Military Health Care: Factors Affecting Contractors' Ability to Schedule Appointments
Abstract
Our analysis of DOD data shows that contractors scheduled only about one-quarter of the appointments during November 1999 in the four regions where TRICARE contractors have appointment-making responsibility. The percentage of appointments scheduled by the contractors varied among the regions, ranging from about 17 percent to about 63 percent. In general, contractors scheduled a higher percentage of appointments for clinics that provide primary care services (42 percent) than for clinics providing specialty care, such as dermatology, cardiology, and orthopedics (17 percent). In the four regions, DOD and its MTFs have restricted the types and number of appointments available to the contractors for scheduling. Some MTF physicians and other professional staff told us that they want to retain control over the appointing process because they do not trust contractors to accurately schedule appointments and to ensure that any medical instructions can be provided prior to the visit, such as instructions about fasting. When comparing like clinics within different MTFs the percentage of appointments scheduled by contractors varies substantially, suggesting that physicians' and other staffs desire to retain appointment control maybe the driving factor, rather than the need to provide medical instructions. When contractors do not have access to appointments because of DOD and MTF restrictions, beneficiaries requesting appointments from contractors may be transferred from the appointment center to the MTF clinic, or told to call MTF clinics themselves. Thus, what was meant to be a simplified, more user-friendly appointment process is now a complex and confusing process in which beneficiaries are unsure whether to call the contractor or the MTF to schedule appointments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- AD1177587
Entities
People
- Stephen P. Backhus
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office