tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63494991092528967712024-03-13T08:03:56.552-07:00Hospital AdministrationFrom the perspective of a graduate studentAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-45703446988269458562011-12-05T10:40:00.001-08:002011-12-05T10:43:46.667-08:00Blog VacationHello all! So I realize I have not written in a while, and will probably not write in at least the next month. With the holidays, and moving to start my administrative fellowship. I thought of just calling it quits on the blog altogether, but will wait to see how my time commitments shape out next year.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-19374835248806051352011-11-18T17:48:00.001-08:002011-11-18T17:49:07.490-08:00The passion behind a presentation<br />
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Last week, I gave a presentation of a case study. It was an interesting experience to work with my friends to come up with compelling arguments despite none of us having any real interest in the topic of Accountable Care Organizations. My professor asked us to then view the recording of our presentation and critique ourselves. My main conclusion:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Presentations are an outward expression of our passion (or lack of) for a specific topic.</strong></div>
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A few weeks before, I presented on the topic of ePatients as mentioned in my previous post, and that was a great presentation because of the enthusiasm I have for the subject material. I decided I would like to share the written critique I sent to my professor, in hopes of helping all of us understand how to improve our public speaking and presentation skills.</div>
<h1 style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.8125em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reflection</em></h1>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Reflecting on our presentation gave me an opportunity to go beyond the surface of my presentation skills, and really assess my passions and what I enjoy most. What I realized is my presentation skills and abilities are greatly improved by one single factor. Do I care about the subject material? Now, let me be clear, I did care about this case competition, but talking about ACOs was not as exciting to me as speaking about engaging patients in healthcare and patient satisfaction. As I thought about my presentation last week and compared it to our Futurescan presentation, I recognized the important factor of passion, which was significantly lacking during our case presentation.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In the case competition, I could not seem to stop saying “umm.” Why? Because I was not completely confident in the material I was sharing. I feel the issue of confidence was the reason for a number of my weaknesses coming out through that presentation. I was constantly looking back at the screen as a crutch to ensure I was talking about the right things. So much of the material we had was so vague and lacking, that it was difficult for me to be confident in regards to our subject.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This presentation was filled with information, simply lots of details because it is hard to summarize an ACO in just 20 minutes. With the ACO rule being over 600 pages, it is difficult to summarize something of this magnitude in such a short amount of time. Because of that, I rushed; you could tell I was just trying to fly through the information rather than ensure my audience was retaining and understanding the material. I felt I was just presenting material, and never really considered what the audience would be seeking to gain from the presentation. A good presenter establishes the purpose of his or her presentation at the beginning of the project, thus enabling him or her to focus on what matters most, and allows them to predict the questions the audience will ask.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Despite the vocal cues of uncertainty, I felt I was able to speak clearly and loudly in order for the audience to understand and hear what I was saying. I was able to visually connect with each individual in the room, when I was not looking back to the screen, and I was able to use my hands in a less distracting way than I have done in past presentations.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In conclusion, I realize the need, as Mr. Zucker stated, to become an expert in the subject matter, but first I need to gain a passion for the material. In the workplace, I know I will be given topics to present that will bore me, but I can find a passion for them as I understand the implications of those topics.</em></div>
<h1 style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.8125em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Strategies for Improvement</em></h1>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">First, the one thing that bugged me the most from a technical standpoint was my looking at the screen after I made each point. I did have my presentation memorized, and need to stop looking at it. To me, I just need to have the confidence that I remember what is on each slide.</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #373737; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Technicalities aside, I would hope to find topics that interest me and enable me to transform that passion into a better presentation. As I mentioned, that may not always be the case, and as such, I will do more research on the topic. To me, I should have gone beyond my internet research and learned more from executives in the field, and in essence, borrowed some of their excitement for the topic. I really feel the power of presentation is based on the level of preparation on the part of the presenter. Preparation includes establishing a clear purpose at the beginning of the research and planning stages, and constantly referring back to that purpose. I will seek to write a purpose statement for each project I am involved in that I can refer to throughout a project.</em></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-21624904576660048212011-10-14T10:33:00.000-07:002011-10-14T10:34:21.565-07:00Professional OrganizationsMy most popular post is finding an internship. I think more and more people are looking at getting into hospital administration, but are unsure of where to start. Just like any other journey it always starts with one step. Throughout the whole journey, one word you will hear again and again is <b><i>networking</i></b>. I often feel like this is an overused term, but the longer I have been in the field, the more I have realized the power behind it.<br />
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I think the best area to start is professional organizations within the industry:<br />
