Photo By Marcy Sanchez | Patty George (second from right), spouse of Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen....... read more read more
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WIESBADEN, Germany — U.S. Army Health Clinic (USAHC) Wiesbaden hosted Patty George, spouse of Gen. Randy George, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, during a visit to Clay Kaserne, Aug. 24. The visit coincided with general engagements with key leaders, staff, and allied partners in the U.S. Army Europe and Africa theater of operations.
The visit offered George the opportunity to immerse herself in the experiences of Service Members and families overseas and in the unique environment of a foreign healthcare system. Her visit underlines a broader effort to understand and address the challenges faced by those on assignment overseas. Additionally, George’s visit precedes the anticipated Sept. 23, Europe-wide deployment of the Department of Defense’s new Electronic Health Record, MHS GENESIS.
During the tour, George, along with Erin Williams, spouse of Army Gen. Darryl Williams, commanding general, U.S. Army Europe and Africa and NATO’s Allied Land Command, and Vicky Inman, spouse of Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jeremiah Inman, command sergeant major, U.S. Army Europe and Africa, met with USAHC-Wiesbaden and Dental Health Clinic – Wiesbaden command teams before holding discussions with Army Brig. Gen. Clinton Murray, director of Defense Health Agency Region, Europe and commander of Army Medical Readiness Command, Europe. The interactions provided her firsthand insights into the distinctive hurdles and advantages that come with seeking medical care and families seeking assignments at overseas military bases.
Topics included referral processes, medication options outside the Military Health System, and the vastly dissimilar statutory health insurance system in Germany.
Army Lt. Col. Erica Kane, commander of UAHC-Wiesbaden, remarked the clinic’s efforts to continue informing incoming and current Service Members and their families of the need to be more active in their own healthcare, due to the limited resources available when compared to health care systems in the United States.
“When care is being received outside (of a military treatment facility) we employ host nation patient liaisons to help patients navigate the German healthcare system, but (liaisons) may not be available at 2 a.m.,” said Kane. “We are empowering the patient by providing and identifying resources available as they in-process for assignments in Germany.”
One resource available to beneficiaries include the TRICARE Overseas Program, MyCare Overseas mobile application. The app allows provides 24/7 assistance worldwide, access to the Near Patient Program (NPP- a network of medical professionals who assist with using local health care systems), medical translation services, health plan information, appointment reminders, and referral/ authorization tracking.
“MyCare Overseas lets you get help with health care services and manage your TRICARE benefit, all in one place,” said Michael Griffin, program analyst with the TRICARE Overseas Program Office at the Defense Health Agency. “It’s a handy tool for finding providers, getting real-time language help, tracking your referrals, and much more.”
As the clinic prepares to transition to MHS GENESIS, more resources are becoming available to avoid delays in appointments, medications, or laboratory services, such as the USAHC-Wiesbaden Pharmacy’s new web-application-activated ticket service for new prescriptions, a remote queuing system for new prescriptions that allows you to virtually "get in line" at the pharmacy without being there. The clinic is the first to pilot the system in Europe to avoid waiting in the pharmacy.
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2023 08:24 |
| Story ID: | 452260 |
| Location: | LANDSTUHL, RP, DE |
| Web Views: | 557 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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