13th Air Force hosts inaugural telelconfernce to improve Pacific medical care Published April 16, 2009 By Tech. Sgt. Kerry Jackson 13th Air Force Public Affairs HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii -- Thirteenth Air Force hosted the inaugural Aeromedical Evacuation Quality System-Wide Teleconference here April 9 for more than 30 military members and civilians to improve aeromedical evacuations for patients throughout the Pacific. It was the first teleconference of its kind to be hosted in U.S. Pacific Command's area of responsibility. The conference focused on all aspects of aeromedical evacuation, from the initial request for support, to final delivery and treatment of patients at the end destination. "This initiative is designed to build partnerships focused on improving the patient movement process," said Lt. Col. Stephen Fecura, chief of Theater Patient Movement Requirements Center-Pacific. "This forum gives us the opportunity to collectively focus on providing better and safer patient care." The teleconference brought together a broad network of professionals involved in aeromedical evacuation in the Pacific. It included military members and civilians from Air Mobility Command, U.S. Transportation Command, Pacific Air Forces, 13th Air Force, TRICARE Area Office - Pacific, the Veterans Administration, Tripler Army Medical Center, the 18th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the Joint Medical Attendant Transport Teams community, as well as other nurses, doctors and administrative personnel from the Air Force, Army, and Navy. The Royal Australian Air Force will also participate in up coming teleconferences that are scheduled to take place monthly. Some of the objectives discussed during the conference included lessons learned from real world case studies, patient preparation, and enroute care for both aeromedical-evacuation and joint medical attendant transport team patients. The PACOM aero medical evacuation quality system-wide teleconference was developed based on U.S. Central Command's 2005 quality initiative, which proved that system-wide, patient focused and quality driven programs can lead to better and safer patient care, said Colonel Fecura. "I'm looking forward to continuing our collaborative efforts with organizations intrinsically involved in the well being of our patients," said Maj. Scott Tonko, 13th Air Force chief of clinical operations. "Improving patient movement processes and customer satisfaction are key elements of this quality forum tailored to the "Jungle" Air Force Theater.