Defense health care: Actions needed to improve billing and collection of debt for civilian emergency care : report to congressional committees
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Alternate Title(s):
- Actions needed to improve billing and collection of debt for civilian emergency care
- Contributor(s):
- United States. Government Accountability Office, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : United States Government Accountability Office, July 2022
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Emergency Medical Services -- economics Government Regulation Legislation, Medical Military Health Services -- economics United States United States. Department of Defense
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Why GAO did this study. DOD primarily provides medical care to servicemembers, their dependents, and retirees. In 2010, DOD became authorized to provide emergency care to civilians at MTFs. DOD is generally required to bill civilians for care provided at MTFs, but the cost of such care may create financial hardships for these civilian patients. When the debt becomes delinquent, DOD turns it over to Treasury for collection. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 contained a provision for GAO to assess DOD’s efforts to bill and collect debts for civilian emergency care at MTFs, among other things. This report assesses the extent to which DOD (1) has identified benefits of providing emergency care to civilians, (2) oversees billing and debt collection for emergency care provided to civilians, and (3) uses and communicates options for financial relief to lessen the effect of the cost of care on civilian emergency patients. GAO analyzed DOD and Treasury billing data for services provided from fiscal years 2016 through 2021; reviewed information related to benefits of providing care to civilians; and interviewed DOD and Treasury officials. What GAO recommends. GAO is recommending that DOD assess and monitor how providing civilian emergency care maintains medical readiness, issue guidance to update systems with complete collection information, track and monitor waiver requests, and communicate financial relief options. DOD did not provide comments on a draft of this report.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (iii, 55 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918506287606676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918506287606676