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<li><b><a href="http://ache.org/">American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE):</a> </b>First, don't call it ache, like you have a head-ache. It's pronounced A.C.H.E. This is the most common organization. There are local chapters that have regular networking events and educational seminars. Even if the seminar topics look way over your head, you will learn a lot, and have the opportunity to meet some great people. ACHE also has a great <a href="http://www.healthmanagementcareers.org/whatis.cfm">student site</a> that would be well worth your time to start looking into. Students can join ACHE for $75, which is well worth the cost.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.mgma.com/">Medical Group Management Association (MGMA):</a> </b>The pronunciation should be obvious. This is a more specific organization to managers of physician group practices, whether specialty, primary care, or other organizations that employ physician or run physician clinics. The student rate is only $35 dollars and gives you access to reports, databases, and opportunities for networking.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.hfma.org/">Healthcare Financial Managemnt Association (HFMA):</a> </b>I do not know a lot about this group other than executives who work closely with the finances of their organization have found it to be an important aspect of their career. Students can become e-members for free. What a deal!</li>
<li><b><a href="http://himss.org/ASP/index.asp">HIMSS</a>: </b>This is the IT organization for the industry. There is a lot to learn here and students can be members for only $30.</li>
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All of these organizations are worthy of further research. I have found my membership in ACHE to complement my academic studies. I have met many people who have been very willing to answer questions, and give me insight and advice to better prepare me for my internship.</div>
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Finally, if you do join these organizations, find their groups on linkedin and join the discussions. This gives you visibility and an opportunity to connect with more than you could attending every event these organizations sponsor.</div>
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I would love to have any comments of how your membership in professional organizations has aided your career.</div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-38090668671521388882011-10-13T20:01:00.000-07:002011-10-14T10:34:40.861-07:00Hospital Admin Students and ePatients<br />
<div style="background-color: transparent;">
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.19209516630508006" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am in my last semester of the didactic portion of my education in hospital administration. In just 3 months, me and my 23 classmates will hit the workforce through residencies, fellowships, and jobs. Despite all the projects, case studies, and journal articles we have been through, I feel one area that has been neglected is understanding the patient, and why patients think the way they do.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In our capstone course, our group was asked to present on current issues impacting healthcare. We discussed four different types of patients, and I was more than eager to spend as much time as possible discussing the need for collaboration between physicians and patients. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our presentation stimulated engagement from a class that is ready to be out of the classroom and in the workforce (a form of senioritis for graduate students). We received more discussion and questions than I have seen any group in any of our classes receive. Here are a few questions that surfaced during the presentation:</span><br />
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<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can patients go too far and be too demanding?</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What can we, as future hospital administrators, do to facilitate a collaborative effort with patients and providers?</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the miracle question, how will this impact cost, increase access and quality?</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These were questions that can all be answered by a simple statement that has been repeated by many:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you put the patient first, everything else falls into place.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Based on the reception we received, I feel we were able to get some students thinking, and to me that is the start of success. When we focus on the business of healthcare, which </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>is</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a vital part of the system, we forget the reason we are in business. My hope throughout this presentation was to spark some thoughts of how we as early careerists in hospital administration can challenge the status quo. We, as future leaders in healthcare, have a great opportunity to learn specific delivery models, but more importantly, how to change delivery models to make care more patient-centered.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wish I had some pictures (especially since we all matched), but I do apologize for that. I was not ready for it the presentation to be so well received.</span></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-62584554580525820022011-10-12T19:51:00.001-07:002011-10-12T19:51:52.753-07:00From executive to patientI read a great story of a hospital administrator's perspective on becoming a patient. We often think we know everything a patient needs, but being a patient gives us an opportunity to ask, do we really know what patients want.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nickdawson.net/blog/george/">http://www.nickdawson.net/blog/george/</a>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-75844583513674691612011-09-28T10:38:00.000-07:002011-09-28T10:39:17.008-07:00InformationAs I have been working on a project for my current issues class, I have had the opportunity to research a lot about patients collaborating with physicians. Many epatient advocates argue the need for doctors to share information with them, instead of approaching the patient in a paternalistic attitude. I love how this video discusses the need for information in our health care system.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SHRZId4lMBs" width="560"></iframe>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-63451711163192354102011-09-16T06:09:00.000-07:002011-09-16T06:09:14.062-07:00E-patientsWhen I first decided I wanted to get into healthcare, I began looking at blogs of hospital administrators, and researching current trends. Health reform was being debated all over the media, but a growing group of what we call e-patients was developing. I have been very intrigued with this trend in healthcare and am excited to see how it will grow.<br />
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The whole idea behind e-patients is moving from the doctor/provider in a paternal role, to the patient and provider working together to provide the proper treatment and therapy for the patient. One of the well-known advocates I have found is <a href="http://epatientdave.com/">Dave deBronkart</a>. The following excerpt is taking from his website.<br />
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“e-Patient Dave” deBronkart was diagnosed in January 2007 with Stage IV, Grade 4 renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) at a very late stage. His median survival time at diagnosis was just 24 weeks; with tumors in both lungs, several bones, and muscle tissue, his prognosis was “grim,” as one web site described it.</div>
