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 I
want to thank the Marine Corps Base web site, Navy Capt Richard Anderson
and the OkiMar Newspaper for the following information on Medical and Dental
Service on Okinawa. Since this article sums up the real deal on Medical
and Dental, I saw no reason to mess with success. |
| Editor’s note: Health care is a major concern among service members and their families. This week, we talked to Navy Capt. Richard Anderson, commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Hospital on Camp Lester. He discussed a wide variety of subjects, including the implementation of Tricare and its effects on servicemembers here. |
| Okimar:
How would you describe the quality of medical care here? |
Anderson:
I think we provide excellent medical services at the U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa and our branch medical clinics. We routinely query our customers, and those results show that more than 97 percent of our customers are very pleased with our care. As in any organization though, we should never really be satisfied with sitting on our accolades. There is always room for improvement in every area, and there should always be a constant endeavor to keep our staff well trained and versed in all the latest medical technology and patient access to care. |
| Okimar:
How will the implementation of Tricare affect medical and dental care on island? |
Anderson:
Tricare is being implemented for military beneficiaries throughout the world. It is an increased medical benefit guaranteeing timely access to care for all members enrolled in Tricare Prime. Tricare offers several options for obtaining medical care for our beneficiaries, but I hope most people will choose their nearest military medical treatment facility (MTF) as their Primary Care Manager (PCM). One of our military family medicine clinics or Kadena’s 18th Medical Group as their PCM; this is the location they will receive their primary care. The Navy Surgeon General, Vice Adm. Harold Koenig, is frequently heard saying, “If you choose us, we will take care of you.” Referral for specialty care will proceed as it has in the past. One of the major benefits of Tricare on Okinawa will be the enhanced coverage when traveling on leave or enroute to a new PCS assignment in the United States. Beneficiaries enrolled in Tricare Prime will be able to access care without prior authorization and will not have to pay the initial $150 to $350 deductible and 20 percent cost share. A co-payment of $6 or $12 for a routine appointment or $30 for an emergency visit will still be required. |
| Okimar:
What improvements are planned for medical and dental in the coming year? |
Anderson:
We have been and will continue to be undergoing some major renovations to the hospital facility. We will continue our evening pediatric clinic and have extended hours at our Camp Lester Military Family Medicine Clinic at the hospital on Saturdays (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and an evening Women’s Health Clinic in our OB/GYN Department on Tuesdays and Thursdays (5 to 7 a.m.). |
| Okimar:
What are the biggest challenges facing the hospital? |
Anderson:
Without a doubt, the biggest challenge is maintaining our aging facility. Construction on this hospital was completed in 1957. It’s always a challenge keeping some of our spaces dry when heavy rains or a typhoon hits us. Our Facilities Department is very busy awarding contracts to seal our windows and concrete structure. |
| Okimar:
With medical technology forging ahead, how well does the hospital keep up to date in terms of equipment and training? |
Anderson:
Just a year ago, we received a $4.2 million, state-of-the-art Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT Scan) unit and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit was installed in our radiology suite. Our Information Resource Management Department has been very busy installing computer systems and software throughout the hospital and outlying clinics to assist us in providing timely patient care. Our Composite Health Care System (CHCS) is fully functional, which allows doctors to write prescriptions while patients are in their office, and by the time the patients visit the pharmacy, the prescriptions are ready for pick up. It also allows doctors to communicate with just about every other area of the hospital to access information about a particular patient. Our Medical Library is part of an on-line system where a staff member can visit the library and access medical research information, courses, medical journals; all the latest technology. In the near future, we will be linked to other major medical facilities via telemedicine and teleconferencing. We utilize electronic mail to maintain on-line communications with larger Navy Medicine facilities for rapid specialty consultations. |
| Okimar:
If the medical care required is beyond the capabilities of the hospital, what happens? |
Anderson:
If the patient is stable, an AEROVAC will be arranged to transport the patient to the closest capable facility for definitive treatment. If the patient is unable to be transferred by air, then we will find appropriate medical care in the local economy. |
| Okimar:
How does care vary at each of the camps? |
Anderson:
I feel confident the quality of care rendered at all of my clinics on all the camps is excellent and equivalent. Providers at these clinics have the ability to refer patients to specialists at the hospital, and we rotate providers from specialty services to our clinics. Our outlying clinics are staffed with outstanding doctors, nurses, MLCs and corpsmen. We have an evening clinic in our Pediatrics Department, and I’m excited about all the positive changes occuring in the area of Women’s Health. Our OB/GYN Department is very busy implementing these changes, and I want to say Kadena’s 18th Medical Group is lending a great hand with our non-complicated OB patients. |
| Okimar:
What services does the hospital provide to support servicemembers’ and their dependents’ mental health? |
Anderson:
Our Mental Health Department is staffed to provide short-term mental health services to all active duty, families and retirees on a space-available basis. We also provide psychological testing and counseling. We have started a Depression Support Group, and we conduct monthly classes for Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) and military units requiring Mental Health services. We also provide in-house consults for our inpatients. |
| Okimar:
What prevention and awareness programs does the hospital provide to ensure that servicemembers and their dependents are aware of the dangers of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) and what services are provided their care? |
Anderson:
We have an active Wellness and Health Promotion Department located on the second deck in building 6020 of the Consolidated Preventive Medicine Unit (CPMU). The CPMU provides STD-awareness and HIV-awareness classes to active-duty members and civilian organizations. Also, we train the Camp Preventive Medicine technicians and Camp Preventive Medicine representatives about STD control, and they contribute on a daily basis at the individual clinic providing counseling and education to STD patients. Treatment for STDs can be obtained at the clinic maintaining your health record. |
| Okimar:
What happens when SOFA-status personnel require emergency medical attention off base? Where are they taken, and are they responsible for any expenses incurred? |
Anderson:
In a case of an accident or emergency care is required in an area away from the Emergency Room at the U.S. Naval Hospital, please seek care at the closest medical facility able to render care. If a Japanese ambulance responds to to the scene, the medical providers will determine if a patient can be transported to Camp Lester or to a local civilian facility. Once a patient is stable (healthy to be transferred) arrangements will be made to transport active-duty and active-duty family members to our facility for definitive care. Civilian patients who pay for their care may remain at the civilian facility if they desire. In regards to the issue of payment, ACDU patients will have the claim payed for by the Office of Medical and Dental Affairs, Great Lakes, Ill. The Health Benefits Advisor (HBA) will assist in preparing the claim. Family members will initiate a claim through CHAMPUS, again assisted by the HBA. Civilian pay patients will initiate claims through their insurance carriers. |
| Okimar:
What is the policy regarding taking children to clinics when an adult has an appointment? |
Anderson:
We adopt the same standard that you’d find in any U.S. hospital — we ask parents to please leave all well children out of the hospital if they don’t have to come for care themselves. We are in the talking stages with the child care folks and facilities staff regarding the possibility of locating a facility on this compound for short-term child care. |
| Okimar:
How can patients make suggestions? |
Anderson:
We are always looking for ways to improve the care we provide and any process that will convenience our customers. In each clinical space, we have an Area Customer Relations representative who can take your concern, compliment or suggestion. If you choose not to discuss your concern with a staff member in a particular department, you are welcome to call my Command Customer Relations representative, Chief Cabilin, at 643-7348. She has a 24-hour answering machine for any after-hours calls. To write instead of call, they can send an MPS letter to: Command Customer Relations Rep.
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MONTHLY PHOTO GALLERY OKINAWA III MEF UNIT LINKS |
