Streamlined PHA Process Earns Vikki Garner Award

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- Commander, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth awarded five former members of Branch Health Clinic Naval Station Norfolk's Periodic Health Assessment department, the 2012 Vikki Garner Memorial Award for Excellence in Quality Improvement, March 13.

Rear Adm. Elaine C. Wagner awarded the civilians and Sailors for their efforts of streamlining the center's PHA process which resulted in doing away with the PHA department due to it no longer being needed.

The awardees are Lt. Jorge Avalos and Chief Hospital Corpsman (FMF/SW) Bradley Sharp, both now at NMCP's Family Medicine Clinic; Brenda Burton and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (FMF/SW) Jodi Chang, now at NMCP's Deployment Health department; and Damita Turner, now assigned to BHC NS Norfolk's Primary Care department.

BHC NS Norfolk's Periodic Health Assessment Lean Six Sigma Project team spent more than a year planning and implementing the changes to the PHA Department that took effect Sept. 4. They tackled the cumbersome process and made the annual PHA easier for Sailors enrolled to the clinic.

The team cut hours and visits to the clinic by overhauling how Sailors at BHC NS Norfolk complete their yearly PHA. The new method also streamlined the process for clinic staff; patients now complete the PHA with a provider in the Primary Care department instead of a provider in the PHA department. That led to the PHA department being dissolved and its five staff members reassigned.

These changes led to a 36 percent decrease in Sailors who were not medically ready due to expired PHAs or dental exams. The new process reduced unnecessary appointments during peak PHA seasons by 51 percent, increased Relay Health enrollment by 200 percent and nearly doubled customer satisfaction.

"I absolutely believe this was a success, and it really encompassed a full effort of teamwork," Avalos said. "What made it even more successful was that commands were waiting for something like this - leadership, command fitness leaders and the customers. Customers' concerns were why the Lean Six Sigma team was developed and why it worked so well."

Previously, to complete a PHA, Sailors from more than 400 units aboard NS Norfolk had to walk in twice to the PHA department to complete Part One. On the first visit, staff would determine what the Sailor needed to complete before being able to schedule Part Two, including lab work, immunizations or a dental exam. After completion, the Sailors would again walk in for staff to check that everything was completed, and then schedule the Part Two appointment with a provider in the PHA department. This meant long wait times, lost man-hours and an overrun clinic during peak Physical Health Assessment seasons. Patients were frequently turned away and asked to return another day.

Now, Part One takes just minutes. Patients can complete Part One online through a website developed by the LSS team, and patients can ensure they have the required components done by using a checklist. They can then schedule Part Two with a primary care provider by calling the Hampton Roads appointment line or through the Relay Health website.

The new process allows Sailors to take better control of their PHAs and ensure they know their role in the process.

"At first, I didn't see why everyone was saying we had taken on such a difficult project and producing such phenomenal results," Avalos said. "While we were working, I looked at it as we were expected to deliver results. There wasn't a lot of time to think about the great things we were doing. But, when I took a step back, I was able to run numbers and really look at things and say wow, we did something phenomenal."

Now that the program is in place at BHC NS Norfolk, the next steps are to continue to educate patients about the new process. There are also plans to implement the process at NMCP and its other branch health clinics to reap similar benefits.

The award is presented each year to the individual or team who identifies an opportunity for quality improvement within NMCP or one of its clinics, and then implements a long-lasting solution that significantly improves the quality of care and safety for patients.

The award was created in memory of Garner, who died in 2007 after serving as NMCP's associate director of Health Care Quality Improvement and is remembered for her contributions to the culture of excellence at the medical center.

BHC NS Norfolk patients can visit www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcp/Clinics/SewellsPt/Pages/PeriodicHealthAssessment.hp to learn more about PHA completion.

For more news from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, visit www.navy.mil/local/NMCP/.