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He received great treatment at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: his surgeon removed the extensive mess (laparoscopically!), and the Biologic Therapy program helped him participate in a clinical trial for the powerful but severe High Dosage Interleukin-2 (HDIL-2). His last treatment was July 23, 2007, and by September it was clear he’d beaten the disease. His remaining lesions have continued to shrink.</div>
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Today: Advocate and Activist</h4>
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An accomplished speaker and writer in his professional life before his illness, today Dave is actively engaged in opening health care information directly to patients on an unprecedented level, thus creating a new dynamic in how information is delivered, accessed and used by the patient. This is revolutionizing the relationship between patient and health care providers, which in turn will impact insurance, careers/jobs, quality of life and the distribution of finances across the entire spectrum of health care."</div>
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The main organization one should look into is the <a href="http://participatorymedicine.org/?emulatemode=2">Society for Participatory Medicine</a>. </div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 14px;">The whole idea behind collaborative healthcare is genius. Growing up with a diabetic brother, has helped </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, times, serif; font-size: 14px;">me realize the need for engaged patients, as well as understand how a physician committed to patient collaboration can improve the health status of their patients.<div style="display: block; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
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</span>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-39599635546367529662011-09-15T08:23:00.000-07:002011-09-15T08:23:34.848-07:00Unhealthy healthcareThis morning, I found this article on <a href="http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/press-releases/hospital-employees-are-less-healthy-and-accrue-higher-healthcare-costs-gene">Fierce Healthcare</a>. I am intrigued that an industry that should be focused on being healthy, especially since so many employees have been educated on the consequences of certain behaviors and lifestyles, is overusing ineffective services like the ER.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><b>"Healthcare spending is 10 percent higher for hospital employees than it is for the general employee population"</b></i><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;">Further, the article states:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"><i>"The research also found that hospital workers and their families had fewer physician office visits, yet were 22 percent more likely to visit the emergency room."</i></b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Why is this? In my opinion, healthcare workers feel because they have been educated, they can handle their own health. Potentially, they wait until the illness has reached an acuity beyond their individual expertise.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What are your thoughts? Why do hospital employees spend more on healthcare, specifically over utilization of ED services?</span></span></div>
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Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-37718651937714743282011-09-14T19:54:00.000-07:002011-09-14T20:09:01.238-07:00Exceeds ExpectationsAt Trinity, once a semester we have performance reviews given by all the professors. They describe how we're doing and what they feel we can do to improve. They then rate us under 3 categories. The best....<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Exceeds expectations.</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><img src="http://scottdwinter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/exceed-expectation.jpg" /></i></b></div><div><br /></div><div>I am amazed how this blog has exceeded my expectations! I have had people from multiple countries viewing this blog, which is not what I had envisioned when I started this blog. This blog started from a simple idea of offering insight into young professionals looking to get a graduate degree in healthcare administration, and my target audience was those who were members of the student health management association at my alma mater. Now it is turning into much more and I realize I need to be much better about updating regularly.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia; ">Here are some stats since I started this blog (May 2009):</span></div><div><ul> <ul type="disc" style="margin-left:.75in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in"> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-weight:bold;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">Total page views: </span><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">1,801</span></li> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-weight:bold;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">Most popular post: </span><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">"Finding an Internship"</span></li> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-weight:bold;font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">Locations of readers:</span></li> <ul type="disc" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in"> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">United States</span></li> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">India</span></li> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">Canada</span></li> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">Oman</span></li> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">Germany</span></li> <li style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle;color:black"><span style="font-family:Georgia;font-size:12.0pt">And the list goes on!</span></li></ul></ul></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Thank you for reading. It gives more of a drive to reflect on my experiences as a student and stay on top of the industry news.</span></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >I would appreciate any comments on potential topics for new posts.</span></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-62721060288194083702011-08-17T18:32:00.000-07:002011-08-17T18:42:12.351-07:00The little things...I have now been a unit clerk for just over 4 weeks. Last night was my first shift without anyone there holding my hand, which actually worked out great. The job itself is very straightforward, and not much happens on the night shift, so it is pretty easy. The hardest part of the whole job is trying to stay awake until 7 a.m. As hard as making it through twelve hours, I am learning first hand what a lot of hospital employees go through working the night shift. The night shift is very different, with some great people working. Most of them are parents trying to make ends meet while still striving to spend quality time with their children. It has opened my eyes, and I will make sure to always keep these experiences in my mind as I make decisions throughout my career as a hospital administrator. How will this impact nurses? How will this impact those on the night shift?
