JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
The 628th Medical Group has an Automated Phone Call Reminder System that periodically calls our beneficiaries to remind them of appointments, non-activated referrals to off-base specialty providers and upcoming medical screenings, such as well baby visits. This system is an essential element in performing our primary mission - taking care of your, our past, present and future heroes.
Unfortunately, the same system we often rely on to help us care for our beneficiaries may not have operated as intended during the April 21 - 22, 2013, weekend. From our estimates, almost 1,500 of our enrollees may have received a call reminding them of a screening test that was not appropriate (Pap smear over-due for males) or that a recent test showed abnormal results (high cholesterol). In fact, many of the patients who received an abnormal result call had not had the referenced test performed.
Once notified of the error, we immediately disabled the automated screening test and results module within our system. While it is common practice for us to remind you of overdue tests, it has never been our policy for an automated system to notify you of an abnormal lab result. This has and will continue to be accomplished by our skilled clinical team.
The Medical Group Executive Team has been diligently working to isolate the cause of this error and ensure there is not a repeat occurrence. We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused our patients. If you have any medical concerns as a result of receiving an erroneous message, I urge you to contact your Primary Care Manager at 963-6880 or via MiCare (
https://app.relayhealth.com) using your secure messaging account, so they may address any concerns you have.
Additional questions regarding our appointment and referral reminder system, which is still operational, can be directed to Maj. Merritt Brockman at 963-6708.