Press Release:Audit of the Defense Health Agency’s Management of Military Medical Treatment Facilities Outside the Continental United States in Meeting Access to Primary Care[...]

The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG) today released the report, "Audit of the Defense Health Agency's Management of Military Medical Treatment Facilities Outside the Continental United States in Meeting Access to Primary Care Standards." The DoD OIG determined that the Defense Health Agency (DHA) could more effectively manage access to care for beneficiaries at military medical treatment facilities (MTFs) located outside the continental United States (OCONUS).

The DoD OIG reviewed 15 OCONUS MTFs and found that all 15 used different access to care guidance and did not have sufficient staff to meet the standards for access to primary care. Additionally, the DoD OIG determined that MTF personnel spent significant time researching and resolving or developing workarounds for inaccurate or unreliable data within the DHA access to care dashboards. As a result, MTF personnel experienced burnout, decreased morale, and an increased risk to readiness. Furthermore, patient satisfaction decreased among Service members and their families because of the long wait times for care. During the audit, delays in access to care averaged:

• 1.2 days to 21.1 days for urgent appointments
• 7.2 days to 36.8 days for future appointments

The DoD OIG made 11 recommendations to improve access to care, including that the DHA Director implement guidance that establishes the agency's expectations and defines roles and responsibilities for access to care. The DoD OIG further recommended that the DHA track and analyze data regarding several aspects of staffing at overseas MTFs to better manage staffing issues. The DoD OIG also recommended that the DHA Director coordinate with the Military Departments to conduct a workload analysis to measure the time that primary care providers spend supporting DHA healthcare and DoD readiness missions.

The DoD OIG will monitor the implementation of the recommendations.