“If we didn’t have evidence that this moved the needle, we wouldn’t spend so much time on the subject,” Brian Gehlbach, MD, said to the assembled first-year fellows. The associate director for the department’s fellowship programs had just spoken about the importance of adhering to privacy laws and norms around use of University of Iowa Health Care’s electronic medical record.
The incoming F1s were spending their first day as subspecialty fellows in a variety of onboarding activities, from getting professional portraits taken to getting a tour of campus. Though they were broken up into groups for many of those tasks, all of them were assembled in Medical Alumni Auditorium for the hour. They heard from Gehlbach, from Vice Chair for Education Manish Suneja, MD, and from Fellowship Program Administrator Denise Floerchinger.
The initial reminders on following HIPAA rules took a few minutes and were emphasized with some de-identified examples of situations that were unacceptable, even if they might be considered “gray” areas by some or were permissible at other institutions. Gehlbach and Suneja both cautioned that this conversation should constitute a warning, after which there would be very little possibility of intercession or mitigation of severe penalties.
The pair also made sure that everyone understood that questions, concerns, or anything that they did not feel comfortable discussing with their respective program leaders could be brought to them. Floerchinger then walked the fellows through the contents of their orientation folders, which contained everything from parking passes to instructions on how to set up direct deposit.
Business out of the way, Gehlbach then invited everyone to introduce themselves to their new colleagues. Many described the road that led them to Iowa, other programs and regions of the country that they left. Some traveled just a state away, some like recent graduates of residency or former Chief Residents, did not travel at all. Common themes emerged, as well, like a love for board games and racket-based sports, which seemed to point to future competitions.
The hour drew to a close and escorts arrived to carry divided groups on to their next appointments.
