Department of Primary Care (DPC)
Primary care is the delivery of integrated, accessible health care services by physicians and their health care teams who are accountable for addressing a large majority of personal health care needs, developing a sustained partnership with patients, and practicing in the context of family and community. The care is person-centered, team-based, community-aligned, and designed to achieve better health, better care, and lower costs.
Primary care physicians are specifically trained for and skilled in comprehensive, first contact, and continuing care for persons with any undiagnosed sign, symptom, or health concern (the “undifferentiated” patient). Additionally, primary care includes health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, counseling, patient education, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses in a variety of health care settings. Primary care provides patient advocacy in the health care system to accomplish cost-effective and equitable care by coordination of health care services. Primary care promotes effective communication with patients and families to encourage them to be a partner in health care.
Mission
Provide Safe, High-Quality, Patient-Centered Care to Build and Sustain a Ready Medical Force and a Medically Ready Force.
Vision
Military Medicine's Most Trusted Healthcare Provider
Patient/Soldier/Community-Based Medical Homes
Collectively known as the Army Medical Home (AMH), our primary care clinics designed around one core principle: putting patients first. The AMH is defined by the ability to provide comprehensive primary care, promote wellness through empowered patients, and seamlessly coordinate care within the “medical neighborhood” to achieve optimal health for our beneficiaries.
The AMH is an interdisciplinary approach to deliver evidence-based, comprehensive primary care–coordinating care delivered outside of the primary care setting and proactively engaging patients as partners
in health. The AMH is the center of gravity of the U.S. Army Medical Command, Defense Health Agency, and William Beaumont Army Medical Center. The AMH embodies the Operating Company business
methodology–one that provides consistency, clarity, and accountability of services as well as value. The AMH will:
- Deliver a consistent, high quality care experience that distinguishes
- Army Medicine as the first choice for our beneficiaries.
- Minimize unwarranted variance and improve operating efficiency and effectiveness.
- Build capacity in the direct care system.
- Serve as the means to achieve our strategic imperatives: create capacity, enhance diplomacy, and improve stamina.
- Extend our influence in the Performance Triad so that patients are empowered to make healthy choices related to activity, nutrition, and sleep.
AMH Core Care Team
The whole care team must get to know and “own” its panel of patients.
- Primary Care Manager: Collaborates with patients to identify health goals and to build a comprehensive care plan.
- Team Registered Nurse (RN): Integrates, coordinates, and synchronizes the team to serve its patients.
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)/Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)/(68C) and Medic(68W): Facilitates the success of the visit by reinforcing team awareness of patient goals for the visit. Often provides most familiar and comfortable portal for patients to share needs and goals.
- Medical Support Assistant (MSA): Serves as the front-line ambassador for Army Medicine, setting the tone for the entire visit with a warm smile and personal
AMH Support Care Team
- Registered Nurse Case Manager: Develops, implements, and reviews healthcare plans. Along with advocating for patients and their families, they focus on providing efficient and effective healthcare
- Integrated Behavioral Health: Blends care in one setting for medical conditions and related behavioral health factors that affect health and well-being. Integrated behavioral health care, a part of “whole-person care,” is a rapidly emerging shift in the practice of high-quality health care.
- Integrated Pharmacist: Directly involved in medication management, aligned with patients and their care team, and integrated within team-based workflow.
- Integrated Dietician: Aligned with patients and their care team and integrated within team-based workflow.
- On-Site Physical Therapy: Soldier Care specific; aligned with assigned Soldiers, their unit providers, and the rest of the care team; and integrated within the team-based workflow.
- On-Site Laboratory, Pharmacy, and Radiology.
AMH Leadership Team
- Medical Officer in Charge: Physician, nurse practitioner (NP), or physician assistant (PA) who is the senior clinical expert and primary clinical decision maker in the PCMH, PCMH practice, or department.
- Chief Nurse Officer in Charge (CNOIC): Professional RN, designated to directly supervise the nursing and ancillary support staff assigned to the team; responsible for the oversight of the assigned nursing staff’s scope of practice/scope of competency and provision of nursing services.
- Practice Manager: Provides administrative management and oversight of business operations, human resources, information management, patient care/safety systems, and quality/risk management.
- Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC): Provides administrative and supervisory support to allow clinical care teams to focus on providing medical services to patients.