341st Medical Group - Access to Appointments Update Published Aug. 16, 2010 By Capt. Alison Thomas 341st Medical Support Squadron MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- Malmstrom beneficiaries, As promised, we are working to improve our communication with you regarding issues concerning our providers and appointment availability. The medical group underwent some significant changes to improve operations in the Personnel Reliability Program Clinic. As a result, we were forced to limit access to other clinics. The good news is that the PRP Clinic is rapidly approaching a sustainment phase, allowing the medical group leadership to refocus our efforts in the Family Practice Clinic. While the provider staffing in family practice is presently at 75 percent, we anticipate by September 2010 we will reach 100 percent by placing a full-time physician in the clinic. This will increase access for our beneficiaries by more than 300 appointments per month. We will also be scaling back on our referrals to urgent care centers and requesting beneficiaries be seen by their assigned primary care manager when possible. For the first couple months, you may still experience some shortage in appointments, but once we are able to establish a patient-provider relationship we expect the surge of appointment requests to stabilize. In addition to family practice manning, we are expecting some changes in the Pediatrics Clinic and the Gynecology Clinic with the arrival of three new providers who will be replacing some of the present staff. Finally, expect improvements in our Mental Health Clinic appointment availability as we transition in three more providers, who are all expected to arrive between August and September. The medical group leadership is looking at ways to expand mental health services as soon as they are settled into the clinic. The future is definitely looking brighter for access to the 341st Medical Group. As always, we hope our patients make every effort in keeping their scheduled appointments or canceling within 24 hrs of the scheduled appointment. We thank all our beneficiaries for their patience and understanding, and we look forward to serving your health care needs in the future.