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Honoring National American Indian Heritage Month, Page 3
Harlem Globetrotters entertain KMC community, Page 10
November 22, 2019 | Volume 43, Number 46
Read the KA online at KaiserslauternAmerican.com
Ramstein leadership attends National Day of Mourning
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark R. August, 86th Airlift Wing commander, and U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Ernesto J. Rendon, 86th AW command chief, look on as members of the Ramstein Air Base Honor Guard prepare to lay a wreath during the Ramstein-Miesenbach National Day of Mourning Ceremony, Nov. 17. The National Day of Mourning is a German holiday where citizens mourn victims of war. The ceremony included NATO armed forces members, local officials and members of the Kaiserslautern community. Photo by Airman 1st Class Taylor D. Slater
See MOURNING DAY, Page 6
by Senior Airman Kristof J. Rixmann 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs The 86th Aerospace Medicine Squadron will gradually roll out a Primary Care Manager and patient system restructuring from now until January 2020. For patients, the most significant change is aligning Airmen within the same squadron to the same Primary Care Manager team. Dependents will be treated collectively by their own PCM team. This change allows PCMs to build relationships with squadron leaders and individual Airmen,
and focus on squadron-specific needs while ensuring a ready, resilient force. “The big change for the 86th AMDS are the provider empanelments,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Tracy K. Bozung, 86th AMDS commander. “Previously, your PCM had many active duty personnel and dependents in their empanelment. Within the next few months your current PCM’s empanelment will instead consist of either dependents or active duty personnel, but not both. All active duty personnel being treated by a PCM under the new model will belong to
the same unit.” By reorganizing the 86th AMDS, PCMs will clearly understand the mission of their assigned units, and the job demands and challenges Airmen under their care face. Under this model of care, providers get to know their active duty patients better, understand the challenges they face, prevent more injuries and illnesses, and return Airmen to full duty status more quickly. Implemented changes are driven by the need to improve Air Force readiness culture. Ramstein is one of many installations committed to modernizing patient care. This
U.S. Air Force graphic
PCMs to change for many Airmen, families
Air Force Medical Home focuses Airmen readiness through improvements on patient access, delivery of quality care, and continued support of mission requirements. U.S. Air Force graphic
new implementation comes on the heels of recent guidance handed down by the Secretary of the U.S. Air Force to increase total force deployability and therefore lethality.
During this PCM-Patient reorganization, Airmen and dependents will be notified by mail should a change in their See PCM, Page 2