Message delivered: Text-Me-Now program provides immediate response from Patient Advocates

Photo By Staff Sgt. Joel Pfiester | The Text-Me-Now program, which originated at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and has made its way to Whiteman, makes the process more resourceful and immediate by allowing patients to text message an advocate at the clinic from their mobile device.  

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, MO, UNITED STATES

01.27.2017

Story by Senior Airman Joel Pfiester 

509th Bomb Wing

The Text-Me-Now program, which originated at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, and has made its way to Whiteman, makes the process more resourceful and immediate by allowing patients to text message an advocate at the clinic from their mobile device.
Traditionally, if a concern arises while a patient is at the clinic, they could ask to see the Patient Advocate by notifying a staff member. The staff would then seek out the advocate who could then come and consult with the patient to resolve the issue.
“If a patient wishes to see me, they can ask a staff member in the clinic, and they will be brought to my office or they can submit their concerns online through the Interactive Customer Evaluation (ICE),” said U.S. Air Force Capt. James Jordan, the 509th Medical Group (MDG) Patient Advocate. “There no appointment necessary to see me, “I’m available whenever a patient has an issue.”
While Jordan is the MDG advocate, there are advocates for each section of the clinic, such as Family Health, Lab, Physical Therapy and so on. The program aims to help maximize the amount of patients assisted by minimizing the time it takes to seek out the advocate. It also increases the amount of patients that can be assisted at the same time.
“The program is beneficial because it gives the patient a direct and immediate line to myself or the alternate group advocate, Master Sgt. William Blackmon,” said Jordan. “They can be sitting in the exam room and text me and I can try to provide them with immediate resolution or address any of their concerns on-the-spot. They do not need to involve any staff to seek me out.”
For example, if a patient is having an issue with the very staff member they would need to ask to find the advocate, the Text-Me-Now program allows the patient to avoid any interaction with staff other than the advocate. They can simply send a text message to the number with a brief description of the issue at hand.
The program is intended for use only while in the clinic for immediate issues and feedback. For other concerns, patients should access the ICE portal.
“The Text-Me-Now program is bringing patient care and alleviation of concerns into the modern ‘immediate resolution’ realm,” said Jordan.
The Text-Me-Now program phone number is 660- 563-1011. For more information, contact Capt. James Jordan 660-687-2983. For more information regarding ICE, visit http://ice.disa.mil.

• Date Taken: 01.27.2017
• Date Posted: 01.27.2017 16:04
• Story ID: 221686
• Location: WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, MO, US