GCHEG Annual Dinner

Several UNC Charlotte MHA students attended the annual Greater Charlotte Healthcare Executives Group (GCHEG) dinner on 13 April. During the cocktail hour, students networked with healthcare executives from the Charlotte region. After a delicious dinner, students listened to a panel discussion entitled Integrating Principles of Patient Centered Care.

Panelists included Dael Waxman, Interim Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Carolinas HealthCare System; Tricia Valera, Senior Director of Clinic Ancillary Services at Novant Health Medical Group; Gary Blabon, Senior Director of Professional and Support Services at Novant Health; Kenneth Mortimer, an Administrator, Charlotte VA Health Care Center. The group discussed patient centered care and the importance of listening to various perspectives, including patients, administrators, and physicians, in order to achieve a truly patient centered experience. Since the panel included both administrators and physicians, MHA students were able to gather a more authentic perspective of the interdisciplinary nature of patient centered care and the importance of integrating this concept into all aspects of a healthcare organization.