Medical administrators keep Malmstrom’s clinic strong

  • Published
  • By John Turner
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  The Malmstrom Clinic operates at peak efficiency thanks largely to a cadre of Medical Service Corps officers, enlisted members from the 4A career field, and their civil service and contracted civilian employee counterparts.

These highly skilled professionals bear the responsibility of innumerable administrative tasks necessary for a medical facility to function, from scheduling patients and reviewing records to ordering supplies and repairing sophisticated biomedical equipment.

With this in mind, the Air Force Medical Service recognized Oct. 26-30 as MSC/4A Appreciation Week across the Air Force. This year's theme, "Trusted Care Begins With Me," was an opportunity for colleagues to discuss aspects of reliable health care while participating in various team-building events.

The week also encouraged awareness of the roles MSC officers and enlisted members in the 4A0 Health Services Management, 4A1 Medical Materiel and 4A2 Biomedical Equipment specialties play in the 341st Medical Group's mission of providing high-quality patient care.

Capt. Marc Orcutt, 341st MDG group practice manager, is one of six MSC officers at the Malmstrom Clinic, a career distinction that also includes the group's commander, Col. Christopher Phillips. MSC officers typically enter the medical field with a business degree instead of a medical degree, meaning they are not practitioners like outsiders might assume all medical officers to be.

"The doctors and nurses are very, very skilled in what they do," Orcutt said. "The Medical Services Corps and the enlisted 4A side, we essentially enable them do what they do best which is putting hands on patients and keeping people healthy."

MSC officers work outside of the actual exam room to ensure patients are getting the care they deserve, Orcutt said. This support includes managing money and manpower, ordering supplies and equipment, managing medical information systems, and overseeing the TRICARE Operation and Patient Administration program and, at some locations, air medical evacuation.

Orcutt has been in the MSC for six years and said he enjoys that it gives him an opportunity to explore different facets of administration.

"It's a career field that not a lot of people know about," he said. "There is this world of administration which is absolutely critical to providing patient care. That's where 4As and MSCs really shine, and they enable our medical providers to provide that high quality care in a cost-effective way."

On the enlisted side, 4A0s also fill a wide variety of roles. Health Services Management technicians work in patient care areas managing records, quality checking Personnel Reliability Program data, arranging patient travel, and facilitating special needs programs. At some bases, 4A0s also oversee information technology systems.

"Like MSCs, we touch a broad spectrum of the clinic," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Morales, 341st Medical Support Squadron unit deployment manager. "You can pretty much find a 4A0 anywhere in this facility, in any given section."

Morales' department, medical readiness, is also responsible for emergency management, antiterrorism, and operational security management. He has been in the UDM position for approximately 18 months, and anticipates he'll be moved to another section soon to learn a different task.

"It's never boring," Morales said. "You'll never be in one place too long. You're constantly rotating throughout the clinic."

There are approximately 18 enlisted 4A0s assigned to the clinic. Additionally, seven civil service employees and a number of contractors perform various 4A0 roles.

Laurie Trotman has been the Family Health Clinic's office manager since mid-September. As a contracted employee, her duties include booking appointments, receiving patients and processing insurance information. This is the third area of the Malmstrom Clinic she has worked in.

"I enjoy working with the active duty," she said. "They're used to new people so they really are willing to train you and show you things. They're always friendly and very polite."

Staff Sgt. Scott Davis, 341st MDSS NCO in charge of war reserve materiel, is a 4A1 responsible for medical logistics. His section orders and tracks supplies, equipment and pharmaceuticals for the Malmstrom Clinic and receives the items at the clinic's warehouse.

"We're the ones who spend the money," Davis said. "Whatever the clinic needs, they come to us and we order it for them."

He estimated that the medical logistics section at Malmstrom processes $4 million in equipment each year, and overall has a $3 million budget each quarter. The section has six 4A1s and an MSC officer.

The section also keeps disaster team and war reserve material assemblages stocked and ready for emergencies and military contingencies, the most important role in Davis' opinion.

"We help people deploy," he said.

Greg Brown was a 4A1 before he retired from active duty in 2010. As a civil service employee he continues to serve a 4A1 role as the 341st MDG's medical contract manager.

Brown procures the personal services of medical providers, nurses, technicians and administrative clerks. He also arranges training affiliation agreements with six universities that allow students requiring internships and hands-on clinicals to come to the Malmstrom Clinic for training. Finally, he coordinates memorandums of understanding and agreement between the medical group and facilities off base.

Brown summarized medical logistics as providing supplies and services, war reserve materiel, and equipment repair.

Tech. Sgt. Leonardo Mora, 341st MDSS NCO in charge of medical maintenance, is the 341st MDG's sole 4A2. As the only Biomedical Equipment technician on base, he is responsible for inspecting approximately 900 pieces of equipment throughout the year.

Mora calibrates and repairs the X-ray unit, dental equipment sterilizers, and clinical and diagnostic equipment at the Malmstrom Clinic.  At larger facilities, 4A2s are also responsible for clinical lasers and robots.

"We make sure all of the equipment and devices in hospitals and clinics are safe to be used on patients," Mora said about the career field. "It is very important to make sure the equipment is in the manufacturer's tolerance and it won't malfunction and send an overcharged or exaggerated signal to the patient and hurt him."

The initial technical school for 4A2s is 11 months.

Mora has been in the career field for 14 years, and at Malmstrom for a year and a half.
The Biomedical Equipment specialty is a great way to serve in the medical field, especially for people who are squeamish around blood, he said.

"If you like electronics and computers, biomedical technology is excellent," Mora said, adding that he helps with equipment purchasing decisions for the clinic. "It feels good to do this job. You're a very important part of this clinic."