DEFENSE HEALTH HEADQUARTERS, FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Lt. Gen. Nadja West, Army Surgeon General, made improving access to care one of her main focal points when she assumed the position of Surgeon General in December 2015. West has since introduced several directives and policies to develop standard processes and drive optimal delivery of health care, including improving access to care.
Dr. Karen Guice, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (Acting) recognized the commitment to improve access to care. On Sept. 28, Brig. Gen. R. Scott Dingle, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, G-3/5/7, U.S. Army Medical Command, accepted the "MHS Most Improved Service in Access to Care Award" on behalf of Army Medicine. With the recognition came a $90,000 check.
This Military Health System Award recognizes the military service demonstrating the most improvement in primary care access to care from June 2016 to September 2016.
In her role as the principal medical advisor to the Secretary of Defense, Guice administers the $50 billion Military Health System (MHS) budget. She is responsible for providing a cost-effective, quality health benefit to 9.6 million active duty uniformed servicemembers, retirees, survivors and their families. She also oversees Congressional and legislative activities for the MHS.
Guice also exercises authority, direction, and control over the Defense Health Agency, and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Army's receipt of this award reinforces its success in making access a priority over the past 12 to 18 months.
As a result, Army Medicine increased the number of annual appointments by 689,000, which generated an $83 million network cost avoidance and $24 million in direct care workload.
Improved access to care resulted in Army Medicine having the highest market share of its enrollee primary care work load and lowest loss to the purchased care network of any of the military services.
Patient satisfaction with receiving care when needed increased to an all-time high of 84 percent.
Army Medicine's role of insuring our Soldiers are medically ready extends from care on the battlefield all the way to the medical center for our wounded, ill, or injured uniformed men and women.
But the entire Army family is important, too. Ensuring all beneficiaries have quick and convenient access to care helps to keep the entire Army family fit and ready.
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