SPRINGFIELD, IL - The inaugural class of the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network (ICAHN) Rural Health Fellowship graduated 14 new Fellows on May 5, 2021 during ceremonies held at O’Shea University, Springfield. Deepanjali “Deepa” Dummi, Director of Health Information and Informatics Management/Compliance/HIPAA Privacy Officer, Memorial Hospital, Chester, was among those honored.
The eight-month ICAHN Rural Health Fellowship was designed for up-and-coming small, rural, and critical access hospital leaders. The experience covers four main pillars of thought: rural health, leadership, operations, and finance. Fellows participated in online learning, a service project, and a book club with the goal of developing confident leaders equipped with the skills needed to lead in a rural community.
Deepa Dummi’s service project was two-fold: efficient use of Dragon Speech Software among her hospital’s providers and implementation of licensing and credentialing software. Dragon Speech Software allows the providers to have a Joint Commission-compliant turn-around for documentation completion. Deepa also organized a “Train the Trainer” event with her hospital department managers and the Information Technology team to ensure all could effectively coach the doctors who would be using the Dragon Speech Software. Deepa was mentored by Susie Campbell, CEO, Community Hospital, Staunton.
“Acquiring the knowledge and expertise needed to successfully take an idea and grow it into a project that will benefit rural healthcare is an important skill that the 2020-2021 ICAHN Fellows have gained,” said Kathy Fauble, ICAHN Professional Education Services Director. “The projects have been ambitious, impressive, and of great merit to their respective hospitals. Between the participants and the mentors, we have a roomful of lifelong learners with very bright futures.”
ICAHN will begin accepting applications for the 2021-2022 Rural Health Fellowship program in late summer.
ABOUT ICAHN
The Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network is a trusted and proven, nationally recognized organization, located in Princeton, IL that provides 57 small, rural, and critical access hospitals with a wide range of essential, value-added services and support to help them overcome challenges, grow, and thrive in a complex health environment. For more information, visit www.icahn.org.