Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class James Stenberg | On June 1, the Emergency Room at NHP will be converted into an Urgent Care Center,...... read more read more
PENSACOLA, Fla. - On June 1, the Emergency Room at Naval Hospital Pensacola will be converted into an Urgent Care Center (UCC). The UCC will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. for all TRICARE beneficiaries.
Capt. Maureen Padden, commanding officer, NHP, has served in the Navy for over 26 years. She began her career in Family Medicine and has previously served as the executive officer for NHP. She holds an undergraduate degree in molecular biology from the University of California at San Diego, a medical degree from the Uniformed Services University and a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Washington.
Why is the Emergency Room being converted to an Urgent Care Center? Navy Medicine, as a whole, looked at how it could align its resources to best meet the operational needs of the Navy, reduce costs and optimize its limited resources to provide the best care to beneficiaries. The relatively low patient volume at our ER coupled with our improved access to care within our Medical Home Port Teams lead to the decision by Navy Medicine to convert the ER to a UCC. Beneficiaries can now make appointments with their primary care manager or Medical Home Port Team more efficiently than ever at Naval Hospital Pensacola, usually on the same day. We also have three excellent civilian hospitals with ERs in the Pensacola area that will be able to provide emergency care to our beneficiaries.
What kind of care will be provided at the UCC? The UCC will provide acute or urgent needs care such as minor lacerations or injuries, fevers, colds, sore throat and other basic healthcare. The care provided at the UCC will be very similar to the care provided at one of our Medical Home Ports, which is why beneficiaries enrolled at the hospital should always try and visit their Medical Home first since they know our patients best and see them on a regular basis. However, the UCC will be there after normal clinic hours and the weekend if needed.
What cannot be treated at the UCC and should be treated at an Emergency Room? True emergencies such as chest pain, breathing problems, drug overdoses, head traumas and mental health emergencies are some examples of what will not be treated at our UCC and will need to be treated at one of the local ERs. In addition, ambulances will not stop at NHP, so anyone being transported by ambulance will be taken to the closest ER.
Who can utilize the UCC? The UCC can be utilized by all TRICARE beneficiaries including TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Standard, TRICARE for Life and TRICARE Young Adult. TRICARE beneficiaries enrolled with one of the Medical Home Ports at the hospital will have the extra benefit of the UCC staff trying to get them an appointment with their Medical Home Port Team if they visit the UCC during normal clinic hours. If the staff at the UCC is unable to get them an appointment with their Medical Home Port Team in a timely manner that satisfies the beneficiary, they will be seen at the UCC.
Can Veterans utilize the UCC as they did with the ER as part of the Veterans Affairs/DoD agreement?
We are still working closely with the VA and the VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System's Joint Ambulatory Care Center (JACC) to determine if veterans enrolled for healthcare with the VA will be able to continue to utilize the UCC in the same or similar manner they have used our ER. Once we have that determination, we will work closely with the JACC to share that information with the veteran population.
How should beneficiaries determine if they should visit the UCC or one of the local ERs? Beneficiaries should always err on the side of caution. If they believe they are having a true emergency, then call 911 or visit an Emergency Room. If a person is not sure, they can call their Medical Home Port Team during normal hours and speak to their team. If it’s after hours, TRICARE has a new Nurse Advice Line that beneficiaries can use to ask healthcare questions or get a referral to a UCC. The Nurse Advice Line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-800-TRICARE, option 1.
| Date Taken: | 04.24.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2014 10:36 |
| Story ID: | 127375 |
| Location: | PENSACOLA, FL, US |
| Web Views: | 845 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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