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15th Medical Group takes number one spot in PACAF

  • Published
  • By Capt Scott D. Cook
  • 15th Medical Group
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii --  The Family Health Clinic at the 15th Medical Group recently received recognition as the number one Patient Centered Medical Home Military Treatment Facility out of eight within Pacific Air Forces for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012. This was the third quarter in 2012 that the 15th MDG was ranked as the number one PCMH MTF within PACAF. Further, the clinic was ranked as the #12 of 74 PCMH MTFs within the entire Air Force Medical Service (AFMS).

Col. Vickie Hughes, 15th Medical Group Commander, attributes this achievement to the dedication and professionalism of the men and women of the 15th MDG.

"On behalf of all of our 15th Medical Group medics, it is a privilege and honor to serve America's heroes and their families," she said. "The 15th Medical Group will continue to strive to improve the quality and access to medical care because our Airmen deserve our very best."

The PCMH started in the Air Force medical system in 2008 and is a team centric health care delivery system based on the premise that the best health care begins with a strong primary care foundation. In the PCMH model, patients not only have a personal provider, but a team of medical technicians and a nurse that provides continuous, accessible, family-centered, comprehensive and compassionate health care to achieve the best possible outcome for the patient.

According to Hughes, the success of PCMH at the 15th MDG is attributed to the Family Health Clinic as well as the ancillary and support services that are essential to any healthcare operation. Departments such as the Laboratory, Pharmacy, Radiology, Medical Logistics, Central Appointments, TRICARE Operations, Resource Management, Information Systems and Medical Readiness all provide critical support that are integral to the sustainment of the PCMH model.

The 15th Medical Group currently offers four PCMH teams; all led by board certified physicians. Team A, led by Capt. (Dr.) Nathan Miller of the 15th Medical Operations Squadron, was recently recognized as the number one team in PACAF as well as number five Air Force wide.

"Primary care is really a team effort and I'm fortunate to work with a group of people dedicated to patient care both on our team as well as our disease management department," Miller said. "We don't focus on metrics but it's nice to see our numbers reflect everyone's effort to put the patient first."

However, Team A was not the only team to receive special recognition; in fact, all four Family Health PCMH teams at the 15th MDG were ranked in the top 20 percent of the Air Force, an accomplishment directly attributed to the hard work of the civilians, contractors and active duty members within the Family Health Flight.

"We are extremely fortunate to have an absolutely outstanding group of professionals in the Family Health Clinic," said Lt. Col. Patrick Stilley, Family Health Flight Commander. "Our providers, supported by nurse and technician staff alike, are leading motivated teams to provide the best possible patient care to our military members and their families. Partnering with our Medical Management team and Group Practice Manager, we continue to transform and optimize our processes to ensure we are leaning forward to maximize the services provided. The efforts are indeed bearing fruit in the form of four consecutive quarters of improvement on our Air Force Patient Centered Medical Home report card and a patient satisfaction rating of 96 percent."

The first place PCMH MTF in PACAF
Flight Commander: Lt. Col. Patrick Stilley
Flight Chief: Master Sgt. Tikama Drummond
Flight NCOIC: Tech. Sgt. Shanandoah Derrico

Team A
Capt. (Dr.) Nathan Miller
Capt. (PA) Vicki Bateman
Maj. (PA) Samantha Kelpis
Staff Sgt. Christopher Spencer (Tech)
Senior Airman Justin Stinson (Tech)
Senior Airman Hilaree Glenn (Tech)
Airman 1st Class Valerie Richardson (Tech)

Team B
Mr. (Dr.) Richard Quintana
1Lt. (PA) Laura Taylor
Capt. Brian Smith (Nurse)
Staff Sgt. Samantha Thomas (Tech)
Senior Airman Jin Lee (Tech)
Airman 1st Class Jackie Wolf (Tech)
Ms. Carrie Tuvera (Tech)

Team C
Capt. (Dr.) Chelsea Payne
Capt. (PA) Chris Scharfenstine
Mrs. Bezina Griffith (Nurse)
Tech. Sgt. Daniel Johnson (Tech)
Tech. Sgt. Heather Widell (Tech)
Senior Airman Erin Woolley (Tech)
Airman 1st Class Christopher Bowlds (Tech)
Airman 1st Class  Amber Crosby (Tech)

Team D
Mr. (Dr.) Thomas Hoffman
Maj. (NP) Deborah McCall
Maj. Wanda Edwards (Nurse)
Tech. Sgt. Christopher McCalla (Tech)
Staff Sgt. Michell Germano (Tech)
Senior Airman David Hubbard (Tech)
Senior Airman Staci Hoeger (Tech)
Airman 1st Class Chantel Garfield (Tech)
Mrs. Lani Quitugua (Tech)