Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class James Stenberg | The Barry J. Mathis Building houses the NBHC for Naval Air Station Whiting Field. NBHC...... read more read more
NAVAL BRANCH HEALTH CLINIC WHITING FIELD, MILTON, Fla. – In the past, TRICARE beneficiaries in the Milton, Fla., area were having a hard time scheduling appointments at the Naval Branch Health Clinic on Naval Air Station Whiting Field. Through hard work, dedication and the implementation and certification of the Medical Home Port program, this is no longer an issue. Today, patients can get a same day appointment if they desire or should be offered an appointment within the week.
Whiting Field is the busiest Naval Air Station in the world, responsible for an estimated 46 percent of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command’s total flight time and more than 11 percent of Navy and Marine Corps total flight time. According to the Commander Navy Installations Command website, more than 1,200 service members complete their essential flight training here yearly.
A small facility staffed by approximately 12 officers, 40 enlisted, 14 civil service and three contract employees, NBHC Whiting Field provides primary outpatient medical care such as preventive medicine, occupational health, mental health screenings, military medicine, family medicine, radiology, pharmacy, immunization, physical therapy and laboratory services to active-duty personnel, their family members and retirees enrolled in TRICARE Prime. Dental care is also provided to active-duty personnel.
In the past year, NBHC Whiting Field gained its level III certification as a Medical Home Port. Certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance Qualification, Medical Home Port qualification requires that patients have the ability to contact their providers 24 hours a day, seven days a week and that the clinic is available to handle same day appointments. Patients can contact their provider through secure email to ask health care questions and can make appointments online using TRICARE Online.
“Medical Home Port enables the [beneficiaries] to access their primary care manager in the most efficient and effective way to them,” said Don Nelson, beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinator, NBHC Whiting Field. “It’s a way to manage patient care that is the best for the families of all the military people we see, as well as for the doctors to be able to coordinate care.”
Medical Home Port is a team based approach to primary health care where patients are assigned to a specific team of providers for continuity of care. The team reviews all of the patient’s medical needs and ensures that anything required for the patient is addressed during the appointment, including booking referrals and giving missing immunizations.
“[Medical Home Port] is not about quantity health care, but about quality health care,” said Lt. Jennifer Rickerson, senior nurse officer, NBHC Whiting Field. “It’s about taking care of the whole patient … their mental, spiritual health and well being. Basically, it’s about taking care of the whole person.”
One of the ways that Medical Home Port accomplishes this is with patient-doctor continuity.
When asked what some of the advantages to patients seeing the same doctor were, Don Nelson said, “You don’t have to go through your history of previous injuries, illnesses or health conditions. Your doctor knows you and has an established rapport with you. This really helps them to proceed quicker and identify things that will help the patient out.”
“[Medical Home Port] has really opened the door to keep patients with their primary care doctor as much as possible, and the patients love it,” said Nelson. “It’s a small clinic so we can be very personable with the families, and the families that come here generally are extremely happy with the care that they get. They feel that personal touch.”
With the qualification as a Medical Home Port, NHBC Whiting Field has dedicated itself to ensuring beneficiaries have the care they deserve, ready and accessible to them at all times.
For more information about NBHC Whiting Field or to make an appointment by phone, please call 850-623-7551/7552.
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2013 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 105214 |
| Location: | MILTON, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 201 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, The wait is over, by PO1 James Stenberg, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT