Keepin' Busy

I'm starting to gain an appreciation for advanced scheduling now that I've been an intern at NMC for a month.

Who knew I would have so many meetings, projects, and introductions that I would need to schedule them weeks in advance for them to happen. I'm almost starting to get to the point where I need to schedule dinner and sleep in or else I'd put those off as well. Of course, I like being busy...it not only makes the time go by fast, it also makes me feel that I've been productive. I realize that being busy and being productive are two different things, but I enjoy the feeling that comes from knowing that every minute counts.

As I look at my calendar today, I was completely packed from 8 to 5. I attended a Senior Executive Meeting this morning where we discussed . . . nice try Alegant - I'd like to keep my internship, thanks. This afternoon I attended the Clarkson Regional Health board meeting. Clarkson is part owner of the Nebraska Medical Center and also has investments in SimplyWell and PPA. A number of board members are on the NMC board as well, so it was a good opportunity to reacquaint myself to them. I sat next to Randall and had a good conversation with him about my mission to Russia and other experiences I've had. He's a great listener. . .he'll be a great Development director.

I also had the chance to meet with Paulette Davidson, the Executive Director for Primary Care Services. We discussed the general trends of primary care, especially when it comes to working with physicians in one form or another. There are 3 main ways to bring more Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) into the hospital: 1) Employ them by paying them salary, 2) Incubate them (providing an initial outlay of money for them to develop their own practice), and 3) Giving the organization that they represent money, whether it be a private physician group or academic-based practice. One of the big issues is that the demand for PCPs is growing due to the increase in the baby boomers' ages and due to growth in the area. This leads to more hospitals wanting to employ their own physicians, which demonstrates the current trend. NMC is actively seeking to build relationships with PCPs, which is the area Paulette is particularly focused on. The discussion with her was insightful and very helpful to understand the dynamics of what is happening in the current environment.

Lastly, I met with the marketing gurus of the ECCP 2nd floor. Man, I'm excited to work with them this week. They are bright, energetic, and full of passion for marketing that was evidenced during my conversation with them. I'm looking forward to shadowing them and learning from their experiences in the healthcare field.