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SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. – Capt. Kelley Eltringham, 375th Dental Squadron dentist, applies sealant to a patient’s teeth to aid in fighting off cavities, March 18, 2010. Along with typical dental services, the dental facilities on Scott mold and create custom orthodontics such as removable and permanent retainers for servicemembers. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Ryan Crane)
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Dental Squadron increases mission readiness on installation
Posted 2/11/2013 Updated 2/11/2013
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by Staff Sgt. Stephenie Wade
375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
2/11/2013 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The dental exam scheduling process that once took Unit Health Monitors days to complete every month, has now been reduced to hours, thanks to five members assigned to the 375th Dental Squadron. Currently military members are required to have an annual exam every 13 months or they show up on the overdue list in red.
In October 2012, Staff Sgt. Derrick Hunter was approached by his superintendent to improve the process of how UHM's schedule their unit's military member's annual exams. Hunter is in charge of working with 23 UHM's to make sure more than 6,050 military members on Scott Air Force Base are current on their annual exams and he also monitors the system used to make appointments.
Master Sgt. Julia Madison said," With the old process, the UHM's had to wait until the seventh of every month, when our reports were completed, before they could even make an appointment for the next month. The UHM would also have to email a member in the dental squadron multiple times to make final appointments arrangements."
Hunter, with a four member team also assigned to the 375th DS, decided to conduct an AFSO 21 "Just Do It" event to analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the current scheduling process on the Unit Classification View of the Corporate Dental Application.
"After analyzing the process we have been able to adjust the system to allow UHM's real-time access," said Hunter, team lead. "Now UHM's can go directly on the system the first of the month to schedule appointments, they can also view rescheduled and missed appointment for the past year. An automated email reminder is also sent to the member."
Instead of the really long complicated process accompanied by encrypted emails, UHM's can look at what appointments are open, go directly to the member who needs one, ask if they're available and schedule with the click of a mouse.
Tech. Sgt. Thomas Tormey, 375th Civil Engineering Squadron UHM said," The new process is very user friendly, takes me less than an hour every month to schedule members due for an appointment."
Not only do members assigned to the wing benefit but mission partners as well.
David Parent, Air Force Network Integration system UHM said," I am in charge of making sure more than 70 military members are mission ready. The new process is easier to see who is due and schedule them. I haven't had one overdue member in three months."
According to the team, the goal was to reduce the amount of rescheduled/missed appointments and increase base readiness.
"We not only increase base readiness," said Hunter, "but we decreased the amount of broken and rescheduled appointments by 68 percent."
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