Internships and Updates of some of our University of Utah MHA Graduates

2009 MHA Graduates

Front Row: Carol Hsieh, Janelle Robinson, Dir. Debbie Scammon, Amy Gooch

Back Row: John North, Bart Lefan, Jake Budd, Shane Whittier, Chad Colby, Anthony Rodebush

Jake Budd-

Interned with the Intermountain Medical Group located at the Central Office of Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jake worked on an innovative Best Practices Library where physicians, directors, managers and quality improvement teams can share their work within the Medical Group. Jake also prepared a business plan for onsite clinics and assisted in the creation of Intermountain Medical Group's five year strategic plan.

Jake has accepted an administrative fellowship in Michigan with the Henry Ford Health System to begin July 2009.

Bart LeFan-

Interned as a Financial Analyst for the Division of Otolaryngology (ENT) within the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.

Bart organized a reliable accounting system for hearing aid sales, and helped to increase the profitability of the Audiology Clinic. He led a supply chain consolidation in order to gain better "bulk-rate" prices on supplies and to reduce the amount of paperwork for providers. He also organized a joint sales promotion with a major manufacturer, increasing revenues by $50,000.

Bart also spent time investigating the viability of a joint-venture surgical center with other University physician groups. This greenfield project in the central Salt Lake Valley was valued at $50 million. Pro formas were generated to determine the space, staffing, and patient volume needed to make the venture profitable.

Bart will continue in a full-time position with the Division of Otolaryngology and the Department of Surgery.

John North-

Interned with Edward Hospital and Health Services in Naperville, Illinois.

In 2007 Edward was recognized as the number one hospital for quality in Chicago’s south and west suburbs as well as number one for overall quality among non-academic hospitals in the Chicagoland area.

John reviewed current policies and procedures and compared them with what was actually done. He then recommended policy changes to human recourses based on the hospital's new no-lift policy; which is that patients are not to be manually lifted by caregivers. John also worked with the Home Health division to decrease the number of rehospitalizations. By analyzing patient data, John determined populations with greater risk of readmission and recommended policy changes based on his findings. Lastly John modified medication administration protocols and procedures for the pharmacy department.

John has commissioned into the Navy Medical Service Corps. His first selected assignment will be in the health clinic of the New London, Connecticut Submarine Base. Prior to his service in Connecticut, he will attend Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island.

Janelle Robinson-

Interned at Castleview Hospital in Price, Utah.

Janelle developed separate action plans to increase satisfaction scores in the Emergency Department, and amongst employees and physicians. She worked with the HR Department to collect data/information and to update job descriptions for positions throughout the entire hospital.

Janelle also worked with the Director of Quality and Risk Management in the hospital to identify risk management trends, risk reduction initiatives and performance improvement outcomes. Based on the findings, Janelle created a poster/visual display which shared this information with hospital employees in an effort to increase quality throughout the hospital.

Janelle has accepted a fellowship at the University of Utah Hospital under the direction of Mr. David Entwistle, CEO, to begin June 2009.

Anthony Rodebush-

Interned at HCA's Ogden Regional Medical Center in Ogden, Utah.

Anthony wrote the MD Navigate implementation toolkit; a step by step process for primary-care-to-specialist referrals through an HCA Call Center. With the Hospital CEO, Anthony implemented MD Navigate for two primary care clinics and more than one hundred specialists.

Other projects included key pay practice changes, a three year physician recruitment strategy, preparation for and response to the Joint Commission accreditation survey, and the implementation of new hospital services including, hyperbaric medicine, pet ct, big bore ct, and infusion services.

Anthony has accepted a position with Ogden Regional Medical Center as Director of Imaging and Outpatient Development.

Shane Whittier-

Interned at the Mountain West Surgical Center, located in Bountiful, UT.

While at the Surgical Center, Shane performed financial analysis of various operations, worked closely with the Center's Administrator on facility NPI compliance, and aided in the upgrade of electronic billing. In addition to these responsibilities Shane was involved in the implementation of the Center's insurance contracts.

Shane is currently working at Mountain West Surgical Center. He is applying for mid-level management positions in Hospitals across the intermountain west.