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<br />It is always little things. For example, it was 6:30 a.m. and my mentor and I were struggling to stay awake at the desk. She was packing her things up since she would be leaving in a few minutes and had her water bottle on the desk, and within moments an administrator with a grumpy look on their face immediately asked, “Who’s is that?” I was floored. There was no, “thank you for working 12 hours, you must be tired.” If I as an administrator encountered that situation, I would say something along the lines of, “Hey looks like it has been a long shift. We don’t allow water at the desk, but let me man the desk for you while you go to the break room to get some water.”
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<br />How much time out of your day of staring at spreadsheets would that really take, come on? I’m pretty sure the employee would just say, “oh no, I’m ok, but thanks for offering.” You as an administrator just earned a lot of respect that you would be willing to help out a tired employee.
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<br />What would you do in that situation? How would you correct someone, while still showing respect?
<br />Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-48164741133056254612011-07-07T10:12:00.000-07:002011-07-07T10:24:43.816-07:00Off the unemployment list...For the past year, in between classes, being a stay at home dad, and finding a fellowship, I have been trying to find a job in healthcare that would allow me to work in school. Once I secured a fellowship, it became much easier to spend time applying and interviewing. Despite applying for a number of registrar/unit clerk positions, nothing happened.<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.lancastergeneralhealth.org/LGH/getattachment/00c6812b-cfea-4815-a18e-f4b9ab472788/Aimee-Smith.jpg.aspx" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As I have learned previously, applying online produces little results. I tried calling local alumni, found volunteer opportunities here and there, but with a family to provide for, I could not quite justify volunteering. Luckily, my wife works as a lab tech at a newer facility in town and we decided she was my foot in the door. She began talking to department directors on the nursing floors, and as soon as they learned I was in the Trinity MHA program, out came the red carpet. Within a week I had met with a director, and was taken straight to HR after that meeting. A few days later I had a peer interview, and then filled out all the paperwork yesterday.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So as of this coming Monday, I will officially be a Unit Clerk. I have absolutely no clinical background, so I am a bit nervous. This is going to be a tough job, but I am looking forward to two main advantages.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold; ">Clinical Experience.</i> Like I said, I have no clinical experience. I know a little vocabulary here and there from my classes, and some from my internship, but I am excited to take physician orders and have a better understanding of what certain procedures entail.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-weight: bold; ">Understanding of daily operations. </i>My view of hospital operations is from a mountain top. Being on the front lines, I will have a better understanding of the work nurses and physicians do on a daily basis. I feel this will help me have a better picture when I move on to my fellowship and throughout my career.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I will continue to post updates of lessons learned, and hope to provide more insight into the daily operations of a hospital.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-15060207402135466692011-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:002011-07-07T06:16:12.030-07:00What I wish I had known, Part 1<b><i>Healthcare Organizations</i></b><div><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div>Prior to starting graduate school, I had very little understanding of what other organizations are involved in patient care outside of physician practices and hospitals. The following organizations are discussed often in our classes.</div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.jointcommission.org/about_us/about_the_joint_commission_main.aspx">The Joint Commission</a>. </i>Anyone in healthcare knows this name. They are the accrediting body for the majority of facilities.</div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.ihi.org/IHI/About/aboutusindex.htm">Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)</a>. </i>IHI is one of the largest organization in terms of focusing on patient care across facilities. There are student chapters, including one here in San Antonio, that have helped us better understand the safety and quality issues in our current healthcare system. One of the catalysts for their initiatives started when a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), <a href="http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2001/Crossing-the-Quality-Chasm-A-New-Health-System-for-the-21st-Century.aspx">"Crossing the Quality Chasm"</a> (2001), revealed the shocking amount of preventable errors in healthcare. </div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.advisoryboardcompany.com/">The Advisory Board Company</a>. </i>A very well known research and consulting company that aids providers in current trends, market research, and data analytics.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are going into hospital administration, become familiar with these organizations.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br /></span></span></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-66792508192167132812011-07-06T15:57:00.000-07:002011-07-06T16:09:37.545-07:00Summer semester...<div><br /></div>Well last week I finished my summer semester. It was a quick "band-aid" like semester, only 6 weeks long.