Defense health care: Additional assessments needed to determine effects of active duty medical personnel reductions : report to congressional committees
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Alternate Title(s):
- Additional assessments needed to determine effects of active duty medical personnel reductions: report to congressional committees
- Contributor(s):
- United States. Government Accountability Office, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : United States Government Accountability Office, July 2023
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Government Regulation Health Workforce -- organization & administration Legislation, Medical Military Medicine -- organization & administration United States United States. Department of Defense
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Why GAO did this study. DOD relies on more than 108,000 active duty personnel to provide both operational medical care in support of war and other contingencies and beneficiary medical care within the department’s hospitals. In 2021, DOD proposed to reduce the number of military medical personnel to increase positions for other missions. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 included a provision for GAO to review DOD’s analyses in support of the reduction or realignment of military medical personnel. This report evaluates the extent to which DOD (1) identified reductions or realignment of active duty medical personnel and strategies to mitigate any potential gaps in health care services at MTFs and assessed any effects; (2) assessed the ability of TRICARE networks to absorb the additional workload that may be caused by reductions; and (3) used wartime scenarios and identified medical capability deficiencies, if any, to determine active duty medical personnel requirements. GAO analyzed DOD documentation about reduction assessments and medical personnel requirements. GAO also met with cognizant DOD officials. What GAO recommends. GAO is making nine recommendations, including that DOD (1) develop and use guidance to assess the effects of military medical personnel reductions on MTFs and the ability of TRICARE networks to absorb additional workload resulting from reductions and (2) fully define requirements before deciding on reductions. DOD concurred with all nine recommendations.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (ii, 62 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918681587406676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918681587406676