MDG members collect AETC awards

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt Jason Bishop
  • Public Affairs
Vance Air Force Base, Okla. --  Two members of the 71st Medical Group earned best in Air Education and Training Command in their perspective career fields.
Sharon Schaefer is the AETC civilian health plans manager of the year for 2003 and Capt Judy Webb-Hapgood is the AETC group practice manager for 2003.
As health plans manager, Mrs. Schaefer, who has now earned this award in two consecutive years and the first two years it's been given, takes care of all the TRICARE, military health care insurance, issues which involve active duty, retirees and their families.
"I'm very passionate about this," Mrs. Schafer said. "This involves myself, my family and it involves my parents because my dad is retired military. So I have a big stake in this. I'm not just looking at this as a job, because it involves so many people I know."
In 2003, Mrs. Schaefer delivered 50 informative briefings to more than 2,500 members of Team Vance, according to her award package. She also created a quick-reference TRICARE insert for commanders, providing at-your-fingertips information.
Mrs. Schaefer also restructured more than 10,000 medical records without interruption in service, increasing efficiency and accountability.
As group practice manager, Captain Webb-Hapgood oversees family practice, pediatrics, flight medicine, life skills and optometry.
"Our core focus as group practice managers is assuring patients get into the clinic when they need to get in," Captain Webb-Hapgood said. "Making sure that access to our clinic is there for our patients."
In 2003, Captain Webb-Hapgood put new initiatives to work to make TRICARE Online, a Web-based appointment system, operational, according to her award package. In doing this, she briefed 900 military and retired beneficiaries marketing TRICARE programs.
Captain Webb-Hapgood created a provider-specific coding flowsheet, a systematic plan, which improved coding and documentation accuracy by 50 percent.