375th MDG: Maximizing efficiency, improving patient care Published Oct. 18, 2007 By 1st Lt. Karoline Scott 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs Scott Air Force Base, Ill. -- For more than a year, the 375th Medical Group and Base Hospital have undergone constant change. Not the least of which is that the Scott Air Force Base Hospital is now the Base Clinic. More change is on the horizon for the clinic and Lt. Col. John Mansfield, 375th Medical Operations Squadron commander, reminds Joint Total Force Scott that "the medical staff at Scott and in the local community will not only continue to provide outstanding patient care, but in many ways, care is only going to improve." Driven by Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations and an Air Force-wide scale down of military hospitals, significant changes began in fall 2006 when the Emergency Room closed and all inpatient surgery was moved to area civilian hospitals. More recently, the clinic's walk-in Ambulatory Care Clinic (ACC) officially closed its doors Sept 14. The ACC was established last year as a transition step when the ER closed. "While the Ambulatory Care Clinic is no longer open, the closure poses minimal impact to patients," said Nick Cardozo, 375th MDG Director of Quality Services. "The amount of and quality of care available to patients will not decrease, where and how patients receive treatment will simply change. Acute appointments will be absorbed by our primary care clinics or referrals offered when we cannot provide timely appointments." The 375th MDG wants to share the many other initiatives, changes and improvements that will affect all who rely on the 375th MDG for medical care in the near future. 256-WELL First and foremost, Colonel Mansfield reminds everyone that "if there is a true emergency, either dial 9-1-1 or head to your nearest emergency room; do not hesitate to seek treatment." For all other medical needs, JTF Scott members are encouraged to call 256-WELL (9355). "Patients can access 256-Well 24 hours a day, 7 days a week," said Mr. Cardozo. "During business hours, you can make or change appointments, and call in prescription refills. In addition, if you need to talk with a health care provider during off hours, one is available using this same 256-WELL number. It is an effective and easy way to seek medical assistance for all who turn to the 375th MDG for medical needs, regardless of where they live or where they go for medical treatment. Don't forget that after hours and on weekends, if you need to be seen for a non-emergent problem, call 256-well to get the referral. Otherwise, you are likely to incur charges because the referral may not be accomplished retroactively. "We have seen a trend in patients calling on Monday mornings asking the physician to put in a referral after the patient was seen over the weekend" said Col. Diane Ritter, 375th Medical Group commander. "This is not an appropriate practice because the referral is intended to make sure that the trip to the doctor is medically indicated before TRICARE is obligated to pay the bill." New Specialized Clinics Continuing to improve patient care, the 375th MDG will soon open specialized clinics geared toward treating those with common injuries and ailments. "Statistically, more people came to Scott's clinic for upper respiratory problems, including cold and flu, than for any other acute medical concern," said Colonel Mansfield. "Based on this data, we are preparing to open a PharmD clinic to treat cold and flu patients." Specialized, quick and efficient care is the goal behind the PharmD clinic, which will be run by officers with pharmaceutical doctorates. "When a patient calls seeking treatment for cold of flu symptoms, we direct them to the PharmD clinic to be seen by experts who can prescribe them the medicine they need in order to recover quickly," said Colonel Mansfield. "If symptoms require more treatment than what the PharmD clinic can prescribe, the patient will be referred to a different specialist." It is projected that this clinic will open Oct. 15. In addition to the upper respiratory clinic, the 375th MDG is also working on an ankle pain clinic, where patients will be directed straight to a base physical therapist for specialize treatment. Eventually, the plan is to extend this clinic to include treating those with knee pain as well. Other specialized clinics in the works are for lipid treatment, which will specialize in helping those with high cholesterol, and eventually a chronic pain management Referral Clinic. "We are really excited about opening these new clinics and making treatment more accessible for our patients," Colonel Mansfield said. AudioNotes The 375th MDG is also leveraging technology to provide a new, convenient service for patients called Audio Notes, which is a patient lab result reporting system. "Often, when patients have lab work done, there is a long game of phone tag between patient and doctor before they are able to make contact," said Colonel Mansfield. "With this new system, when a patient's results are in, the doctor will call the AudioNotes hotline and verify that results are normal. A patient will then receive an automated phone call with a personal identification number where they can access their lab results. This system will allow patients to find out lab results quickly, easily and confidentially." The AudioNotes system will only be used to notify patients of normal lab results. If results are abnormal, a patient will receive a personal phone call from their doctor. "Currently, the AudioNotes system is being tested in the Primary Care and Pediatric clinics," said Colonel Mansfield, "we hope to have it up and running for most parts of the Base Clinic within the next few months." Women's Health Services Expansion The next major project for the 375th MDG is an expansion of women's health services at a new off-site clinic at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Belleville. "The expansion of women's health services is the most exciting thing I've been a part of since I've been here," said Colonel Mansfield. "It will be a great improvement in how we treat our female patients." The clinic will be geared specifically toward providing check ups for women in their third trimester of pregnancy, and those with pre and post operation appointments. "Currently, these appointments are made at Scott's main clinic on base even though women's health surgeries and baby deliveries take place at St. Elizabeth's," said Colonel Misfield. "Moving these appointments to Belleville is a huge advantage to patients. If, for example, a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy comes in for a routine check up, and it turns out she's in labor, she'll be right down the hall from where her baby will be delivered. Additionally, if a woman had surgery at St. Elizabeth's, and her post-op check up reveals a complication or infection, she can immediately be taken to see the doctor who performed the surgery." Friday, Scott personnel walked through the newly-leased portion of St. Elizabeth's, and a ribbon cutting of the facility could happen in as soon as four to six weeks. New Training Day Another change that will take place in the next few weeks is a change in the Base Clinic training day. Beginning Oct. 11, training will take place the second Thursday afternoon of each month instead of the second Friday morning of the month. "All Base Clinic facilities will close at noon the second Thursday of every month," said Colonel Mansfield. "The only service that will remain open during this time is the Satellite Pharmacy." Facility Renovations The longest-term and most time consuming upcoming change is a massive $35+ million renovation project that will improve the ability to provide quality, efficient service. "Facility renovations are scheduled to begin Oct. 15 and the project should take approximately two years from start to finish," Colonel Mansfield said. "The services offered to patients will not be affected during this time frame, however we ask our patrons to be flexible because locations of some of our clinics and offices will temporarily change during construction," he said. To keep JTF Scott informed, Base Clinic staff members will be on hand to direct patrons to new office locations, and signs and maps will also be posted to show people where to go. "Though the renovations will be time consuming, the end result will be fantastic," he said. "We will have a better functioning clinic, designed to better suit our patients' needs." Ultimately, the 375th MDG reminds JTF Scott that all of the changes are geared toward improving patient care. "We remain dedicated to providing everyone who relies on Scott for their medical needs with the best possible care, whether on or off base," said Colonel Mansfield. "We do ask our patients for patience as we undergo several important improvements. The end result will be well worth it for all."