Photo By William Love | CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Capt. Guido F. Valdes, commanding officer, and Lt. Cmdr. Eric...... read more read more
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (March 22, 2017) - With a quick snip of the scissors, Capt. Guido F. Valdes, commanding officer, and Lt. Cmdr. Eric Miller, director, Healthcare Business, inaugurated the Naval Health Clinic (NHC) Corpus Christi Patient Advocacy Center (PAC) March 17.
As the ribbon parted, Valdes and Miller, flanked by PAC team members, declared the new facility open for business.
Announced as a one-stop shop for patients, the grand opening was the culmination of efforts by clinic staff that began shortly after Valdes took the helm in 2015.
“When I arrived here I was walking around the Command and I happened to be in the customer relations office where I saw a lot of extra space,” Valdes said in his opening remarks about the former TRICARE Service Center (TSC). “I imagined that we could use that space better, and try to make it a little bit more welcoming for our patients.”
Before walk-in service closed April 1, 2014, TSC representatives assisted with enrollment and primary care assignments both within NHC Corpus Christi and the civilian healthcare network. They also processed specialty referrals for the clinic’s patients and helped them to understand their claims. The TSC customer service team provided expert guidance to the clinic staff, particularly Referral Management, in order to best serve patients with their primary and specialty care needs.
But the face-to-face advantage vanished following TSC’s shut down, leaving NHC Corpus Christi patients with telephone and online assistance – until now.
Valdes’ personal concern for patients inspired the PAC creation idea.
“When Captain Valdes first checked onboard he brought with him a term that often gets overlooked between providing safe, quality healthcare, and taskers from higher authority, and that is the patient experience,” Miller explained. “The Patient Advocacy Center was born from that focus, a focus on easing the burden with navigating both our military healthcare system, and the civilian healthcare system.”
While visiting NHC Corpus Christi, it’s doubtful that a patient might overlook the frustration associated with getting the runaround.
“Often times in any healthcare setting, finding the right person to help you can be more of a headache than the headache you are being treated for,” said Miller.
But Miller adds that without the PAC, patients with complicated issues and tough expectations were often met by well-meaning staff who simply were unsure of who or where the right person was for the patient to make a good connection.
“It’s kind of like when someone asks you for directions and you know that you have heard about that road, but you don’t know where it is exactly, so you try your best to give the right directions,” said Miller.
Now the staff will be able to direct patients to PAC subject matter experts who will be able to provide immediate help. What’s best is patients will have the opportunity to meet and speak with a caring person.
NHC Corpus Christi provides ambulatory care services to over 13,000 enrolled beneficiaries comprised of military active duty, their family members, retirees and their family members, many of whom are referred to the network depending on their health needs.
From Valdes’ perspective, helping patients navigate the referral process as well as TRICARE travel in one location will enhance the patient experience. Furthermore, the personalized service that human interaction affords is invaluable.
“What we are endeavoring to do here is to put a face to the service so that a patient can go through that door and find someone who can help them in one way, shape or form,” said Valdes. “We may not have an immediate answer but we’ll certainly find it. That is what this is designed to be, so I’m really excited about this.”
Although TRICARE Health Benefits Advisor, Humana Health Systems consultant, and Customer Relations were already in place, a Referral Management counselor and a TRICARE Travel Advisor relocated from the second floor to form the new PAC team.
The PAC is conveniently located in suite 1118 past the quarterdeck and across the hall from Radiology.
| Date Taken: | 03.22.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2017 11:36 |
| Story ID: | 227718 |
| Location: | CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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