Medical clinic undergoes major transformations Published July 30, 2007 By Senior Airman Brok McCarthy 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- In order to provide more efficient patient care and meet Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century goals, clinic operations within the 75th Medical Group here have undergone major changes. Patients visiting the 75th MDG in August are discovering it is one of the first medical groups in the Air Force to consolidate many of its services into two clinics; the family medicine clinic and the Airmen clinic. Under the new arrangement, the Airmen clinic consists of family practice and women's health services, as well as administrative services like deployment medicine, force health management and medical evaluation board processing. The family medicine clinic, on the other hand, is for dependents of service members and retirees, as well as for retirees themselves. This clinic will also incorporate family practice and women's health services as well as pediatric services to improve patient care access. Additionally, the immunizations section is now more centrally relocated next to the patient records office, and third party collections will move to the office space next to the pharmacy. The changes came about after a healthcare consumer advisory council meeting in May, according to Col. Matthew Chini, 75th MDG commander. "Some of the biggest things participants brought up were the ease of making appointments that were convenient for them and how much time they were spending with their primary care managers," Colonel Chini said. "People also said they didn't want to spend time waiting in the clinic for their appointments." He said he shared this information with his staff, and challenged them to streamline and redefine medical group processes. "Like the rest of the Air Force, we are attempting to cut waste and provide medical care more efficiently, keeping in mind high quality, low cost and high patient satisfaction," Colonel Chini said. By consolidating the active-duty readiness administrative requirements to the Airmen clinic, family medicine clinic providers won't have to split their time between their patients and administrative requirements for service members. Instead, they will have more time to focus solely on their patients. The Airmen clinic will conduct preventative health assessments, profiles, review medical evaluation board packages and incorporate other medical readiness requirements. The colonel said he hopes by consolidating these functions, the clinic's staff will be able to see service members in a more timely manner. "I envision the Airmen clinic providers going out to the work centers and learning more about the special needs of their active-duty members," Colonel Chini said. "This idea is not unlike the flight surgeons relationship to our flying community." This idea came about when an Airman of explosive ordnance disposal said he would like his provider to better understand the physical demands of his job, which he felt would bridge the gap and explain some of his medical needs.