Name: Michael Schwartz

Year: Junior

Major: MMSS and Psychology

CFS Class: Business Field Studies

Employer: AVIA

In my CFS experience I worked with AVIA, a growing healthcare consultancy and member network firm. Going in with an interest in consulting but no experience in healthcare, I was unsure what to expect, but fast forward to today and I’ve picked up not only a far deeper understanding of healthcare but also a much greater appreciation for the work. AVIA operates a network providing support services, resources, and general collaboration opportunities to health systems interested in digital innovation. We also have a consulting arm of the business that engages client health systems to help them improve their digital front door, consumer- and provider-facing capabilities, and virtual health offerings, just to name a few of our specialties. As a result, we as a firm have to stay up to date on best practices, market developments and disruptors, and trends in healthcare. As an intern with Advisory Services, I dove right in to client work and quickly oriented myself in the healthcare sphere. With the help of my team members, I rapidly got up to speed on the big players in digital healthcare, common pain points in digital innovation attempts, and a whole lot of jargon. It was incredible to gain such a deep understanding of healthcare so rapidly, and see our thought leadership put into practice in specific cases with our clients. Along the way I also picked up some very interesting lessons for my personal life as a healthcare consumer: virtual doctor visits are a reality for many people, robotic-assisted surgery is more common that we’d think, and digital therapeutics are becoming a reality, with tools like online CBT and even therapy in the form of a video game. Ultimately, I not only grew in my understanding of healthcare, I also grew in my appreciation of work in the industry. Learning about the trends, the jargon, the systems was fascinating but more rewarding was doing work with real health systems looking to improve the care they offer, and knowing your recommendations will make a difference for their patients.