JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas –
A new immunizations clinic inside the Diabetes Center of Excellence at the Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center here is enhancing patient access to care.
Staff members at the Department of Defense center recognized the need for better access to vaccination services using 59th Medical Wing Lean Daily Management techniques – tools to identify and improve processes that affect daily operations and patient care.
“As part of the LDM process, we identified that many patients were not current on vaccination recommendations per the American Diabetes Association. Additional investigation showed that one of the issues was that patients forgot, or the wait time at the immunizations clini) was too long,” said Dr. Tom Sauerwein, DCOE director.
Throughout the wing, LDM boards outline goals that drive process improvement, each generated by the clinic’s or section’s staff. For the DCOE, the data collected led them to a solution: partner with the Wilford Hall Immunizations Clinic to bring immunization services directly to the patients by setting up a smaller point-of-service immunizations clinic inside the DCOE.
“Now that we have the ability to give vaccines in-house, we’ve seen a tremendous difference. A majority of patients who were not vaccinated have since been identified and received their immunizations,” said Staff Sgt. Danielle Dowdy, Diabetes Center of Excellence NCO in charge.
Although not a full-service immunizations clinic, the DCOE staff is able to administer vaccines to fight infections that their patients are more susceptible to like influenza, pneumococcus and hepatitis B. The vaccines help prevent diabetes patients from contracting illnesses like streptococcal pneumonia, chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular cancer.
“The biggest benefit of the service is that our patients are getting the care they need and in a way that is convenient for them,” said Dowdy. “We’re always looking for ways to improve processes and enhance the patient experience. This is a great example of that initiative.”
Dowdy said the general consensus from patients is that they appreciate that the service is available.
“It makes their visit to the clinic a little easier and quicker,” she added.
For more information about the DCOE, visit http://www.59mdw.af.mil/departments (clinics)/diabetescenterofexcellence.asp.