October 3, 2014

On October 1, DoD released the results of a much-anticipated review of the Military Health System (MHS). Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered a review of access, quality and safety of care within the MHS in the wake of the VA’s health care scandal.   

Overall the report’s results are mixed.   

The MHS is credited for excellence in some areas – most notably as the global leader in battlefield and operational medical support. However, tremendous variation exists when it comes to the care provided in state-side hospitals, clinics, and contracted care. While most facilities were found to be at or above average, several outlier facilities were identified that did not meet national health care benchmarks.   

“Overall, MHS performance mirrors what we see in the private sector, a good deal mediocrity, pockets of excellence, and some serious gaps,” said one independent health care expert who participated in the study.  

The disparity is troubling and prompted Secretary Hagel to say that “even though our report shows we have a quality system which is comparable, on average, with our civilian counterparts, there are areas that need improvement in order for the MHS to achieve the goal of becoming a preeminent health care system. We can do better and we must do better.”    

The 700 page report identifies several key areas where DoD and the MHS will focus improvement efforts, including:  

• Review underperforming outlier facilities and create action plans to improve quality, safety, and access standards
• Assess access to care in TRICARE Prime versus Standard and Extra to better understand beneficiary satisfaction and concerns
• Develop and institute unified system-wide performance metrics, with the intent to develop a culture of high reliability and safety
• Improve transparency by making quality, safety, and access information more easily available to the public
• Evaluate alternative methods of incentivizing providers and contractors to improve the provision of preventative services  

While this report does identify significant areas of concern and improvement opportunity, it also indicates that the MHS is not in crisis, as is the case with the VA. The review represents an important first step in an effort to continually improve and become a high performing organization.   

As one DoD official succinctly summarized, “We want to be a national leader in health care, not an average one.”   

MOAA agrees. DoD must provide superior health care to reflect the service and sacrifices of those in uniform and their families.