Fort Bliss Monitor

WBAMC hosts bimonthlyhealthcare forum
Renovation, temporary location of the ER were main concerns

Clarence Davis, III
WBAMC Public Affairs

Adj Ekery, RN, compliance nurse for the El Paso Independent School District and Gene Fatuch, RN, school nurse, Bliss Elementary School, listens to information that is helpful for the healthcare of family members in the school district.

Staff members at William Beaumont Army Medical Center hosted its bimonthly Healthcare Forum Jan. 19 at the Fort Bliss Army Community Service Center. Topics of discussion included the emergency department renovation, pharmacy prescription process, healthy living and the referral process for civilian health care.

Beaumont Commander Col. James J. Leech began the discussion by stating the purpose of the forum and what we expected to accomplish by having these bimonthly forums. It is important that beneficiaries are informed on the operation of the facility. He explained that these forums are for the benefit of the community.

Very important to everyone was the renovation and temporary relocation of the emergency department. Accor-ding to Daniel R. Villarreal, facility manager, this renovation would be comparable to the renovation of the pathology laboratory that was completed in June 2004. The improvements to the emergency room will improve patient service and patient accessibility. “The estimated time to complete the renovation is one year,” he said.

Lt. Col. John H. Garr, chief, Emergency Department, said we will technically close for several hours after midnight during the transition from the fixed facility to the temporary facility in early to middle March. We will still be able to see patients. Our operation will continue to be seven days a week, 24 hours a day. We will still continue to take trauma patients. The temporary facility will even have a negative pressure room,” he said. “I want our patients to know that the quality of service is the same and we will still maintain our trauma mission.”
It is important that our patients know about pharmacy operations. Most people only see the outpatient pharmacy.
|
“We have an inpatient pharmacy and also a nuclear medicine pharmacy,” said Col. Antonio F. Reyes, chief, Department of Phar-macy. When using the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy, it is important for patients to know that their provider can write a 90-day prescription for most medication and that refills can be made by phone, internet and mail. Normally there is a $3 co-pay for a 30 day supply of a drug and $9 co-pay for a brand name. Additional information may be obtained at www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE or you may call the toll free number at 1-866-363-8667.

Prescriptions at a medical treatment facility are free. At Beaumont the formulary contains 1000 items. “The 200 top prescribed medications are prepackaged in a count of 30,” he said. We are preparing for the future by adding additional staff and ordering an automated machine that will be tested at the Soldier and Family Medical Clinic later this year.

At the TRICARE Network Pharmacy, a patient may obtain a 30-day supply of medications through a retail pharmacy outlet with a co-pay based upon the patient’s beneficiary status, Reyes added.

Over-the-counter medications may be obtained for minor medical problems if you have attended self help classes at Beaumont. “A household may request four items every two weeks and only one of each item may be requested,” he said.

According to Lt. Col. Betty J. Quitt, chief, Nutrition Care Division, they are available for individual nutrition appointments and counseling. Classes or information on nutrition and participation in community events is available by request.

“When requested by the El Paso Veterans Health Care Clinic, programs are available for veterans. There are also classes for TRICARE for Life patients,” she said.

There were explanations on referrals for civilian health care. Emer-gency care is an acute symptom(s) that is serious enough to threaten loss of life, limb or eyesight; serious impairment of bodily function or organ; or serious jeopardy to the health of the individual. One does not need to get authorization before an emergency department visit. How-ever, TriWest must be notified within 24 hours after receiving care, said Barbara Knott, RN, chief, Medical Management Section. She emphasized that if one believes there is an emergency, to seek care and notify TriWest as soon as is practical given the situation.

Urgent care is a condition that is serious enough to worsen or cause unnecessary suffering if treatment is delayed more than 24 hours. You must contact your primary care provider or TriWest for instructions before proceeding for care.“If you don’t you may incur the charges for the visit,” said Knott. You may also consult the WBAMC Tel-a-Nurse at 569-444.

Knott highlighted specialty care. All specialty care patients must get a referral from their primary care manager. The referral will be processed by TriWest. Afterwards, the patient is notified of the approval for the appointment. The patient may then schedule the appointment with the specialty provider. If the patient desires, the provider can be changed, she added.

Concluding the forum, Leech emphasized that he wanted patients to come to Beaumont for their care. He said, “We are a full-service hospital. Most care can be done in the facility such as primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology and other health care specialties. Durable medical equipment and pediatric specialty care, such as cardiology, are still being referred to the network. Our health care is among the best and we are working to make our internal processes better to serve the needs of our beneficiaries.”

The hospital is looking at the possibility of having a medical in-processing for family members. As an example, WBAMC expects to review shot records to see which children need to attend school in the surrounding community.

“We would like to have this done while the sponsor is processing,” Leech said.

The next healthcare forum will occur in March at the ACS building. The date and time will be coordinated and announced to the community.

The following are some of the questions answered during the forum:

During the Emergency Room renovation how do we access the ER?

Any patient coming in through the Bradley or Fred Wilson gates who states they have an emergency will be allowed to enter. Both gates are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

How many months of maintenance medications can a patient get at one time?

Three months if physician writes prescription for 90 days with three refills. This is the same as mail order.

What is the phone number for the mail order pharmacy?

1-866-363-8667.

How do you schedule group seminars outside the hospital?

By calling Nutrition Care at 569-3517.

How do I activate my civilian provider referral?

