Family practice clinic ready to empanel patient Published Dec. 11, 2008 By Capt. Robert Flemming 81st Medical Group KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, MISS. -- Keesler Medical Center soon begins empanelling patients into its family health clinic. The Air Force Surgeon General and his staff have developed a family health initiative that promotes patient-provider continuity with a strong focus on preventive care. A primary tenet of this plan is that patients see the same provider or a provider in their team on a consistent basis when they have a health problem. Providers and their professional staffs also provide patients educational information on keeping healthy and let them know what exams they need. To provide patients the best possible care, the family practice clinic assigns patients to a provider who is part of a small team that includes other providers, nurses and medical technicians. The provider for active-duty members is usually the provider assigned to each member's squadron. In addition, family members not empanelled to another clinic are assigned to the sponsor's provider. This allows each team to become familiar with the family's health conditions so that their medical histories and general health status are available if there's a medical concern. Providers and their staffs also assist patients in preventive health maintenance ensuring they're scheduled for required exams based on age and other risk factors. Patients will be notified of their provider teams soon. The goal is to maximize continuity with respective providers or their colleagues so that when patients arrive for their medical appointments, providers are familiar with them. Once empanelled, whenever patients call for an appointment, the appointment clerks provide them one with their assigned provider or team. Clinic providers also schedule visits to squadrons to become familiar with work-related exposures and stressors. Provider teams work with patients to ensure they're up to date with their preventive health exams, such as PAP smears, preventive health assessment exams for active-duty members, immunizations and follow-ups for cholesterol, blood pressure and other tests. The medical center staff also encourages Keesler members to take advantage of the preventive services offered by the health and wellness center, including a full range of exercise counseling and health improvement programs.