Access to Care Campaign

Access to Care Campaign

What is it'

The medical care provided at Army hospitals and clinics is regarded as one of the best in the world. However, at some Army military treatment facilities (MTFs) the demand for primary care exceeds the supply of available providers-especially when many providers are deployed to support an Army at war. To keep customers satisfied and meet the needs of the Army, MEDCOM initiated an Access to Care Campaign to improve access to care for Soldiers and family members at all Army MTFs.

What has the Army done'

Recognizing access to primary care as a problem, MEDCOM is working to hire more providers, examining TRICARE prime enrollments to ensure MTFs do not enroll more beneficiaries than they can care for within access standards and educating MTF staffs and beneficiaries about access standards and policies. The DOD access standards are 24 hours for acute care, 7 days for routine and 28 days for specialty or wellness care. In locations where MTFs are not able to meet these standards, the MEDCOM encourages beneficiaries to use our network of TRICARE civilian providers.

What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future'

A key element is education to ensure beneficiaries understand how to obtain access. We are standardizing our MTF homepages to highlight information that explains enrollment options available at Army MTFs. We also are exploring ways to reduce beneficiaries' frustration at key points of access by making appointments available by phone. The goals are to have 90 percent of appointment calls answered within 90 seconds and follow-up visits scheduled during the patient's initial appointment or through an automated scheduling list.

Why is the Access to Care important to the Army'

Army families live everywhere. The MEDCOM recognizes access to primary care is a problem at some Army MTFs and is working hard to eliminate these obstacles to provide Soldiers and family members the right care, at the right time with the right provider, in the right venue.

Resources:

<a href=" http://www.armymedicine.army.mil/" target="_blank"> U.S. Army Medical Command</a>