2 MDG prepares for HSI Published Nov. 5, 2010 By Senior Airman La'Shanette V. Garrett 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- The 2nd Medical Group will undergo their triennial Health Services Inspection from Nov. 15 - 19. An HSI assesses the medical readiness, management effectiveness and quality of health care delivery at Air Force medical units, evaluating whether or not healthcare providers and nurses are performing successfully while supporting readiness. "The inspection is a way for the 2 MDG to know how ready we are, how well we manage, how effective, efficient and safe we are performing our daily contingency and wartime missions," said Col. Paul M. Fortunato, 2 MDG commander. More than 365 Airmen, civilians and contractors have been reviewing programs and processes in preparation for the inspection, which will be the first inspection for the 2 MDG since Air Force Global Strike Command reached full operational capability Oct. 1. Every physician, dentist, nurse, technician, civilian and all administrative support member has been reviewing medical charts, meeting minutes, reports and local procedures within the medical group to validate the care provided meets or exceeds the standards established by the Air Force Medical Service. Every section in the 2 MDG has inspectable processes and procedures that must be verified as compliant with AFMS standards in the most safe, effective and efficient manner possible. "Everyone plays a part and has areas that are inspectable," said 2nd Lt. Matthew Trevino, 2nd Medical Support Squadron director patient administrator. "By staying compliant with Air Force and operation instructions year round helps to ensure we are not caught off guard when the HSI does occur." Medical treatment facilities are currently inspected under an integrated program with the HSI and a civilian accreditation agency. The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care will survey ambulatory MTF's and the Air Force Inspection Agency team will inspect compliance with existing policies to include community standards of clinical practice. "The inspection validates to beneficiaries that they are receiving the most optimal medical and dental care possible," Col. Fortunato said. "It also confirms and verifies that the care they are receiving meets or beats the Air Force Medical Service's extremely high standards." Lt. Col. Brenda Nelson, 2 MDG chief nurse stated that inspectors will evaluate programs for compliance with established guidance and score elements utilizing specific scoring criteria. A raw score is provided for every scored element, which is a predetermined value of one through five, larger values correlating to greater mission criticality. Each area also earns a numerical score, overall inspection and verbal rating. To achieve an overall satisfactory rating, a medical group must score from 80 to 87. According to Col. Fortunato, the inspectors make recommendations for improvements to existing processes, practices and programs, which in the end benefits servicemembers by helping them fulfill multiple Air Force missions more effectively. The 2 MDG thanks the community for their patience during the preparation period. "This preparation period was made more tenuous by our recent staffing shortages," Lieutenant Trevino said. "The base population has been incredibly understanding as we have worked to maintain the highest level of patient care possible for our population. We are nearing the end of these issues and excited to announce that our staffing shortages are being resolved." The 2nd MDG received an "Excellent" rating on their last inspection in 2007.