COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 14th Medical Operations Squadron is transforming to improve operational medical readiness and duty availability for active-duty personnel while continuing to ensure the delivery of high quality care.
These changes are driven by the secretary of defense’s release of a standardized retention policy for non-deployable service members, which established standardized retention criteria and aimed to reduce the number of non-deployable members and improve readiness.
In February 2019, the Air Force implemented guidance and directed the Air Force Medical Service to reform organizationally and functionally to drive a focus on medical care to the total force in an effort to improve Airmen availability and rapidly restore the readiness, deployability and lethality of the total force.
Our first step in this transition is to create an “Active-Duty Clinic,” which will manage all active-duty personnel and a “Family Member and Retiree Clinic” for all others. Each active-duty clinic medical provider will be assigned specific units and allowed time for direct engagement with squadron leadership to build a better understanding of the unit, its Airmen and its mission.
As for family members and retirees, their providers and care teams will not be burdened with time-consuming, military administrative requirements and will be able to provide improved access to care with more appointment options.
This change enables providers treating active-duty members to focus on the medical readiness needs of our fighting force, manage interventions to facilitate a quicker return to work and full readiness status, along with a strengthened connection to squadron leadership.
Overall, the intent is to improve all active-duty and beneficiaries’ access to care, patient experience, and management of future healthcare needs.
During the transition, you may notice a change in your primary care manager, however, your access to care and the quality of care received will not be impacted.
Here are some common questions regarding the upcoming changes:
1) Question: Will I have a change in my PCM?
Answer: Patients may have a change in their PCM as we align our new clinical construct. If so, you will receive a notification of the PCM change by mail and/or via TRICARE Online Secure Messaging.
2) Question: Is the medical group dis-enrolling my family members with this re-organization?
Answer: No. All family members and retirees currently enrolled will stay enrolled to the facility, but these beneficiaries will be seen by the Family Member and Retiree clinic. In the future, we hope to offer enrollment to more beneficiaries at the medical group once the re-alignment reaches full operational capacity.
Our ultimate goal is to further our focus on enhancing medical readiness and Airman duty availability, while continuing the delivery of trusted care to all our beneficiaries.