<div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSIf28Y_i5jvbackwwiWc4XYBZkEgIJljp8VfWyoelh2cmy-hqw" /></div><div>Here is a brief overview of the three classes I took:</div><div><div><br /></div><div><b style="font-style: italic; ">Human Resources. </b>Not my favorite topic, but let's face it...healthcare in any part of the industry is much more labor intensive than it is capital intensive. Because of this, every administrator needs to understand how to think in terms of human resources. We covered topics, such as, job design and analysis (the foundation for human resources), selection and recruitment, training and development, legal issues, and reward and recognition. We were required to read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hardwiring-Excellence-Worthwhile-Difference-ebook/dp/B001MS6O7M">Hardwiring Excellence</a> by <a href="http://www.studergroup.com/about_studergroup/about_quint.dot">Quint Studer</a>, who is actually coming to speak to our program in October.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Information Technology</i>.</b><i> </i>This course was a 30,000 foot view of information technology in healthcare (or the lack thereof). There was absolutely no programming involved, simply what type of technology is used, how to implement and maintain technology in an organization, and most importantly the implications of the latest <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIPAA#HITECH_Act_security-breach_notification_requirements">HITECH</a> legislation. We were very lucky to have multiple CIOs address the class, as well as, physicians who have served as advocates for IT in their respective organizations. This is a growing field and a part of me wants to get involved.</div><div><br /></div><div><i style="font-weight: bold; ">Health Law. </i>By far the best class of the semester. This was a very information intense course. There is a lot to know when it comes to legal issues in healthcare. I was very luck to have a great professor, <a href="http://www.sarahfontenot.com/">Sarah Fontenot</a>, who is known in Texas and nationally as the "HIPAA Goddess". She kept us on our feet with her stories from her time as a nurse and her depth of knowledge of current events.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really enjoyed the short, quick semester and continue to look forward to my fellowship starting in January. I am definitely going to enjoy the next 6 weeks until classes start up again.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div></div></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-74559283488542740052011-06-22T15:53:00.001-07:002011-06-22T16:01:24.854-07:00InternshipDuring my undergraduate studies, I had the opportunity to work as an intern at a smaller hospital near the university. After searching for some sort of internship for a year, I realized I needed to be willing to volunteer. I got a lead from a friend and showed up at the CEOs office asking to speak to him. After discussing my career goals, he said he would be in contact with me. Two days later, his secretary called and asked me to come in. I met with the CEO and the Associate Administrator (who would quickly become my immediate mentor).<div><br /></div><div>Within two weeks I was working on projects. My first project was to research all the aspects of implementing a formal internship program. I talked with career services at the major universities, discussed potential projects with hospital directors, and was able to understand the HR interface. Through all of this I was able to learn the roles of the various departments. I was able to present my findings to the CEO of our hospital, as well as, the CEO of another hospital in the system. To this day there are now around 5 interns between the two hospitals.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the more difficult projects I worked on was figuring out how to help patients have a better perspective of ancillary services. When a patient comes into the ED, they will often have a lab test ordered, and the nurse will say, "we are just waiting on the lab for results." In the patient's mind, they are thinking, "I have to wait, this must be a really slow lab." If the nurse probably educated the patient by saying, "This lab test typically takes half an hour to process. Our lab is very good about having tests done promptly," then the patient knows what to expect and is pleased with the process. I worked on coming up with scripts for nurses to talk to patients in similar situations.</div><div><br /></div><div>My internship was able to give me the introductory experience to understand what a hospital is and what certain members of the staff do. It has served as an enhancement to my education.</div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-16155157815002651422011-06-22T15:52:00.000-07:002011-06-22T15:53:09.279-07:00ApologyI realize I have not written in too long, especially since there have been requests for items to cover. I will definitely be better about posting.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-75329961534597222212011-05-09T08:09:00.001-07:002011-05-09T08:09:43.081-07:00Second Semester<p style="margin:0in;margin-left:.375in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt">Well today was the last day of my second semester. It was a much different semester than the first due to the fact that all of the students were in the thick of the job search during the second half of the semester, which created an interesting dynamic when it came to group work and projects, as well as having 5-8 people gone from lectures (with a class of 25, that makes a big impact). Despite this, I still feel<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>it was a successful semester with a lot to be learned. I have listed a few of the classes below:</p><ol type="1" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"><li value="1" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">Health Services Organization and Policy II</span></li> <ol type="a" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <li value="1" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">This was more policy than the first course in this pair. We spent the first half of the course doing an environmental analysis of a city, looking at economics, demographics, and other health indicators. The second half of this class was spent understanding the policy making process. One of the best supplements to this class was a Friday morning visit from the President of the Texas Hospital Association who came and gave us some real life examples of the policy process.