You receive an authorization letter in the mail, with instructions to call the specialty care provider and schedule an appointment. Call 1-866-876-2383 to activate your referral.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	January 27, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	WBAMC hosts bimonthlyhealthcare forum Renovation, temporary location of the ER were main concerns Clarence Davis, III WBAMC Public Affairs Adj Ekery, RN, compliance nurse for the El Paso Independent School District and Gene Fatuch, RN, school nurse, Bliss Elementary School, listens to information that is helpful for the healthcare of family members in the school district. Staff members at William Beaumont Army Medical Center hosted its bimonthly Healthcare Forum Jan. 19 at the Fort Bliss Army Community Service Center. Topics of discussion included the emergency department renovation, pharmacy prescription process, healthy living and the referral process for civilian health care. Beaumont Commander Col. James J. Leech began the discussion by stating the purpose of the forum and what we expected to accomplish by having these bimonthly forums. It is important that beneficiaries are informed on the operation of the facility. He explained that these forums are for the benefit of the community. Very important to everyone was the renovation and temporary relocation of the emergency department. Accor-ding to Daniel R. Villarreal, facility manager, this renovation would be comparable to the renovation of the pathology laboratory that was completed in June 2004. The improvements to the emergency room will improve patient service and patient accessibility. “The estimated time to complete the renovation is one year,” he said. Lt. Col. John H. Garr, chief, Emergency Department, said we will technically close for several hours after midnight during the transition from the fixed facility to the temporary facility in early to middle March. We will still be able to see patients. Our operation will continue to be seven days a week, 24 hours a day. We will still continue to take trauma patients. The temporary facility will even have a negative pressure room,” he said. “I want our patients to know that the quality of service is the same and we will still maintain our trauma mission.” It is important that our patients know about pharmacy operations. Most people only see the outpatient pharmacy. \| “We have an inpatient pharmacy and also a nuclear medicine pharmacy,” said Col. Antonio F. Reyes, chief, Department of Phar-macy. When using the TRICARE Mail Order Pharmacy, it is important for patients to know that their provider can write a 90-day prescription for most medication and that refills can be made by phone, internet and mail. Normally there is a $3 co-pay for a 30 day supply of a drug and $9 co-pay for a brand name. Additional information may be obtained at www.express-scripts.com/TRICARE or you may call the toll free number at 1-866-363-8667. Prescriptions at a medical treatment facility are free. At Beaumont the formulary contains 1000 items. “The 200 top prescribed medications are prepackaged in a count of 30,” he said. We are preparing for the future by adding additional staff and ordering an automated machine that will be tested at the Soldier and Family Medical Clinic later this year. At the TRICARE Network Pharmacy, a patient may obtain a 30-day supply of medications through a retail pharmacy outlet with a co-pay based upon the patient’s beneficiary status, Reyes added. Over-the-counter medications may be obtained for minor medical problems if you have attended self help classes at Beaumont. “A household may request four items every two weeks and only one of each item may be requested,” he said. According to Lt. Col. Betty J. Quitt, chief, Nutrition Care Division, they are available for individual nutrition appointments and counseling. Classes or information on nutrition and participation in community events is available by request. “When requested by the El Paso Veterans Health Care Clinic, programs are available for veterans. There are also classes for TRICARE for Life patients,” she said. There were explanations on referrals for civilian health care. Emer-gency care is an acute symptom(s) that is serious enough to threaten loss of life, limb or eyesight; serious impairment of bodily function or organ; or serious jeopardy to the health of the individual. One does not need to get authorization before an emergency department visit. How-ever, TriWest must be notified within 24 hours after receiving care, said Barbara Knott, RN, chief, Medical Management Section. She emphasized that if one believes there is an emergency, to seek care and notify TriWest as soon as is practical given the situation. Urgent care is a condition that is serious enough to worsen or cause unnecessary suffering if treatment is delayed more than 24 hours. You must contact your primary care provider or TriWest for instructions before proceeding for care.“If you don’t you may incur the charges for the visit,” said Knott. You may also consult the WBAMC Tel-a-Nurse at 569-444. Knott highlighted specialty care. All specialty care patients must get a referral from their primary care manager. The referral will be processed by TriWest. Afterwards, the patient is notified of the approval for the appointment. The patient may then schedule the appointment with the specialty provider. If the patient desires, the provider can be changed, she added. Concluding the forum, Leech emphasized that he wanted patients to come to Beaumont for their care. He said, “We are a full-service hospital. Most care can be done in the facility such as primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology and other health care specialties. Durable medical equipment and pediatric specialty care, such as cardiology, are still being referred to the network. Our health care is among the best and we are working to make our internal processes better to serve the needs of our beneficiaries.” The hospital is looking at the possibility of having a medical in-processing for family members. As an example, WBAMC expects to review shot records to see which children need to attend school in the surrounding community. “We would like to have this done while the sponsor is processing,” Leech said. The next healthcare forum will occur in March at the ACS building. The date and time will be coordinated and announced to the community. The following are some of the questions answered during the forum: During the Emergency Room renovation how do we access the ER? Any patient coming in through the Bradley or Fred Wilson gates who states they have an emergency will be allowed to enter. Both gates are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. How many months of maintenance medications can a patient get at one time? Three months if physician writes prescription for 90 days with three refills. This is the same as mail order. What is the phone number for the mail order pharmacy? 1-866-363-8667. How do you schedule group seminars outside the hospital? By calling Nutrition Care at 569-3517. How do I activate my civilian provider referral? You receive an authorization letter in the mail, with instructions to call the specialty care provider and schedule an appointment. Call 1-866-876-2383 to activate your referral.