When I first started applying for internships for the summer, I was very focused on going to Washington, D.C. to do policy work at a think tank or government office. Although I didn't end up spending the summer in Washington, being in Philadelphia has been amazing. Working for an insurance company has opened my eyes to another side of health reform that sometimes sheds a bad light on health insurers. Independence Blue Cross is part of the larger umbrella of Blue Cross Blue Shield and is one of the few not for profit insurance companies out there. The organization has a very strong mission that values the local community, and takes pride in its commitment to provide quality health care to all individuals.
I work within a small group of IBC that reports Pennsylvania hospital quality measures for consumers in the hopes that transparency will encourage patients to take an active role in their health and make informed decisions. I have spent a lot of my summer supporting the development and maintenance of advisory groups who inform measure development for our customers as well as drafting and editing project deliverable s based on state and federal health care legislation.
My biggest project over the summer has been analyzing and reviewing federal claims data to create regional reports on health care quality known as, "The State of the State". The "State of the State" is a yearly report card that shows how Pennsylvania is measuring up to other states around the country. Since working on this report Excel, VLOOKUP, and Arrays have become my best friend; lots of numbers and statistics. Nevertheless, the skills I have learned will definitely serve me well in the future and I can definitely say I learned a lot this summer.
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