Luke doctors forge partnership with Banner Estrella Medical Center

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Stephen Delgado
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  The 56th Medical Group and Banner Estrella Medical Center have teamed up to provide seamless care for their patients. 

Active-duty physicians from the 56th MDG are caring for active-duty personnel and their dependents, as well as retirees and their dependents at Banner Estrella Medical Center, according to Maj. (Dr.)Brian White, 56th MDG Internal Medicine Clinic medical director. 

One of the best aspects of this system is that it affords the patient continuity of care. 

"We can see a patient at the clinic on base, and if he or she has to be admitted to the hospital, the same doctors take care of them," Major White said. "The great advantage of patients going to Banner Estrella is that our doctors can take care of getting them admitted and all follow-up care. It is a continuous process. It is wonderful for active-duty doctors to take care of active-duty patients. 

"I am an internal medicine doctor, so by being in a hospital setting, I am able to practice my inpatient specialty skills," Major White said. "This program has worked well in the past and most patients like it. It is rewarding to have the opportunity to take care of my patients when they are at their best in the clinic, and when they are in the hospital. 

"Most of our patients have a variety of chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, strokes, high blood pressure, kidney disease and high cholesterol, so if hospitalization is necessary, we can be available for them." 

Another advantage of working with patients in a hospital is that it prepares the doctors for deployments. 

"When we deploy, we are expected to be able to fully practice every aspect of our field of medicine," Major White said. "I recently returned from Afghanistan where I served in an intensive care unit and on the hospital wards. If my in-garrison duties were only in the outpatient setting, I would not be prepared to fully serve our deployed forces." 

The partnership with Banner Estrella is a fluid system, according to Major White. 

"It is a good way to share resources," he said. "We don't have to run a hospital on base. Civilian resources are available, both the equipment and personnel. When we deploy, there are civilian doctors who can take care of our patients. 

"It is amazing to be part of a military and civilian medical partnership program. Seeing patients when they come into the hospital, to when they go home is very satisfying."
Lt. Col. (Dr.) Stephen Garner, 56th MDG orthopedic surgeon, shares Major White's views about the partnership. 

"We have a great relationship with this hospital," he said. "It is a big advantage to the patients and us to have a full-service hospital to work in. We don't lose contact with our patients and everything is coordinated and stays in house." 

When the base hospital closed and became a clinic, the idea of the partnership with a civilian hospital was developed by Lt. Col. (Dr.) Robert Dixon, 56th MDG chief general surgeon. 

"We were on the key committees at Banner Estrella and had a good relationship from the beginning," he said. 

In all, besides continuity, state-of-the art equipment and a place to perform the skills required for inpatient services, there is another great attribute the partnership affords the doctors. 

"We have access to electronic medical records and X-rays," Colonel Garner said. "I can access these records from home, my office here on base or from the hospital."
Colonel Garner and Major White both said that the relationship between Luke and Banner Estrella Medical Center has a bright future.