings and shadowing in clinics, I have immersed myself in two smaller projects outside of Oncology in other areas of personal interest that I will begin next week; this is one example of how my internship and the people have allowed me to experience everything I desire and then some. Opportunities are limitless, and I have been impressed by the continuation of innovation here.

UCHealth emphasizes work-life balance, which can be tough in this industry, but I have fully taken advantage of it in Denver. Outside of my internship, I can confirm that I have not stopped moving since the second I moved in. Denver is always sunny but it is dry, so I have been able to be outside in 100 degree weather without profusely sweating. From hiking a “14er”, trying coffee shops, breweries, and every ice cream shop, Jazz and burgers in the park, white water rafting, camping, farmers markets, petting every dog I see (everyone owns a dog here), to Rockies games, I am thoroughly enjoying the colorful Colorado with the nine other interns. I have nothing but incredible thoughts and positive interactions toward all of my peers and mentors so far this summer.

I miss all of you, and I am looking forward to our final hoorah together in year 2!

*A Note From The Editor*

If you would like to keep up with Mekenna, you can find her here on LinkedIn!