IHC Creates Office of Development and Quality Outcomes

In the past year, IHC has created an office of Development and Quality Outcomes. This Office was created to promote IHC communication training in human and veterinary medicine and relationship-building with client organizations. The office is led by Sandy Reifsteck, RN, MS, FACMPE, in IHC’s human medicine initiative, and Karen Cornell, DVM, PhD, DACVS, in IHC’s veterinary medicine initiatives.

Karen Cornell, DVM, PhD, DACVS

Dr. Cornell is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgery and currently a member of the Board of Regents for the same organization. She is a full professor at the University of Georgia, where she has served as the Interim Hospital Director, and is currently the Assistant Department Head in the Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery.  She is a two time recipient of the Carl Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teaching Award and in 2011 she was named a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, the highest award for teaching at UGA. Karen became involved with IHC in 2003 when she was a participant in the first train-the-trainer program for veterinary faculty. She has served as a trainer for each of the annual veterinary faculty courses offered by IHC since.  Karen’s previous private practice career and current engagement teaching veterinary students, afford her a unique appreciation for the importance of communication in veterinary practice, and for the necessity of providing practical training to all veterinary professionals.

Sandra W. Reifsteck RN, MS Ed, FACMPE

Sandy has over 25 years of experience in group practice operations where she served as VP of Professional Services working with over 300 physicians, 100 midlevel providers, hospital, nursing home and home health agency. This broad experience has allowed her to serve as the Midwest Regional Consultant for IHC for the last 12 years. In addition she is a Fellow with the American College of Medical Practice Executives and served as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the national, Medical Group Management Association, Denver, CO. She received the Harry J. Harwick Outstanding Administrator Award in 1997 and the Parkland College Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009. Her family is very important to her and her passion for making a difference in the way clinicians work with patients. She spends 6 months a year in her Midwest office in IL and 6 months in the Southwest office in AZ.   In her new IHC position, Sandy collaborates with IHC clients and develops a game plan that best suits their communication training needs and vision within their organization. Sandy’s 20 +  years working with IHC has provided her with the expertise and flexibility to create and sustain client relationships while tapping into IHC’s rich resource of talent, experience and creativity.