Low Volume High-Risk Surgical Procedures: Surgical Volume and Its Relationship to Patient Safety and Quality of Care: Second Report
Abstract
In 2018, a series of U.S. News and World Report articles reported on surgical quality and volume within the Military Health System (MHS). In response to these articles, on March 28, 2018, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs requested the Board conduct a review of low-volume high-risk surgical procedures in the MHS through two sequential six-month assessments. The first report of the tasking, published in November 2018, examined surgical quality and patient safety within direct care (at military medical treatment facilities [MTFs]). This second report of the tasking addresses surgical quality and patient safety within the purchased care network (TRICARE) and the Surgical Volume Pledge. Some information in this report appeared in the first report of the tasking (Defense Health Board, 2018, Low-Volume High-Risk Surgical Procedures: Surgical Volume and Its Relationship to Patient Safety and Quality of Care) and is included in this report for context. The MHS is one of the largest and most complex health care organizations in the world: It provides comprehensive health care to 9.5 million active duty personnel, their families, and retirees, in environments that are domestic, global, and austere/hostile, and through three vehiclesdirect care (MTFs), purchased care (TRICARE), and deployment care. The MHS must meet multiple clinical missions. The MHS ensures that Service members are medically ready to deploy and that the medical force is able to provide complex care in combat zones. At the same time, the MHS provides quality health care for military members, families, and other beneficiaries in the U.S. and overseas. Further, the MHS educates and trains health care professionals to sustain the medical force and conducts essential research to keep the fighting force healthy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 20, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1075754
Entities
Organizations
- Defense Health Board