University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

Hello! My name is McKenna Raimer and I am a JD/MHA student. This summer I am an administrative intern with Finance & Accounting Services at the University of Iowa Healthcare. It has been a great experience and from day one, I have been welcomed into a warm and supportive team of professionals who have been more than willing to guide me through the ins and outs of healthcare finance. I am incredibly lucky to be mentored and guided by my preceptor, Beth Jaggers (Director of Decision Support), and intern with fellow MHA student, Roderick Pierce II.   The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, with new technologies, reimbursement models, and patient expectations and this internship has exposed me to the challenges and opportunities that come with these changes. As an accounting and finance intern, I’ve been able to learn how to navigate the unique challenges of this dynamic environment, balancing the need for quality care with fiscal responsibility. Many of the projects I have...

 Greetings from Columbus, Ohio!  I have been spending my summer in OhioHealth’s Corporate Human Resources Department and have absolutely loved my time in Columbus and with OhioHealth. OhioHealth comprises 14 hospitals throughout the state of Ohio with 30,000 associates and 5,000 providers. I am one of six administrative residents this summer and have had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the OhioHealth family and culture. My preceptor, Sara Craig, is the Director of HR Shared Services, including the HR Resource Center (HRRC), the Associate Advocacy Center, Mergers and Acquisition Support, HR Compliance, and Leave Benefits. My focal point project has been creating and implementing an associate experience survey for the HR Resource Center. The HRRC is a team of 14 HR professionals who provide resolutions on a wide variety of HR-related inquiries such as policies, compensation, benefits, tuition reimbursement, and so much more. I have had the opportunity to utilize a lot...

 Hello from Steamboat Springs, Colorado! This summer I have had the lovely opportunity of completing my summer internship through UCHealth with Yampa Valley Medical Center. My preceptor is the President/CEO of the hospital, Soniya Fidler. Yampa Valley Medical Center is a Level III trauma center with 34 beds, serving the Northwest Colorado region. Steamboat Springs is a small mountain town with a high tourist population, known for skiing and winter sports but becoming increasingly known for its gorgeous summers. From day one, I have been welcomed and accepted with open arms. When it comes to project work, I have been so thankful for the leadership team here is so willing to hand projects off to me with ample guidance along the way. My main project work has been case costing using tools like procedural analytics to identify opportunities to reduce costs for total knee, total hip, and select spinal cases. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to manage a workforce aimed at addressi...

Hello from Milwaukee! This summer I have the privilege of being a summer associate at Foley and Lardner LLP. I am one of 94 summer associates worldwide and one of 17 here in the Milwaukee office. Foley and Lardner is a full-service law firm specializing in many different areas. Worldwide, Foley and Lardner LLP have almost 1,200 attorneys and has been providing legal services for over 180 years. The rich history of the firm is very interesting and an aspect that is appreciated by those who make up the firm. Foley and Lardner LLP is the 29 th  highest-grossing law firm in the world and serves many diverse sets of individual clients and corporations. Something that is special about Foley and Lardner is that the firm has a strong commitment to pro bono services. Every attorney is required to give back by providing pro bono services locally, and nationally. Whether it be through partnerships with the Boys & Girls Club, or pro bono services to smaller corporations, the firm’s commitm...

  Hello from Iowa City!     This summer, I have had the excellent opportunity of doing my summer internship with the University of Iowa Physicians (UIP), specifically in their Patient Access Center. UIP is one of the major areas of the University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC), with the Patient Access Center being a major area of UIP.  The Patient Access Center is at the University Capitol Center in downtown Iowa City. The Patient Access Center also work s with the Integrated Call Center and the Admission Transfer Center. My direct preceptor is the D irector of the Patient Access Center, Keri Semrau, RN MSN. Keri has been the Director of the Patient Access Center and Integrated Call Center since 2015, and she has been nothing but a tremendous preceptor, mentor, and an example of a great leade r . I have also had the opportunity of working closely with the Director of Operations and the Director of Ancillary Services .     So far this summer, I have bee...

Hello! My name is Alexa Colella and I am an incoming 2nd year Master of Health Administration student at the University of Iowa. My professional interests include entrepreneurship, workplace culture and health, holistic health, health innovation, and health technology. My personal interests include weightlifting, hiking, traveling, thrill-seeking, theatre, reading, animal documentaries, and photography. This summer, I am completing an administrative internship with revology , in the heart of downtown Iowa City. r evology is a technology-enabled revenue cycle management startup firm that helps providers get more from their revenue cycle . Our good humans and smart technology enable health systems across the U.S. to transform their revenue cycle management process , adding more to their bottom line. My preceptor this summer is Chris Klitgaard , the CEO of revology . Chris is an alumnus of our MHA program and has been working in revenue cycle for most of his career. He has started ...

Hello from my hometown of Highlands Ranch, Colorado!  Highlands Ranch, Colorado is a planned community in the Denver Metro area with a population of just over 100,000 people. This summer, I have the pleasure of working at UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital (HRH), which just celebrated its 4 th  birthday earlier this summer! I am so lucky to be working with my formal preceptor Chris Bianca, VP of Operations! I am grateful to the entire senior management group and leadership team for letting me learn from them and be immersed in the amazing culture. UCHealth is comprised of multiple regions, hospitals, clinics, and a medical group. This summer, UCHealth is hosting 4 Iowa students across the state! By the end of the summer, I will have had the opportunity to travel to all the regions and tour many of the different hospitals. The mission of improving lives is seen across the system and I can wholeheartedly say that I see it every day at HRH.  My internship has been a mix of ro...

  Greetings from Iowa City!     This summer I am interning at the University of Iowa Healthcare in Finance & Accounting Services. In the short amount of time as an intern, I've been exposed to a lot of leaders within the department and organization. I have truly learned a lot about what I can do to heighten my skills as a future healthcare administrator and leader.   Beth Jaggers is my preceptor, and she is the Director of Decision Support as well as the instructor for our Finance courses for the MHA program.  The projects that I am working on involve supporting 4 other directors in various roles as well as participating in various teams across the finance department.   Right from the get-go I got involved in a ton of projects that are not only focused on finance but involve population health as well. From day 1 we split up the projects that the past interns were working on and received new ones from various leaders in the department. Some of the projec...