Your health care organization is changing! Published April 12, 2010 By Lt. Col. Chrystal D. Henderson 355th Medical Group chief of medical staff DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- The Davis-Monthan Family Health Clinic has been selected to be a test site for a new model of family health care, called the Family Health Initiative, which is scheduled to begin June 1, 2010. The key to this initiative is continuity. We are striving to improve the care that we deliver through consistent appointments with the same provider. It is unlikely that every appointment will be with the same provider due to urgent care needs and provider availability, but every effort will be made to ensure you are cared for by the same family health team (technician, nurse, and provider) every time you visit the clinic. Improved continuity means better medical management. We strive to meet all your medical needs through your FHI team or "medical home." Our goal is to create an enjoyable and productive environment that promotes and delivers world class healthcare to our community. The initiative is designed to permit greater flexibility in scheduling patient appointments, while allowing our family medicine providers to get to know their patients. FHI is an active approach to establish a "medical home" for everyone. The concept focuses on the patient being the center of healthcare and the driver of care, rather than the passive recipient. Care is coordinated by your individual medical provider who is leading a team of medical professionals providing continuous, comprehensive, and personalized prevention-based healthcare. Care that is truly patient-centered considers patients' cultural traditions, personal preferences and values, family situations, and lifestyles. It makes the patient and their loved ones an integral part of the care team who collaborate with healthcare professionals in making clinical decisions. Patient-centered care puts responsibility for important aspects of self-care and monitoring in the patient's hands along with the tools and support they need to carry out that responsibility. Why is this important to you? Greater flexibility for scheduling appointments with your team providers can facilitate a relationship consistent with the best of medical practices. Routine clinic visits will be scheduled during 4.5-hour blocks, with appointments every 15 minutes. Your provider will have a portion of every day set aside in order to manage more complex medical issues. This time will be managed by the medical staff, providing the opportunity to schedule longer appointments for more complex conditions. Your family health team will work hand in hand with a new team of nurses (disease management team), whose primary focus is the management of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. As a result, the team will work with the disease management group to focus even more on your wellness and preventive medicine. This team approach will allow us to enhance monitoring and managing chronic diseases. Starting in June, the clinic will have patient appointments available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except every third Thursday of each month, when the 355th Medical Group closes at 10 a.m. to conduct mandatory training. The 355th MDG is proud to be a part of Davis-Monthan's long heritage of innovation, mission ownership, and driving success.