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Altus AFB medical group receives Quality and Patient Safety Award

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Levin Boland
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Members of the 97th Medical Group received an award during the Department of Defense's Quality and Patient Safety Awards Dec. 4.

The Quality and Patient Safety Awards recognize efforts to improve the care delivered within the military health system and identify facilities that have shown innovation and commitment to the development of systems and processes that are tightly organized around the needs of the patient.

"It is a great honor to receive this recognition," said U.S. Air Force Col. Brian Casleton, 97th MDG commander. "It shows how hard the men and women of the 97th Medical Group work on a daily basis to provide our beneficiaries positive medical outcomes in a safe and courteous environment. This award validates that we, the 97th Medical Group, are among the best especially in the quality and patient safety arena."

The 97th was one of seven military treatment facilities around the world recognized during the award ceremony and the only Air Force recipient of 41 submissions.

"Since my arrival, I have been touting Preparation, Respect, Innovation, Discipline and Enthusiasm to each and every member of our health care team," said Casleton. "To receive this recognition is a validation that our entire team takes 'PRIDE' in their commitment to providing the best and safest healthcare to our beneficiaries. In this facility, we put our patient's first, we value their opinions and encourage any input that they may have to make this facility right for them. We are serious about providing top-notch healthcare to each and every beneficiary."

Embracing the Air Force Medical Service's strategic goals - readiness, better care, better health, and best value, members of the 97th MDG initiated the concept, "Communication - A Bridge to Patient Satisfaction." This was an idea that made paramount the need to keep patients informed with the MTF.

To do this, members of the 97th MDG combined three concepts: ensuring the patients know their primary care management team; the versatility of using MiCare, an online patient communication tool; being able to communicate with their providers in a timely manner and first call resolution when patients contact the medical group.

"We did a three-tier approach this year with the MiCare program," said Kurt Ennis, 97th patient safety manager. "We did studies and looked at things customers were having issues with, like how many phone calls were dropped or how many referrals were lost and how people weren't able to access the MiCare program, then we were able to gather data to start fixing the problems."

The members of the 97th MDG had a great and successful year, and plan to build on this year's success.

"We're already starting next year's plans," said Ennis. "I think we have some really good ideas and they will enhance patient satisfaction and outcomes. We are setting the bar high for ourselves and I think we have the team here to do it."