Former Keesler medic wins health care award Published May 23, 2012 By Steve Pivnick 81st Medical Group Public Affairs KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- A former member of the 81st Medical Group staff is the recipient of a national award. Maj. Don Smith, a group health care integrator and director of medical management until his move to Vance Air Force Base, Okla., at the end of 2011, was honored for his work at the Keesler Hospital. He is a national award winner of the Case-In-Point Platinum Award for case care manager leadership. The program recognizes the most successful case management and care coordination programs and individuals working to improve the nationwide health care system. Announcing his selection, Lt. Col Wendy Lee, chief of clinical medical management for the Air Force Medical Support Agency, said, "As the health-care integrator at Keesler, Don has been instrumental in assisting me to start a newcoding and care plan program for the Air Force Medical Servic case managers which was also shared Tri-Service. He led an outstanding medical management program at Keesler." Smith's award nomination stated, "As a CCM, director of medical management and health care integrator at Keesler, Major Smith leads 45 patient care teams in developing population-based health care programs to optimize care for 49,000 beneficiaries and facilitates clinical process improvements across 32 outpatients clinics and civilian network services. "Major Smith developed a case management program that utilized a centralized organizational approach with a decentralized patient care delivery. He has significantly improved the identification and CM enrollment process of wounded warriors returning from war, and he improved the communication and person-to-person transfer of care between the facility case managers and the Veterans Administration and Gulfport Naval Station." The award organizers noted the Case-In-Point Platinum Awards recognize the most successful and innovative case management programs and individuals working to improve health care across the care continuum, noting, "Today, all eyes are on the practice of case/care management as a process to improve efficiency and effectiveness in today's healthcare system. This Platinum Awards Program, like no other awards program in the industry, provides the opportunity for organizations and professionals to celebrate their successes in a way that elevates the practice."