Patients & Visitors

WRNMMC's official Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions Program is available to all beneficiaries.

The primary goals of the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions Program are:

1. Resolve complex healthcare disputes, issues, and concerns at the lowest level and at the earliest opportunity, ensuring a fair resolution process for all parties - patient, providers, and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
2. Incorporate patient, family, and provider input into process improvement initiatives and enhance patient-provider partnership in care delivery.
3. Promote organizational transparency and integrity, including training of providers in disclosure techniques, as unexpected outcomes of care, treatment and services are openly and honestly shared with patients and families, where system vulnerabilities are recognized and a commitment is made to process improvements.
4. Forward systemic issues to process owners.

Early intervention is critical to achieving meaningful resolutions.

How can the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions help me?
The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions works with patients and providers at the time of service delivery. The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions may also be engaged at any time following unexpected outcomes of care or quality of care issues.

The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions can help you resolve patient issues in a confidential and neutral setting.

Examples of patient issues

• Dissatisfaction with treatment outcomes or quality of care.
• Unexpected/adverse outcomes of care.
• Sentinel events.
• Medical errors.
• Misdiagnosis or delays in diagnosis.
• Unexpected deaths.
• Inability to communicate effectively with providers.

How does the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions help resolve these situations?

• Conduct informal fact-finding, facilitate open communication between parties, and offer fair and equitable solutions.
• Liaison between patients and physicians regarding quality of care issues; may facilitate mediation sessions with patients and providers.
• Negotiate and reason to analyze the situation and recommend appropriate actions for solutions, while ensuring that all parties understand their options and the processes involved.

In some cases, the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions informs the Commander, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center , of emerging issues while always maintaining confidentiality and neutrality.

Who can use the services of the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions?
Patients, employees, and volunteers of WRNMMC who have patient care issues. This service is available to all beneficiaries. Referrals are accepted from any beneficiary or staff member.

When and how should I contact the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions?
When you need to privately discuss an issue or conflict that affects your care at WRNMMC. Mediation may be offered to address and resolve your concerns.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (301) 295-5434 (DSN) 295-5434 or email the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions.

Please note: The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions is not the Military Family Ombudsman or any other “ombudsman” position at the Command. The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions does not address workplace or Workers' Compensation issues. Services of the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions are free of charge.

The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions advocates for fair processes for all participants in all situations
The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions serves as a Special Assistant to the Commander and Deputy Commander.

The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions's guiding principles:

• Confidentiality
  Your identity is never revealed without your explicit permission.
• Neutrality & Impartiality
  The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions does not take sides in a dispute and strives to achieve the best possible outcome for all.
• Independence
  The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions operates throughout all levels at WRNMMC and will access any Command party regarding issues that require his or her attention.
• Informality
  Non-adversarial, problem-solving processes are employed to resolve disputes. However, using the services of the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions does not limit a person’s right to pursue a formal or legal process.

Multiple approaches to conflict resolution
Coaching, facilitating, conveying information between involved parties, and informal fact-finding are some ways in which the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions functions. Sometimes the situation lends itself to mediation where parties are brought together for information sharing and problem resolution.

Mediation is an informal process facilitated by the Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions. In a relaxed, private setting, parties openly discuss concerns and attempt to identify the underlying causes of the problem. Individual meetings may also be held with each party to clarify issues and discuss topics of a sensitive nature.

The Special Assistant for Healthcare Resolutions helps people help themselves by counseling patients and health care professionals on problematic issues that are affecting the delivery of quality patient care. The goal is to intervene early and resolve issues at the lowest level possible.

Emphasis is upon the organization "doing the right thing" when there are unanticipated adverse outcomes of care or quality of care issues.