We hear you - Medical Group responds to survey concerns

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. James Bolinger
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  (The following article is the first of two that address concerns Team Vance members raised when responding to the 2013 "Caring for People" survey conducted in March.)

Challenges with health care at the Vance Clinic is one of several concerns voiced by Team Vance members responding to the Caring for People survey in March.

"Many of the concerns about the 71st Medical Group voiced in the Caring for People survey involved manning issues," said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Mike Landes, the 71st MDG chief of medical staff.

"The clinic is undermanned."

"Providers are too busy."

"Why is there a long wait for appointments?"

"Rest assured that Team Vance has a team dedicated to the health and wellness of every Airman, Soldier, family member and retiree," said Landes. "Providing exceptional patient care and being your first choice in healthcare is our primary goal."

Proper manning at any organization whose primary mission is customer service is essential to successful day-to-day operations. Recommendations from Vance patients included increasing manning at the Vance Clinic.

The Vance Clinic is currently manned at required levels, according to Department of Defense standards.

The number of healthcare providers is based on the number of patients authorized to receive care here, said Landes. The decision regarding the ratio of medical providers to the Vance patient population is made above the local Medical Group and Wing level.

Patients who receive care at Vance include active duty service members, families of active-duty members and retirees. More than 4,000 patients use the Vance Clinic as their primary healthcare location.

The number of medical-care providers authorized at Vance are one pediatrician, two family health practitioners, three flight medicine physicians, two dentists, one psychologist and three social workers.

Due to the size of the staff, deployments, annual leave and unexpected absences impact the 71st MDG more than larger clinics.

"We have one pediatrician," said Landes. "If she wants to take leave, or attends a board or conference in order to maintain her certification, then we are zero percent manned in that position."

The same condition applies to the family practice doctors, one of whom has been deployed for several months. When one doctor is absent, the office is 50 percent manned.

The recent shortage in family practice led 71st MDG leadership to request a temporary manning backfill. A physician's assistant from Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, arrived to help take some of the load off the remaining doctor.

"Our intent is to provide the services patients require as timely and efficiently as possible," said Landes.

The Vance Clinic is also gaining a permanent physician's assistant in flight medicine to assist aircrew with their medical needs.

To help reduce the time patients spend waiting on appointments and the time doctors spend on patients who don't need immediate appointments, the Air Force Medical Service introduced a secure online program called MiCare.

MiCare is an Internet-portal with confidential, secure messaging service, that allows patients to interact with their primary healthcare provider, request medication refills, get lab results and request appointments.

MiCare can greatly improve patient communication with their healthcare team, eliminate the need for appointments and free up those appointments for others -- but only if patients enroll and use the system.

Team Vance members can enroll at the MiCare kiosk in the Medical Group lobby.

For more information about MiCare, visit MDG launches secure, online messaging for patients.

(The next article will answer survey concerns about closures for training days and other programs available to patients to avoid waiting on an appointment.)