University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

By: Katie Gaudian Burlington, Iowa has kept me very busy this summer. From exciting projects at my internship to adventurous weekend trips with family and friends, I haven’t slowed down since the start. Great River Health Systems is a regional integrated health-care system that includes a 378-bed medical center, a 160-bed long-term and skilled care facility, a hospice house, a home health agency, retail pharmacies, retail medical equipment and supplies providers, and multiple specialty and primary care physician clinics. I have had a chance to look into each of these areas as well as see how they all work together. Specific projects that I have worked on include researching and updating core privileges for physician credentialing, taking part in a cost containment team, standardizing the outside lab referral process, increasing provider efficiency in the EHR with data analysis, diving into market data, and many more. Not only have I been able to attend all the meetings my heart ...

By: Jeralyn Westercamp Hello from the Quad Cities! You know it's summer in Iowa when RAGBRAI rolls across the state from its origin in Sioux City to its finish in Davenport. Much like the riders in RAGBRAI, I have encountered multiple cities and gazed at agricultural scenery in my commute to the Quad Cities. The Quad Cities includes the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa along with Rock Island and Moline in Illinois. I have had the privilege to intern with the Quad Cities UnityPoint Clinic Administration in Moline, where I experience the best of both states daily. I have been fortunate to receive exposure at the system, regional, and individual level through my internship with UnityPoint Clinic. UnityPoint Clinic is a part of UnityPoint Health, which is the 15th largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. with 8 regions, more than 280 physician clinics, and 29 hospitals throughout Iowa and Illinois. UnityPoint Clinic utilizes nearly 900 physicians and providers ...

By: Amber Badolato I feel very fortunate to be an Administrative Intern at Mercy Health Network.    Mercy Health Network (MHN) was founded in 1998 under a joint operating agreement between two of the largest Catholic, not-for-profit health organizations in the United States: Catholic Health Initiatives, based in Englewood Colorado, and Trinity Health, based in Livonia, Michigan. The network includes: Major Medical Centers: Mercy Medical Center—Clinton Mercy Medical Center—Des Moines Mercy Medical Center—Dubuque Mercy Medical Center—North Iowa (Mason City) Mercy Medical Center—Sioux City Network Affiliates:   31 Mike Trachta, VP – Network CAH Operations at Mercy Health Network, is an alumnus of the University of Iowa MBA/MHA program, and my preceptor. Mike has done a remarkable job of helping me feel welcome as a new intern. Over the past 10 weeks, Mike has provided me with many opportunities to meet with senior leaders across...

By: Mitch Cote Hello from Motor City! I’m spending the summer in Royal Oak, a Detroit suburb, interning at Beaumont Health. A Michigan native, I feel blessed to be back in my home state for the summer. I have enjoyed exploring Detroit and spending time “up north” with family and friends; Northern Michigan is truly beautiful in the summer. In September of 2014, Beaumont Health System, Botsford Health Care, and Oakwood Healthcare reached an affiliation agreement to form a new health system called Beaumont Health. In March, President and CEO, John Fox, began his tenure at Beaumont Health. It has been incredible witnessing first-hand as this new entity evolves. My preceptor is fellow Central Michigan University alumna Laura Glenn, Senior Vice President of Beaumont Health Physician Partners. Since the affiliation, Laura has been leading the integration of the three medical groups from each legacy system - no small task. Being exposed to these integration efforts is a truly invaluable ...

By: Taylin Stoner Greetings from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. My time as an intern has flown by thus far and it is unimaginable to think that I have only a few short weeks left. With the support of my preceptor, Scott Turner, Co-COO and Executive Director of UI Children's Hospital, I have had opportunities to attend a wide array of meetings, observe various units and departments, and work with highly motivated executives and staff members. One central project that myself as well as three of the other interns are working on is the annual space survey of the roughly 12,800 designated spaces of the hospital.  Being a part of the UIHC team for the summer has also lent me the chance to understand all of the effort and dedication necessary in constructing a new children’s hospital. I am involved in the Transition and Activation Planning (TAP) meetings and have a role in assisting with the beginning stages of care coordination process development. Visio is becoming m...

By: Patrick Rafferty Hello everyone!   I am writing to you from Nashville, Tennessee where I am the administrative intern at TriStar Skyline Medical Center.   Skyline Medical Center is an acute-care facility licensed for 223 beds and part of TriStar Health, which consists of 18 hospitals in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia.   Skyline also has a sister hospital called TriStar Skyline Madison Campus that is a 121-bed inpatient and outpatient behavioral health facility.   Although most of my time has been spent at Skyline Medical Center, I have been lucky enough to have experiences at both facilities. I have, also, been very fortunate in being able to attend meetings at the division level with the President of TriStar Health, Steve Corbeil, an alumnus of the program. Working with the administrative team at Skyline has been an invaluable experience thus far. Skyline Medical Center is a booming facility going through many exciting changes. Most not...

By: David Nelson Ostukare sama desu and greetings from Japan! This summer I have had the privilege of interning at one of the best private hospitals in Japan, Kameda Medical Center. Kameda Medical Center is located in Chiba Prefecture, on the southeastern coast of Japan. Since the early 1990’s, my preceptor, John Wocher, Vice President and Director of International Patient Relations, has hosted students from the University of Iowa and has given students the opportunity to experience and learn about an entirely different healthcare system. As a bit of background on Kameda Medical Center, one of the more astonishing parts of the organization is the long-standing leadership of the Kameda family. For more than 350 years, dating all the way back to the Edo period of Japan, the Kameda family has been practicing and innovating in medicine. The current Chairman, Dr. Takaaki Kameda, represents the 11th generation of the Kameda lineage to practice medicine – truly amazing. In mor...