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Family health clinic adds 1,000 appointments per month

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Michael Ellis
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --   Through process improvements and increased efficiencies, 59th Medical Wing Group Practice Managers found a way to add 12,000 more appointment slots in a single clinic over the next year.

One of the wing's busiest clinics, the Wilford Hall Family Health Clinic provides quality, patient-centered care to 36,000 TRICARE beneficiaries annually. When a recent surge of provider turnovers led to a shortage of appointments in the clinic, wing GPMs began looking for a solution.

GPMs monitor access to care and identify factors negatively impacting that access, explained Maj. Ryan Yates, 59th MDW Group Practice Manager.

"As members of the group staff, we act as advisors to the clinics. We advise, counsel and generate the reports and analysis for clinic, group and wing leaders. With the information we provide they are able to make the final decision as to which recommendations to implement," he said.

High turnover rates in the family health clinic resulted in a significant decrease in appointment slots as the outgoing providers saw fewer patients leading up to their departure. Meanwhile new providers worked according to transition schedules. During this orientation period which normally lasts a few weeks, new providers see fewer patients to allow them time to complete inprocessing and credentialing.

"We offered provider-by-provider analysis for each doctor in family practice and presented courses of action on how to minimize the impact on patient care and ensure they are on track with the Air Force's prescribed minimum number for patient-centered medical home clinics," Yates said.

Yates and his team briefed the situation and solutions at many different levels.

"When roadblocks hindering the improvement process arose, we got creative, devised new metrics and ways to show our access issues."

Wing GPMs also brainstormed solutions to increase the time allotted for administrative tasks and to devote to new processes like MiCare, an online service offering efficient electronic exchange between patients and their healthcare team.

Changes resulting from the GPMs observations and analysis include increasing clinic leaders' patient load, standardizing time allotted for administrative duties, and restructuring staff schedules to bring more providers on each shift.

As changes were made and other limiting factors were eliminated, the clinic recaptured lost time and put it back in patient care. The successful efforts at the clinic reflect the wing's dedication to continually looking for ways to better the patient experience and increase access to care.

To make an appointment at the clinic, call the Consult & Appointment Management Office at 916-9900. TRICARE beneficiaries can also make an appointment online - and access their personal health data or communicate with their health care providers - through the patient portal.