University of Iowa Health Management & Policy

Hello from Chicago! I am reporting from Ann & Robert H Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago where I have been having an incredible summer as one of their two administrative interns! Lurie Children’s is one of the few freestanding, not-for-profit children’s hospitals left in the US. With 360 all-private beds, Lurie is a powerhouse in pediatric, academic medicine for Chicago residents, Midwesterners, and children and their families around the world. While Lurie leads in academic medicine, tertiary care, and quaternary care, the organization is also deeply committed to patient advocacy, education, and improving the community it serves. It does this through its partnerships with many outreach sites and primary care practices, the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute, and the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities (named after the former CEO of Lurie Children’s that served as CEO and President of the organization for 22 years). I have been fortunate enough to work di...

  Greetings from Iowa City! This summer, I have been enjoying my time with the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics Ophthalmology Department under the direct mentorship of Denise Rettig. Denise is the Clinical Department Administrator for the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. She is an alum of the University of Iowa MHA program and the MBA program. I joined UIHC on June 1 st . While I have only been a part of the community for a short period of time, U have been able to be included in the culture of UIHC and join in on several projects. My main project has been creating a clinical trial step-by-step “playbook” to help ensure that new trials begin in a uniform way. This has involved meeting with key players in the trial process, mapping out instructions on beginning a project, and coordinating with the team on how to format instructions. I have also been working closely with Matt Browning. Matt Is the Constituent Relations Specialist for the Department of Ophtha...

Hello from Iowa City! This summer I am working as an administrative intern for inpatient operations at UIHC. So far, my experience has exceeded my expectations. I have been fortunate enough to work on a lot of projects in the month that I have been working here so far and I have already experienced tremendous personal and professional growth in that time. Having so much exposure to the executive-level leadership at UIHC has given me a renewed sense of determination to accomplish my goals in healthcare administration. While I am technically the intern for Greg Kirkman (Executive Director of Adult Inpatient Operations) I have been fortunate enough to support many people at the hospital including Dr. Theresa Brennan (Chief Medical Officer). I even had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Brennan as she performed rounds in the CVICU which felt like a rare opportunity to really observe someone of that experience level as they engaged in patient care that I will never forget. This broad experience ...

Hello, my name is Hariram Saravanan, and I am an MHA student at the University of Iowa. This summer, I Interned at Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, Illinois. Rush Copley has a work culture similar to Iowa’s and some notable Alumni from UIowa’s Program. John Diedrich, the CEO of Rush Copley, and Dave Petasnick, my preceptors, are alumni.    Dave has been an excellent preceptor and mentor in my professional journey. He, along with members of the administrative team, has been accommodating while I navigate my plans. Dave also believes in a good work-life balance and allows me to take time off when needed. I had some issues come up with housing, and he was very understanding and supportive when he encouraged me to take time off to figure it out. He lets me independently learn and seek opportunities I am genuinely interested in while giving me advice.  My biggest project is optimizing the screening colonoscopy process to reduce backlogs within the scheduling. I have utili...

Hello from Cleveland, Ohio! This summer, I have had the amazing opportunity of interning at the Cleveland Clinic in the Orthopaedic and Rheumatologic Institute as a Graduate Administrative Intern. I have the privilege of working directly under Program Manager, Evan Stanley and my project sponsor, Mike Miller- Institute Finance Director, as well as the countless others throughout the organization that have offered support and guidance throughout my experience. I have learned something new every day (more like a dozen), and the ongoing support and challenge from my preceptors has made this experience nothing short of amazing. From day one, the entire institute has kindly welcomed and incorporated me into many initiatives around access, clinical operations, and growth strategy. As an enterprise, Cleveland Clinic invests in their interns whole-heartedly which has allowed me to see so many different facets of this leading organization.  Cleveland Clinic's internship is a 10-week cohort ...

Greetings from Iowa City!   This summer, I have been enjoying my time with the University of Iowa Physicians (UIP) under the direct mentorship of Rachel Kirchner and Auriel Luna . Rachel is the Director of UI Community Clinics (UICC) and Interim Director o f UI Health Ventures (UIHV), s he is responsible for leading UICC and Outreach strategies and initiatives. Auriel is the Administrative Fellow for UIP . Rachel is an alum of the MHA program and Auriel is an alum of the EMHA program at the University of Iowa. I joined UICC on June 5 th . Although I have only been part of the community for a brief period of time , I have been able to immerse myself in the UICC culture and jump in on several key projects. My main project has been creating a peer chart review system for the Department of Family Medicine. This involved meeting with several doctors from the Family Medicine department, creating a randomized review list and survey, completing epic training, and the use of several E...

Hello  from New Ulm, Minnesota! This summer I am the administrative intern at New Ulm Medical Center (NUMC). NUMC is a critical access hospital with a primary service area of about 50,000. I did not know what I was getting into when I decided to come to New Ulm, but it has been exciting ! A small town of 14,000, New Ulm has more than meets the eye, with parks and entertainment all over town, I am never bored. This small town boasts a strong German heritage and much of this history can be seen throughout NUMC and the town. New Ulm Medical Center is part of a larger system called Allina Health and is one of 9 region al hospitals in the system. Currently, the system is in financial trouble which has made my time here fast-paced  and challenging.    With the troubling financial situation, a lot of my projects have been focused on finances and cutting costs. Through this, I have been able to apply a lot of my classroom work to the real world.  My main project th...