University of Utah Hospital Site Visit

On Friday, December 4, 2009 FHLA members visited the University of Utah Hospital. We met with COO, Quinn L. Mckenna, and toured some of the hospital facilities.

Mr. Mckenna shared with us his career path prior to becoming the COO. It included 10 years of consulting and previous COO roles with Salt Lake Regional Medical Center and the University of Washington in Seattle. He explained to us that as an academic medical center, the University of Utah Hospital needs to balance three distinct areas: patient care, research, and teaching. He encouraged us to gain experience and exposure to the industry where ever we can. He said that when hiring he looks for “. . . people who make a difference not just people who hold a position.” Mr. Mckenna was very open in fielding our questions about health care reform. He thought that with some of the new proposals there would be more work and less compensation, but at the same time he was upbeat about it and looked forward to the challenge.

The tour of the hospital included a trip to the emergency room (a planed trip). The facilities were physically impressive as was the system explained to us, which treats emergency patients. We were also able to view the bed board system and learn how the hospital keeps track of patients and the availability status of the rooms in the hospital. These behind the scene opportunities provide great insight to us as we continue to learn more about careers in health care administration.

Utah Department of Health Site Visit

On Thursday, November 15, 2009, FHLA members visited the Utah Department of Health. We met with several mid-level employees, each working in a different topic and/or technical area within the Utah Department of Health. Each employee shared with us his/her experience working in state government, the personal career path forged thus far, his/her day-to-day duties, and potential options he/she is considering for the future. FHLA members were able to see how these employees were using marketing skills (i.e., for tobacco cessation), management skills (i.e., for state-wide quality assurance and quality improvement), leadership and team-building skills (i.e., for the partnerships forged with townships in efforts to improve walkability), as well as data-analysis skills (i.e., for designing and implementing cancer program activities); all skills that we are now refining in this degree program. The informal setting provided a wonderful medium for discussion and introspection. It allowed FHLA members to learn more about the Utah Department of Health as we consider careers in the field of health administration.

Redstone Health Center Site Visit

On September 18, the ACHE/FHLA club visited the Redstone Health Center in Park City. Redstone is a part of University Health Care and is set up specifically for “patient centered” care. Manager, Pati Colvin, gave a presentation about the organization of the clinic followed by a tour of its unique design features. Each feature was aimed at providing quick and seamless patient care from the moment the patient enters the clinic. Some of the unique physical features of the clinic are a small waiting room and reception area, having each treatment room stocked with the same equipment and the use of wireless communication. The staff is divided into treatment teams and the supporting medical staff is cross -trained in many functions, such as collecting co-pays, assisting in care and scheduling. Pati enjoys her job overseeing a new way of providing health care that is showing real results in patient satisfaction. We enjoyed getting a glimpse into a pioneering effort to improve the delivery of healthcare.

Redstone Health Center Site Visit

Hello All,

This Friday, September 18, at 3:00 pm we will be making a site visit to the Redstone Health Center in Park City followed by a FHLA opening social. Redstone Health Center is one of the community health centers associated with the University Healthcare System. It is fairly new and is unique in its operations and is a model for the way patients are seen and cared for. FHLA visited this clinic last year and found that it was a great opportunity to see a few of the trends in patient/provider interaction within the healthcare industry.

We will meet to carpool outside the CRCC Point Restaurant at 2:15 pm and would request that if you are able to drive, please let us know when you RSVP to both the site visit and the opening social.

Please RSVP to ache.fhla@gmail.com by Wednesday, September 16th.

Below are driving directions through Google Maps. If the links do not open directly, double click and then select "go to link" or paste them into your browser.

Driving Directions from the University of Utah to Redstone Health Clinic:

FHLA Presidency

From left to right:
Don McCartney, Ashley Anderson, Bryson Brey

FHLA Membership and Events

Hello All,

Thank you for your interest in the Future Healthcare Leaders of America (FHLA) club. Typically, the club meets twice a month, once for discussion with Scott Parker; the founding CEO of IHC, as well as other featured guests; and once a month for a site visit. FHLA has a lot of great activities and networking opportunities this year. Members are invited to all activities. Non-members can attend site visits if there is additional space.

Membership Details:
This year members are asked to pay $25 to cover the cost of activities. This can be paid to any of the presidency members.

President: Ashley Anderson
Co-Vice Presidents:Bryson Brey and Don McCartney

Upcoming Activities:

Brown Bag Dates - Fall Semester
Thursday, October 1, 2009 - with Scott Parker and featured guest John T. Nielson. John Nielson will address the current health care reform issues both nationally and in our own state. John T. Nielson was asked by Governor Huntsman to staff the task force that prepared the legislative proposals on healthcare reform. He has also served as the IHC Vice President for Government Affairs.

Thursday, Oct 22, 2009 - with Scott Parker

Thursday, November 19, 2009 - with Scott Parker

All brown bags will be held in BUC 450 from 4:30-5:30pm

Site Visits
Friday, September 18th Visit to Redstone Clinic in Park City from 2-4pm. Afterwards we will be meeting at Professor Debbie Scammon's House in Park City for refreshments and a social. More details to follow.

November - Tenative visit to the State Health Department

December 4, 2009 - Visit to The University of Utah Hospital from 11am-12pm. We will be meeting with Quinn McKenna, Chief Operating Officier.

January - Tenative visit to The Veterans Hospital (VA)

Please RSVP to ache.fhla@gmail.com for all site visits

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.