22nd MDG to start Medical Home teams

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Trevor Rhynes
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  In an effort to enhance the overall health of Airmen and their dependents, the 22nd Medical Group will change the way patients are enrolled beginning June 1.

Each squadron on base will be assigned to a Medical Home team and patients will be assigned to a team based on what squadron their sponsor is in and will no longer be assigned to providers on a space available basis.

The new strategy, highlighted by the Air Force Surgeon General, encourages military treatment facilities to align Medical Home teams with various squadrons around their respective base. The Medical Home team will consist of three providers, one nurse and seven technicians.

Team McConnell is taking this a step further and is aligning Airmen not just by squadron, but aligning family members as well to allow the medical experts an opportunity to see trends that may arise and provide better care to patients. 

"Traditionally, when a patient was enrolled to us they would go to whichever provider had capacity," said 1st Lt. Aiden Acklin, 22nd MDG group practice manager. "We would try our best to keep families together, but assigning patients to available providers was our strategy before."

By having the same healthcare team, dependents will be able to support their sponsor and vice versa as family history and the home environment play an integral and vital part in a member's healthcare. The information gathered can easily be shared by a single provider team. Having a single point of contact for an Airman's family's medical care will create an encouraging environment where all of Team McConnell can succeed in maintaining good health.

For children currently assigned to the pediatrics clinic there will be no change in their care. Incoming children will be assigned on a case-by-case basis, dependent upon the needs of the child. All of the 22nd MDG providers are highly-skilled and trained, and they are able to treat a variety of injuries and health concerns from infants to retirees, said Acklin.

"Initially, there will be little change noted by beneficiaries, but when [this] is fully implemented, patients will see proactive, streamlined and patient-centered exam workflows," said Lt. Col. Lynn Berry, office of the Air Force Surgeon General Chief of Flight and Operational Medicine Standardization.  "A return to work and case management program will be implemented for service members with significant duty limitations.  In other words, there will be a dedicated, highly trained team performing all the military assessments and examination with a return to work function."    

The Medical Home teams will get to know a squadron's working conditions and notice trends in work-related injuries or illnesses within the squadron quicker and tailor a patient's healthcare to prevent and control health issues more efficiently. Airmen and their families are the Air Force's most valuable resource and this process will target prevention, wellness and performance efforts to shape medical outcomes.

"Each team will be assigned to various units around base, the 184th Intelligence Wing and retirees in the area," Acklin said. "The idea is that providers who make up a squadron's Medical Home team will be able to become familiar with that squadron's occupational hazards. There are a lot of occupational health concerns with many units. Our providers will be more familiar with each once we get this new system implemented."

During the transition to the Medical Home teams, every effort will be made to keep retirees with their current healthcare providers but no guarantees can be made, said Acklin. 

Although some patients may be hesitant to switch, Acklin encourages beneficiaries to approach their new provider openly during their initial appointments.

"We understand some patients love the provider they had before these changes," Acklin said. "We want people to approach their new provider with an open mind and address any concerns you may have by scheduling a visit with them."

During the transition, patients may receive an appointment cancellation notification for appointments made after June 1, but the appointment will be carried over to their new Medical Home team.
Dependents and retirees also have the option of using TRICARE Standard insurance if they would like to choose an off-base provider, but there will be cost involved. For more information about TRICARE Standard, visit www.tricare.mil. 

For more information, contact the 22nd MDG at DSN 743-5097 or commercial at (316) 759-5097 or view the frequently asked questions here.