Hagel orders military care improvement

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday directed military medical officials to show within 45 days how they will improve care, patient safety and access to treatment at underachieving military health care facilities.
Hagel released findings of a 90-day review of the entire military health care system, which serves 9.6 million active-duty troops and their family members, as well as retirees. He also directed military medical officials to write a detailed plan by the end of the year to fix and track uneven performance across the military health system of 56 hospitals, 361 clinics and 249 dental clinics in the U.S. and around the world.
“The review found pockets of excellence – significant excellence, which we’re very proud of, and extraordinary doctors, nurses and staff who are deeply dedicated to the patients they serve,” Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon.
“It also found gaps, however, and facilities that must improve. The bottom line finding is that the military health care system provides health care that is comparable in access, quality and safety to average private-sector health care. But we cannot accept average.”
The review said there is no single set of measurements used across the system to monitor performance, access to care or the quality or safety of the treatment. It also identified a “major gap” in the ability of the military health care system to analyze a wealth of information collected across the system. “The ability to analyze those data and use the results to guide decision making in quality and patient safety is nascent,” the review said.