Family Health Initiative changes primary medical care

  • Published
  • By Connie Hempel
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Patients here will soon see a new way of doing things when it comes to health care as the Air Force's Family Health Initiative kicks into gear.

Although medical authorities don't have an exact implementation date set for the 17th Medical Group, the new program is slated to begin within 2010 and is expected to increase both patient and clinic staff satisfaction.

This is the second round of military treatment facilities throughout the Air Force transferring to FHI. The first round started in 2008 and so far, 13 MTFs are up and running with the FHI process. This year, 20 more will be added.

According to Maj. Jeremy Braswell, 17th Medical Support Squadron group practice manager, FHI will solidify the Air Force surgeon general's vision of how primary care at Air Force MTFs should be: a medial home that's pleasing to patients and medical staff.

The initiative will not affect Pediatrics or the Student clinic, however, Goodfellow's family clinic, which serves more than 4,800 patients, will be restructured into two family health teams. Each team will be comprised of one family physician, one extender provider - either a physician assistant, a nurse practitioner or another physician - one nurse and five medical technicians.

Family members will be assigned to one of the teams which will help build a relationship that allows for greater, faster access to healthcare.

"Patients will always see their team's physician or extender, while the nurse and technicians provide continuity and care," Major Braswell said. "This allows the physician and the rest of the team to be familiar with the patient and his medical history. This will also help the patient be more at ease and less worried about seeing different doctors each time they make an appointment."

Although some team members may change due to deployments or an assignment to a new duty location, the patient will always see a familiar face on the team, he said. The concept will make seeing physicians at the medical clinic feel more like seeing the family doctor.

There are other programs the FHI working group is looking into revamping, such as urgent care referrals and other internal processes to enhance customer service. The FHI working group is made up of physicians, nurses, medical technicians, medical administrators and TRICARE staff, and they have been brainstorming since February.

"We put every idea that would better serve our patients and ourselves on the table," Major Braswell said about the working group.

As far as changes with appointments, the major anticipates them to be very transparent.

"There will be positive changes such shorter wait times on the phone and faster responses. Protocols are also being established to make for better efficiency," he said.

Before anything can be rolled out and set in place, the Air Force Medical Operation Agency will visit the clinic July 27 to see if they have enough staff to implement the FHI change as well as approve or disapprove their other proposals.

As with any change, the major said there may be some unexpected quirks, but they will overcome them. Thankfully with Goodfellow being in the second round of MTFs to convert to FHI, they will be able to use the lessons learned and best practice ideas from those who have already completed the transformation during the first round.