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20th MDG launches eHealth initiatives

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jonathan Bass
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  The 20th Medical Group is excited about 2014 and the new online opportunities available to all Team Shaw beneficiaries. The new initiatives are posted under "eHealth tools" on the group's Web page,

"The goal of [eHealth initiatives] is to provide additional opportunities for us to interact with our beneficiaries, for us to share information with them, and for them to be able to reach out to us in a way that is convenient for everyone," said Col. Curt Prichard, 20th MDG commander.

This page serves as a single point of access to important clinic information and a host of electronic health tools.

The group also maintains a Facebook page which is updated regularly with real-time healthcare updates and information such as clinic closures. The page can be found by searching the 20th Medical Group on Facebook.

In addition to these great resources, you can book appointments through TRICARE Online.

"TRICARE Online is an effective e-health initiative that provides the patient with secure access to online features for DoD beneficiaries receiving care through a military treatment facility," said Maj. Jennifer Garrison, 20th MDG administrator.

The 20th MDG is especially looking forward to begin patient registrations for the next wave of patient tools in MiCare, the Air Force Medical Service's online confidential secure messaging service.

"The messaging platform is built to facilitate safe, secure, online communication between provider and patient," said Garrison.

This system has been shown to significantly reduce the number of phone calls and face-to-face appointments between patients and providers, increase patient satisfaction, and save time for the patient and medical office staff.

"One of the advantages MiCare has shown is that it can reduce unnecessary trips to the emergency room or acute care clinics because it gives the opportunity for our patients to interact with our providers through secure messaging," said Prichard.

The AFMS aims to enroll as many patients as possible into MiCare and utilize secure messaging as a vital form of communication between patients and their healthcare teams.

Patients currently enrolled in MiCare are already talking about the ease, accessibility, and benefits of this Internet-based service.

"It is always empowering to be able to communicate via the Internet about routine health issues - and can very well prevent visits to the clinic," said one MiCare enrollee.

Another enrolled patient said MiCare "will answer lots of questions and save so much time for both [providers] and patients."

On MiCare, patients can request appointments with healthcare providers, get test results, request prescription refills, or ask their healthcare team medical questions via a secure electronic message that bypasses the central appointment line, voicemail, and phone tag.

To register, patients should visit the 20th MDG patient administration flight in Building 1051 or visit their Primary Care Clinic. After initial information is gathered, an email will be sent for patients to finish enrollment and confidential messages can begin.

MiCare has been designed to support patients and healthcare teams and is being implemented Air Force-wide. Once registered, a patient will remain in the system -- no matter where the Air Force takes them.

For more information, visit the Web site or call (803) 895-6228.

At the 20th MDG, the focus is on providing the best possible care and overall patient experience.

Finally, to round-out the e-Health initiatives and in an effort to get real-time feedback from our patients, the 20th MDG is implementing Interactive Customer Evaluations. ICE is a web-based tool that collects feedback for various organizations throughout the Department of Defense. The survey takes three to five minutes to complete and results will help our staff better serve you.