Photo By Staff Sgt. Austin Harvill | Patient Centered Medical Homes aim to provide better continuity of care to patients...... read more read more
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FORT EUSTIS, Va. - According to their mission statement, the McDonald Army Health Center at Fort Eustis continuously strives to find new, innovative ways to provide quality healthcare to the Joint Base Langley-Eustis community.
While medical advances typically come in the form of new clinics, equipment or practices, MCAHC professionals are looking at a different focus – the patients.
Through implementation of the Patient Centered Medical Home clinics at MCAHC, the health center hopes to improve the way patients interact with medical teams, and change the outlook of healthcare from expending resources curing ailments to prevention.
MCAHC first designated Troop Medical Center 2 as a PCMH clinic to test the program in early 2013. After a successful trial period, MCAHC received approval to expand the clinics at the beginning of 2014.
“Patient comfort remains a priority throughout these changes,” explained Samara Walker, MCAHC registered nurse. “In a PCMH clinic, patients will see the same team of providers to improve continuity of care and make the patient feel more familiar with [MCAHC] staff.”
Patients seen by one of six PCMH teams will have one continuous primary care manager as in the past, but they will also work with the same group of healthcare assistants, nurses and specialists in order to feel more comfortable.
The six teams belong to four clinics. TMC2 and Internal Medicine each have one PCMH team. The Family Health and Pediatric clinics each have two teams. All four clinics also have one independent clinical social worker, who aims to improve a patient’s mindset towards treatment and prevention.
“Helping our patients understand their care can increase their overall health since they are more willing to engage in their treatment,” said Walker. “[These social workers] work with patients at a deeper level – they want to know if the treatment causes any problems at home or work, and how to resolve those issues without risking the benefits of treatment.”
For patients requiring constant care, such as cancer patients, PCMH clinics offer nurse care managers who stay with the patient through a stream of treatment plans and personnel changes.
Other specialists not attached to a specific PCMH clinic still play a vital role in the PCMH mission with their expertise.
“If our patients feel at home with their PCMH group, branching out to specialists will be easier because they have a base of care established at their ‘home’ clinic,” explained Walker. “The patient’s PCMH group will provide in-depth information to the specialist, instead of a patient walking in with a handful of papers, trying to explain their injury or illness.”
In addition to patient comfort, access and continuity of care, MCAHC hopes PCMH teams will put the responsibility of treatment on themselves and the patients equally.
“We don’t want to just give our patients medication and send them out the door,” said Walker. “We want to give them a new way to prevent their health issues by placing the care in their hands through diet, exercise and specialized home treatment.”
Because patients and PCMH groups have a closer relationship, Walker believes caretakers can pinpoint treatment plans to better accommodate a patient’s schedule and desires. If all of those aspects of PCMH clinics come together, Walker knows MCAHC patients will leave healthier and happier.
“The patient is a caretaker’s greatest resource for treatment,” said Walker. “The more they do for themselves, the more comfortable they feel – those factors mark the difference between treatment at some hospital and the care provided here at MCAHC.”
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 03.11.2014 10:24 |
| Story ID: | 121820 |
| Location: | FORT EUSTIS, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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