ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- The 28th Medical Group’s Tricare Nurse Advice Line was upgraded Feb. 1, 2017, providing patients quicker and more efficient access to a variety of medical services.
The NAL is comprised of a team of registered nurses who are qualified and available to answer a variety of urgent healthcare questions on a moment’s notice.
“The Nurse Advice Line is provided through Tricare and is a [Department of Defense] wide program that rolled out several years ago,” said Lt. Col. Katheryn Ellis, chief nurse and 28th Medical Operations Squadron commander. “It’s a phone number that is staffed by registered nurses who are able to provide telephone advice, triage, homecare, schedule appointments and referrals to urgent care.”
Though the line was already in place, the calls after hours would be routed to the local ambulance service who could only immediately take the patient to emergency care instead of receiving triage or homecare advice. This provides patients with easier and reliable access to their services.
“The NAL is important for several reasons,” said Samantha Scudmore, a call center manager assigned to the 28th MDG. “This service provides a higher quality and continuity of care to our patient population after the clinic is closed.”
Scudmore explained the patients will be able to talk to a registered nurse during every call and that each call is documented, ensuring that the notes from the call are available for their provider to review, and follow up with the patient if necessary.
“It’s already an option 24/7 for our beneficiaries across all of the Air Force medical service,” Ellis explained. “We’ve had the advice line for about three years and now with the upgrade we can provide it as the primary option for all after-hours calls.”
Many times in the past, situations did not warrant an urgent care visit but was the only option available to ensure quality and safe after-hours care. Now, the NAL provides more options for quality and safe after-hours care and assists an average of 15,000 Air Force patients each month.
“For the quality of care options available and standardizing the practice we have opted to take the ambulance services off of the after-hours calls,” Ellis said. “Our advice line can provide a lot better service now.”
The local ambulance service was only able to enter urgent care referrals to after-hours callers. They were not allowed to provide advice or schedule next day appointments.
Scudmore stated the process is being utilized by most Air Force, Marine, Navy, and Army bases. By adopting this process as the primary option for after-hours care, the 28th MDG is more in line with the rest of the DOD. Patients will recognize the NAL utility from base to base, and become more familiar with this process.
“Customer service, quality and standardization were the big keys for us,” Ellis stated. “You can call the number straight away whenever needed which means it’s always available, even if you are traveling and not at Ellsworth they can still help you.”
For any and all medical emergencies after-hours you can reach the NAL toll-free number -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week -- at (800) 874-2273.