Defense Health Care: DoDs Proposed Plan for Oversight of Graduate Medical Education Programs
Abstract
DODs health care system prepares medical personnel for wartime or humanitarian missions while providing health care to servicemembers and other eligible beneficiaries. It is responsible for ensuring that military servicemembers are physically and mentally fit to perform their missions and that it has an adequate number of medical personnel with the requisite skills and training to meet DODs mission needs (operational medical force readiness). DOD uses GME programs to recruit and retain military physicians by providing specialized medical training through physician residencies and fellowships in exchange for active duty service obligations. The NDAA 2017 included a provision for GAO to review DODs GME oversight process, as detailed in DODs July 2018 report to Congress. GAO assessed to what extent DOD's proposed oversight process, as outlined in its report to Congress, addressed each of the NDAA 2017 requirements. GAO compared DODsprocess with the NDAA 2017 requirements; reviewed relevant documentation, such as minutes from planning meetings and charters for two new oversight entities; and interviewed DOD officials. In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD did not fully agree with GAOs finding that the department had not developed plans to implement its new GME oversight process, citing as a basis certain preliminary steps it hadtaken. Based on the preliminary nature of these steps and other reasons explained in the report, GAO stands by its finding.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1153875
Entities
People
- Bonnie Anderson
- Debra A. Draper
- Erin Henderson
- Jennie Apter
- Jennifer Whitworth
- Julie Anderson
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office