</span></li></ol></ol><ol type="1" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"><li value="2" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">Health Economics</span></li> <ol type="a" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <li value="1" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">Disclaimer: I have a Bachelor's in Economics. This was by far my favorite class. The basic economic principles taught in this course were nothing new (asymmetric information, markets, price theory, market power, moral hazard, etc.), but the application to health care was new, and that is what made it exciting. Each class we discussed current issues and the economics that explained the good and the bad of each issue.</span></li> </ol> </ol> <ol type="1" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <li value="3" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">Health Care Organization Theory and Management</span></li> <ol type="a" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <li value="1" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">This was also a very good class. We focused a lot on cases and real examples. It was a great class to learn why people do what they do and how to motivate and structure an organization to a common goal.</span></li> </ol> </ol> <ol type="1" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <li value="4" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">Health Care Strategic Planning and Marketing</span></li> <ol type="a" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <li value="1" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">This class was split in half. The first half was focused on strategic planning, which I enjoyed a lot. It really helped me better understand the business decisions of many organizations and what impacts each decision. The second half of the semester was geared towards marketing and really brought the idea to life within a health care organization. I would say a lot of the content of that class was similar to a marketing class I took during my undergraduate studies, but the application to health care brought a whole new way of thinking.</span></li> </ol> </ol> <ol type="1" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <li value="5" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">Physician Relations</span></li> <ol type="a" style="margin-left:.375in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed; margin-top:0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <li value="1" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;vertical-align:middle"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Calibri; font-size:11.0pt">This was a one-hour per week class, taught by a physician. We were able to have many physicians as guest speakers come to discuss their careers, from current med students, to med school faculty, and even a CMO of a local system. It was great to hear the different perspectives and to better understand the physician-administrator relationship.</span></li> </ol> </ol> <p style="margin:0in;margin-left:.75in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> </p> <p style="margin:0in;margin-left:.75in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> </p> <p style="margin:0in;margin-left:.75in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> </p> <p style="margin:0in;margin-left:.375in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt">I hope this gives a better idea of some of the classes I have taken. In my next post I will talk a bit more about my work experiences in the industry.</p>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-77775686192660667142011-05-02T12:51:00.000-07:002011-05-09T08:09:12.739-07:00First Semester<div><br /></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u3vDee6NdP0/Tb8LhqQZGDI/AAAAAAAAF2U/whXlYZgwg4o/s1600/trinity.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u3vDee6NdP0/Tb8LhqQZGDI/AAAAAAAAF2U/whXlYZgwg4o/s400/trinity.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5602209134378817586" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; " >This afternoon, I was looking at my blog to check the most recent articles of the blogs on my list, and I noticed a comment. First, surprised that I had a comment, then even more surprised that there was a request for a blog entry. In response, here are my answers to a few questions.</span></a><ol style="margin-left:.2729in;direction:ltr;unicode-bidi:embed;margin-top: 0in;margin-bottom:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"> <p style="margin:0in;font-family:Calibri;font-size:11.0pt"><br /></p><ul><li>Quantitative Methods</li><ul><li>Statistics</li><ul><li>This class was a basic overview of descriptive statistics, statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, and multi-variable regression. After two years of stats in high school and four semesters during my undergraduate degree, this class was pretty easy for me. It is known to be the most difficult class in the program, but if you are familiar with statistics it really isn't anything too different. My professor was apply to give us very practical examples.</li></ul> <li>Operations Management</li><ul><li>This half of the quant class was focused more on productivity and staffing, queuing theory, and continuous quality improvement concepts (with a brief overview in six sigma) . We were able to hear from a number of guest speakers of how they use quantitative analysis in their day to day responsibilities of their jobs.</li></ul></ul> <li>Institutional Management</li><ul><li>This class was one of the best overviews of the healthcare industry and the various aspects of a healthcare facility. We discussed management theory, various professions in the industry, and the role of administrators. The professor made sure to keep good discussions going, as well as, practical cases.</li></ul> <li>Seminar in Professional Development</li><ul><li>This was an hour long class where we discussed how to behave and act in a professional setting. We covered everything from business correspondence to how to introduce yourself. It sounds like common sense stuff, but learning about all the details has proven to be very effective.