Business in Healthcare?
Business in Healthcare?
When you hear the word “healthcare,” what is the first thought that pops into
your mind? I don’t know about you, but I think of doctors, needles, and
diseases. Never did the words “supply chain” cross my mind until I began my
internship at the Greater New York Hospital Association(GNYHA) as a business
analytics and technology intern. Now that I am on the third week of my eight
week program, I cannot look at a hospital and not think of the business that
happens behind the scene.
So what do we do? The mission of GNYHA for over a hundred years is to “deliver the best patient-care in the most cost-effective way.” I work for a grandchild company of GNYHA, named Acurity, where we negotiate contracts with suppliers and handle the data for over 160 hospitals in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. By negotiating with the suppliers on the behalf of the hospitals, we can effectively help lessen their burden when it comes to their supply chain. GNYHA has another grandchild company, Nexera, which is a consulting company that helps hospitals with other aspects beside supply chain. Together, Acurity and Nexera help hospitals with the business side of healthcare so that they can focus their attention towards providing the best care to their patients.
Before starting my internship here, I never expected to have an interest in pursuing a career in the healthcare industry, mostly because I did not know much about it. I accepted this internship mainly because of my position as a business analytics intern, not because it was in the healthcare industry. But now, I can see myself in this field 10 years in the future and enjoying it. I guess the moral of this story is to be as open-minded as possible and not to be afraid to try something new.