Consolidating medical files system proves to be good decision

Published Sept. 17, 2010
By Brandice J. Armstrong
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Earlier this month, the 72nd Medical Group implemented a new filing system, consolidating the physical locations of patient records from six areas to one.

While patients won't notice a difference, officials said the new system is beneficial for personnel responsible for approximately 23,000 patients' records.

"External customers won't notice a difference, because they don't see their records, they were always just there waiting for them," said Capt. Edward "EJay" Morris, TRICARE Operations Patient Administration Flight commander. "But, now it's a one-stop shop for all records-related inquiries. There's no backtracking."

For the past five years, patient records were stored at the family practice element where a patient was seen. Each family practice element -- family practice west, family practice east, internal medicine, pediatrics -- had their own records. Additionally, patients who were seen by a civilian provider, but still saw the Medical Group for ancillary care, had their records stored in an another place. And, patients whose file was so full a second record was created had a separate spot for their "closed volume" file. The older actions or "closed volume" were stored separate from the newer actions.

Under the new system, the records were moved from their previous locations to a single site -- the old orthopedics clinic. Since the service is not being used at Tinker, the area was renovated to hold the medical records. Now, an individual's records are stored with his family's records.

Captain Morris said initially medical group personnel expected the literal moving of the files to take a month and figured if they had contracted out the work, it would cost $40,000. They did it themselves and it took two weeks.

The staff also moved the medical evaluation board from the second floor to the freed-up patient administration area, and created an office space for the recovery care coordinator.

"Now there's one place for all of the medical paperwork to go to be filed within the out-patient record and there's one place for us to have to review when we're pulling papers for retirement or permanent change of station or separation, veteran affairs' claims or release of information," the captain said. "Now we have one source for everything record-related."

Additional internal processes were also being brainstormed to assist with kinks that could arise as a result of the new system, such as a patient scheduling a same-day appointment when records weren't pulled the day before.

To plan for such an imposition, the captain said his noncommissioned officer-in-charge recently ventured to Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, to study their processes and see which might work best in conjunction with the new consolidation system. Best practices were implemented at Tinker.

"The medical record consolidation will improve the care we provide to our beneficiaries and increase our mission effectiveness," Captain Morris said.

Medical records