</li></ul> <li>Health Services Organization and Policy I</li><ul><li>This was an interesting class. In some aspects it was very similar to our institutional management class, but really focused more on the industry as a whole and current trends. We were able to learn about healthcare systems in other nations and understand why the U.S. healthcare system (or lack thereof) is they way it is.</li></ul> <li>Financial Management for Decision Making</li><ul><li>This was a very basic finance class. Really we learned different ratios, cost structures, reimbursement structures, and how to analyze balance sheets and income statements. I am looking forward to our second finance class during our last semester.</li></ul></ul> </ol><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; "><ul><li> </li></ul></span>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-83292892623834503512011-03-08T20:34:00.000-08:002011-03-08T20:35:33.891-08:00Presentations Can Change the World<div>I recently encountered this video discussing important presentations. In addition to the content of her presentation, I learned a lot from her example. She is able to capture the audience's attention and allow them to participate in her presentation in a physical and emotional way.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="480" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UfQF3DXG-S4?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-39428788718684435582011-03-02T07:53:00.001-08:002011-12-08T13:03:44.153-08:00Finding an Internship<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://lcoonline.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/interns-wanted-sign.jpg" /></div>
During my undergraduate studies, I was constantly told I needed to find work experience. As an economics major, I was finding it difficult to decide where exactly I wanted to get work experience. To cut a long story short, I finally decided on hospital administration. I tried to get a job as a food service worker at a hospital, and even as a housekeeper, but never got called for an interview. My experience of finding an internship in administration was difficult, but worth the wait. Here is a list of ideas to help in the process:<br />
<div>
<ol>
<li><b>Network</b>: This power of developing relationships is often underestimated. It is more important who you know than what you know. Join local chapters of <a href="http://www.ache.org/">ACHE</a> and attend regular meetings. You may understand very little of the material presented, but the networking opportunities are great. Most senior level executives in the field genuinely want to help early careerists.</li>
<li><b>Think beyond hospitals. </b>A lot of physician practices and clinics would love extra help with operations or strategic projects. Talk to doctors, physicians assistants, etc. you have in your network.</li>
<li><b>Know that you don't know: </b>Despite your 4.0 and leadership experience in a club, an undergraduate student knows little to nothing about hospital administration. The organizations you are seeking experience from are doing you a huge favor by giving you the experience of being involved. Interns in hospital administration, especially undergraduate students bring little value to the hospital. This idea is not meant to say you are nothing, but I think it's important to have that attitude as you meet with hospital leaders who could offer you an opportunity. Too many potential candidates show up with this "you'd be lucky to have me" attitude, which is a big red flag.</li>
<li><b>Volunteer: </b>Based on number two, you should not be expected to be paid in your internship. The only people I know that are paid for internships are currently in a Master's program. Be willing to volunteer and in all my experiences, after a couple of months of proving myself, they were willing to discuss paying me.</li>
<li><b>Be flexible: </b>Be willing to be as flexible as possible to show them your desire to be in healthcare.</li>
<li><b>Passion: </b>Because potential interns know little about healthcare, an executive looks for the passion an intern has for the field. Being able to express articulately your reasons for becoming a healthcare administrator gives you a leg up in finding an internship.</li>
</ol>
<div>
I hope this helps. This is in no way an all encompassing list of how to get an internship, but I feel it gives a good overview. Please leave a comment to add anything else you have learned from your experiences in securing an administrative internship.</div>
</div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-10578552509794307792011-02-28T20:39:00.001-08:002011-02-28T20:55:04.586-08:00Strengths Based LeadershipWhen we seek to improve, one of our first questions is<br /><br /><span></span><b> "Where am I weak?"</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div>I used to allows set goals based on my weaknesses. It seemed the most logical thing for me to do in order to become a well-rounded person and leader. Despite good intentions, the idea that improving ourselves only by focusing our weaknesses is flawed. In introductory economics courses we learn that specialization is key. If I am good at manufacturing widgets, then why would I manufacture gidgets? I can consume more gidgets by trading one widget than I can widgets with one gidget (excuse the product). My sister-in-law's Mom is a former VP of Employee Benefits and gave me a box of books to borrow, which has provided me reading material for the next three years. She had one book that was for me to keep, titled <u>Strengths Based Leadership</u>. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><img 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" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Great. Another personality test. Well I trusted her and went ahead and started reading before I took the test. </div><div><br /></div><div>Through reading the stories of a few influential leaders I decided to take the test. After being classified under 5 strengths, you are given an explanation for each one. I read them, and then had my wife read them a couple of days later. She responded with, "this is you to a T!" I have been amazed with how well it explains how we need to focus on our strengths and use them to our advantage. We need to also help others develop their strengths. In the back of the book is about two to three pages for each strength on how to develop it further. At the end of each strength's section is a list of how to lead someone with that particular strength. This is definitely a tool I am going to use throughout my career.