Four earn commander's Wildcatter Awards

Published June 27, 2008
72nd Air Base WEing

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- Four members of the 72nd Air Base Wing were recently honored by Col. Mark Correll, 72nd ABW commander, with Wildcatter Awards.
   Allison Barrett is a Mental Health/ADAPT Clinic administrator with the 72nd Medical Operations Squadron. Working in the Operational Hub, she logged and directed all referrals to the appropriate programs and ensured 140 patients' needs were met. Ms. Barrett is administrator for the schedules of five providers and two individual mobilization augmentees and booked 1,900 appointments, with more than $188,000 in treatment provided. She identified inconsistencies in clinic appointments, standardized the process and eliminated a 20-day backlog.
   Ms. Barrett also screened 300 patients for psychiatric issues related to post-deployments. She identified 11 cases and referred those for evaluation or treatment. She maintained 4,000 active and inactive psychiatric charts, filing 400 sheets of paperwork and updating records. As the first contact for new clients in Mental Health, Ms. Barrett resolved confusion and anxiety of the programs for more than 80 clients. She also coordinated closure of 95 Mental Health records and coordinated 30 provider peer interviews. In addition, Ms. Barrett supervised the High Risk logbook, tracking 75 patients. She kept five providers aware of potentially critical situations with those patients.
   Staff Sgt. Michael Cotter, an aerospace medical service craftsman with the 72nd Medical Group directed daily operations in AFMC's largest freestanding family practice clinic which averages 54, 000 visits every year. He was deployed for 124 days with the 380th Expeditionary Medical Squadron and conducted numerous medical missions including 47 ambulance runs. During Ramadan he avoided a critical medical supply shortfall by procuring $45,000 worth of extras supplies. There was no break in patient care. His reporting procedures provided critical information on 122 cases.
   Here at the MDG he maintained access to routine and well care at a 98-100 percent, exceeding the Air Force Materiel Command goal by 10 percent. Sergeant Cotter helped drive the MDG to No. 1 in AFMC in customer satisfaction survey. According to the survey 96 percent of customers recommended the MDG. He also reduced no-show appointments by establishing a letter policy with first sergeants, saving $70,000. He was hand picked to run his unit's fitness program and 76 personnel, 98 percent were current and 93 percent passed. He also worked for the community collecting 200 lbs. of goods for the First Sergeants Group Thanksgiving food drive that benefited 550 Tinker personnel.
   Capt. Karen M. Daniels is a clinical nurse in the Family Practice Clinic. As deputy element leader of a clinic with 54,000 patient visits annually, Captain Daniels was handpicked by the 72nd Medical Group commander as an infection control officer, tracking training for 486. She attended a six-week infection control training and shared lessons with her co-workers, boosting the practice. She recognized IC variance in the surgery clinic's endoscopy suite and worked with the staff to correct the issue.
Captain Daniels also showed calmness during a crisis when she handled two suicidal callers by arranging definitive care while on phone and averted harm.
   The captain helped realign Internal Medicine within the Family Practice clinic, after which productivity surpassed the business plan by 33 percent, the second best in Air Force Materiel Command.
   Captain Daniels recognized that an active duty Air Force troop had post-deployment tuberculosis symptoms and facilitated isolation, transfer and follow up. She also gave home care advice to 250 patients, promoting self-help and saving $20,000.
    With oversight of 30 asthmatics, Captain Daniels helped ensure 98 percent compliance with medication management, tops in AFMC.
   Dominik (Sharray) Reed, a diagnostic imaging technologist with the 72nd Medical Group revised the Floor Manager position and ensured continuity of patient care. She reduced the time diagnostic imaging technologists spent to locate guidelines by 30 percent. She dedicated 40 hours to purging old film and reduced a five year backlog, recycling 24,000 lbs. of film, which saved $12,000 for the reclamation of silver metals recovery program.
   Ms. Reed also updated her sections quality control measures by implementing a process to review repeat images and training technologists on positioning techniques. This improved diagnostic images and reduce patient exposure to radiation. She instituted a fetal exposure tracking system and established a three year record criteria that ensures accurate and immediate access to patient reports. She evaluated, produced, and transmitted over 1,279 images, performing 49 percent of her section's workload as well as additional duties for radiologist interpretation and diagnosis.
   Ms. Reed prepared her section for an Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care and Health Services Inspection. She verified that the safety and infection control checklist items were 100 percent compliant and received no deficiencies during the inspection, resulting in the 72nd MDG "Excellent" rating. She was also an integral member in the implementation of a $150,000 digital imaging upgrade that ensured uninterrupted patient care and diagnostic imaging support services.