Report all medical treatment

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Monica Ricci
  • 439th Airlift Wing
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE --  by Senior Airman Monica Ricci Airmen are being reminded of their obligation to report all civilian and off-duty medical treatment to the medical clinic on base. The 439th Aerospace Medicine Squadron has adopted a new digital system, which allows for more continuity and accessibility when it comes to patient records. The system, Joint Legacy Viewer, pulls information from the VA and Tri-Care community partners together, so the clinic has access to everything in one place. It’s one of the early steps the Air Force Reserve is taking to transition all medical records to an electronic format. This information has always been available to the clinic, but through a more complex process using active-duty’s resources. Per AFI 48-123, Airmen are required to report such information, although it doesn’t always happen. Chief Master Sgt. Marykate Casey, AMDS senior air reserve technician, said she thinks the most common reason Airmen don’t disclose medical treatment and prescriptions received is because they think it’s synonymous with being disqualified from serving in the Air Force. “There are several degrees of restrictions that a medical board can come back with,” Casey said. “One could be that you can’t deploy to a forward location, or that you have to be at a location that has a fixed medical facility, but you can still deploy, or one that keeps you stateside.” The chief said it’s important to remember that your health is the number one priority. “It is not benefitting the member or the Air Force to lie about these things,” Casey said. “Hopefully now that it’s known we have a visual, there is no need to lie. Please be honest, and let’s work on your case.” The system will allow the clinic to view all treatment and medicine prescribed to Airmen on a need-to-know basis. A common misconception -- according to Senior Master Sgt. Kara Stackpole, also an AMDS ART, is that the Air Force doesn’t have a right to know. “There is no HIPPA violation,” Stackpole said. “Everything in the system is DODshared information.” Airmen have more than one option when it comes to reporting medical information to the clinic: By correctly answering questions on their annual PHAQ (formerly known as WebHA), by going to the clinic during walk-in hours, or by having any documentation faxed to the clinic at (413) 557-2657. Trump seeks $30B more in Fiscal 2017 to rebuild military