A Descriptive Study of the Health Care Integrator Role in the United States Air Force

Abstract : The Health Care Integrator (HCI) role was created to ensure each Air Force base was staffed with a resource person for the development and maintenance of sound health care practices through the use of disease management, case management, evidence based practice and population-based health care. The elements of the position are well supported by the literature but the level of implementation is currently unknown This descriptive study measures the level of implementation of the role throughout the Air Force using quantitative techniques, coupled with open-ended questions. The response rate to the survey sent to all HCIs in the Air Force was 503% (n=55). Findings indicated that a wide variation exists in the tasks that are performed by HCIs throughout the Air Force, and the mean response of how well the HCIs felt the role had been implemented in their own facility was 3.5 on a scale of 1 to 5. of those who answered the questions, 87% (n=45) felt the role had been implemented fairly well or better. Additional duties and resistance from members of the organization were the top barriers identified; population health data and the Health Care Integrator course were reported as the top two facilitators to implementing the role. Additional duties were also varied, with formal administrative roles requiring the most amount of time; and, as rank increased, so did the mean time spent accomplishing formal administration duties.