</div><div><br /><br /></div>Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-1518386285458081182011-02-28T20:31:00.000-08:002011-02-28T20:39:08.379-08:00Presentation SkillsTomorrow morning, I will be presenting a topic of my choice to a well-renowned healthcare executive. He set apart time to come to our program for a week and listen to us present on any topic for 5 minutes. As I have started thinking about what I am going to present, I really have thought about my own presenting skills. I feel very comfortable standing in front of a group and presenting ideas. I owe my public speaking skills to the two years I spent in Africa as a missionary. Each day, together with my colleague, we would teach anywhere from 5-10, 30 minute lessons, and meet a lot of other people just as we walked to and from appointments. During that time, I was able to study a lot about teaching skills and how to motivate your audience. As I think back on it, I am very grateful for the opportunity given to me to be in Africa, which allows me to feel comfortable in a public speaking setting.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-1369877666892086412011-01-22T07:26:00.000-08:002011-01-22T07:31:24.325-08:00InternshipI know it has been a long time since I posted anything. I have started working at Gonzaba Medical Group here in San Antonio and do enjoy it. I have the opportunity to work with an alumnus from my program which makes it better. I would say the best part of the internship is that I work under the CFO and am able to learn more of the finance side of the business, which I feel compliments the operational experience I had in my last internship in a hospital. Of course, I am not working on the most glamorous projects that are going to receive any kind of award, but I am learning a lot. I do wish I had more time to dedicate to work, but with school and my wife working, and managing time everyday to play with our daughter, my schedule is full. I feel very lucky to have this opportunity and to be at a program that opens doors daily for me in my career.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-12976821043861016012011-01-04T17:10:00.000-08:002011-01-04T17:20:37.356-08:00One semester down...After nearly three weeks of vacation and one week left, I am in awe that I have completed my first semester of graduate studies. It is so weird to think that just a few years ago I was just starting my economics degree, and now in just another year, I will be a full time professional in the health care industry. I really doubt my classes from the past semester combined with the courses for the next year will prepare me adequately for future employment, specifically a residency. All I am really learning is the vocabulary necessary to sit in an administrative team meeting with senior level managers and executives, but I guess I need to start somewhere.<br /><br />Recently, I started an internship at a medical group practice in south San Antonio. I got in touch with an alumnus of the program who works there and will now be starting up under the CFO. I feel like this opportunity will give me better experience than anything I will learn in class. Now don't get me wrong, I love my classes and I am learning a lot, but how to actually manage a health care organization, that can only come with experience.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-35694035384892789252010-12-06T07:30:00.000-08:002010-12-06T07:39:25.440-08:00Busy WeekLast week was probably the busiest of the whole semester. I had two classes on Monday and two classes on Tuesday due to our negotiations to have no class the week of Thanksgiving. I feel it was worth it to have the whole week off, but after those two days of four classes, I was tired. We showed up to class Monday morning and our professor assigned a project to define "quality of life" and figure a method Medicare could use to reimburse to improve quality of life. Sounds interesting. Due the next day. So my group and I had to scramble to get some ideas down and without any hesitation, I was nominated to present. Great! No pressure! Then that evening we had to compile a paper and presentation for a finance project. Then came Tuesday. I presented on quality of life in the morning, prepared more for finance, and then presented that evening with my group in our finance class. Then home, to finish a five page paper on Good to Great by Jim Collins. Wednesday morning, busy...by this time I had gotten a cold and was barely breathing. Once I finished class on Wednesday, I got to work on more homework due Thursday. Once class started on Thursday, I felt like I could start to rest. It may not sound a lot, and as I write it down, I don't feel it was. I think the combination of little sleep, lots of work, and getting sick made the week harder than usual. Now time to gear up for finals, then heading north for Christmas!Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6349499109252896771.post-30696510545957357382010-11-16T17:20:00.000-08:002010-11-16T17:22:49.855-08:00Alumni NetworkingOne of the main reasons I chose Trinity for my MHA was the alumni network. I have been greatly impressed by the instant group of colleagues I have been connected with upon entering this program. It seems that in the past week, I have been on the phone with multiple Trinity alums, who after a simply email from me, were willing to answer questions about their career, help with projects, and even put in a good word come interview time for residencies. I do not want to say that Trinity is better than every other MHA program, but I will admit, I have access to a phenomenal network of professionals whenever I need them.Alexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08745825888293025742noreply@blogger.com0