Wing initiative gives patients more voice Published Sept. 1, 2015 By Staff Sgt. Kevin Iinuma 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- Beneficiaries who visit 59th Medical Wing treatment facilities are helping the wing improve health care and perfect the patient experience thanks to a new High Reliability Office initiative focused on customer service. The Voice of the Patient initiative solicits patients to participate in focus groups, executive meetings, and other venues that help the medical wing improve health care processes. During the first focus group meeting, held Aug. 27 at Wilford Hall in the Gateway Innovation Center, patients offered open and honest feedback. "Our mission focuses on patient-centered care. Every facet of our business, every process - from ordering supplies, to the time the patient leaves our facility - affects the entire patient experience and must be highly reliable. As medical professionals, we must be mindful in everything we do, every task, and listen to the patients when we can do better," said Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Anitra Mostacero, 59th MDW High Reliability Office superintendent. With a commitment to patient safety, the 59th MDW is transforming into a high reliability organization. During the transformation, the wing is striving to improve every aspect of patient care, something it simply can't do without input from patients, Mostacero explained. To properly focus efforts and resources, the wing must improve on what patients think is important, not just what the staff thinks is important, said Army Col. John Ekstrand, 59th MDW Chief Medical Officer. "Most of the people who work at the 59th MDW are patients as well, so we assume we know what the problems are. However, as (members of the) staff, our patient experience can be very different from someone who doesn't work here," said Ekstrand. "We need to understand the patient experience from the full range of our customers so we can identify problems we might be blind to currently," he added. Prior to the first focus group discussion, several ground rules were set to put patients at ease and encourage maximum participation. The moderator wanted to hear a wide range of opinions and everyone was asked to contribute, even if they disagreed. Participants were also reassured that, while responses would be used to create an internal report, patients wouldn't be identified by name and would remain anonymous. "In creating a friendly environment, the voice of the patient can be heard," Mostacero said. "We hope to glean poignant information to use as a springboard for our administrators to make necessary day-to-day changes, ultimately propelling us into high reliability operations," she said. For the participants, the opportunity to help improve patient care was rewarding. "I'm excited. I learned new things (about patient care) today and saw that there are things changing already. With these focus groups, things are going to change even more," said an anonymous participant. The Voice of the Patient initiative is part of the 59th MDW's commitment to continuous process improvement and compliance. Over the last 15 months, the wing has made many significant improvements toward that goal. Among these is the creation of the Gateway Performance System, which drives the wing to employ innovation, and teamwork, and apply dignity and respect to positively affect quality, service, and people-oriented outcomes. The GPS supports the wing's mission of developing warrior medics through patient-centered care by focusing on quality health care and services, patient safety, people and value, Mostacero said. "Ultimately, the patient is at the top because we are striving to deliver the perfect patient experience," she said. To find out more information about the Voice of the Patient initiative, contact the HRO team at 59mdw.cvo.patientfocus@us.af.mil. Patients can volunteer for future focus group discussions and other events by returning the volunteer form, located here.