Photo By Marcy Sanchez | Individual stations allow patient access to the Behavioral Health Data Portal, a...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas - The Internal Medicine Clinic at William Beaumont Army Medical Center is more than just a clinic; it’s a home.
A Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) that is, which provides specialty care and primary care for Soldiers, families, retirees and veterans. The PCMH model allows teams of specialized staff to treat patients at a one-stop shop.
“It’s a different type of model,” said John Bricker, clinical nurse officer in charge at the IMC. “The model is set up so that the doctor can refer the patient to behavioral health, pharmacist, nutritionist and other specialties.”
The clinic’s specialty care welcomes a diverse clientele from 18-year-old active-duty Soldiers to 100-year-old veterans. Referrals are easily made between specialists thanks to embedded pharmacists, nutritionists, behavioral health consultants and a Coumadin clinic for patients who are prescribed blood thinners. Over 7,600 patients are assigned to the clinic because of the specialty care provided.
“The majority of our patients have a complicated medical history,” said Maj. Megan Childs, IMC chief.
“We also do all pre-ops here; (Department of Veterans Affairs) beneficiaries will also come here before going into surgery.”
Case managers are also embedded within IMC to assist patients with special requirements or complicated treatments.
“We deal with patients that have complex cases, such as multiple referrals, transplant patients, out of area patients and others,” said Rubie Herrera, a case manager with the clinic. “We schedule the appointments, coordinate with other case managers, ensure they have all the medical information and schedule doctor-to-doctor meetings if needed.”
According to Herrera, every patient is different with different needs. Even if two patients have the same diagnosis it doesn’t mean they will both be treated the same way; it’s a case-by case basis due to medical history.
“This is also a specialty clinic. Do not confuse it with a primary clinic,” said Sgt. 1st Class Susan Poll, noncommissioned officer in charge of the clinic. “If patients have severe heart conditions, or are being treated for complicated cases they get referred here.”
In addition to the specialty care provided, active-duty Soldiers assigned to WBAMC are also seen every morning for sick call at 7:30 a.m.
Some recent additions to the clinic include the Behavioral Health Data Portal, a system of computer-displayed questions aimed at screening patients for behavioral health issues. The BHDP was introduced to the clinic as a pilot program. The IMC is one of 11 Army primary care settings using the program to screen for behavioral health concerns.
“The BHDP is a tool we can use to screen a multitude of conditions such as anxiety, depression, overuse of alcohol, even Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,” said James Sanniola, an integrated behavioral health consultant with the clinic. “The BHDP provides to us a snapshot of some of the patients’ characteristics.”
According to staff, the BHDP opens the doors for primary care managers to interview patients based off answers to determine the need for behavioral health care.
“Not only do we evaluate the patient, we intervene to help the patient improve their condition,” said Sanniola. “If the patient agrees, the physician makes the referral (for behavioral health consultation).”
Another feature of the clinic is a kiosk which provides patients direct access to Tricare Online, RelayHealth and Interactive Customer Evaluation (ICE) comments. RelayHealth is a web-based service which connects patients to physicians allowing secure messaging, medication renewals, schedule or cancel appointments, online medical records and lab/test results.
The clinic advises patients to arrive 15 minutes early and plan ahead for traffic. Patients may even be seen up to an hour early if their primary care manager has an opening.
“When patients come in, they know they’re going to get to see the nurse and doctor. If they need to see a pharmacist they can see them too,” said Bricker. “In theory, everything they need, they can get it here in one visit.”
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.19.2016 17:14 |
| Story ID: | 189409 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 255 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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