A Graduate Management Project to Improve the Supplemental Care System at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Abstract
This study examines the health care delivery system at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, an 850 bed tertiary care teaching hospital in Washington, D.C. The study assesses the process used to arrange for health care services to complement the in-house delivery system. The focus is on the management of the Supplemental Care program which is used primarily on an episodic basis to contract for civilian health care services. A systems analysis approach is used to develop a graphic model and flow charts which portray the program and its role as part of a broader system. Hospital staff are surveyed to determine their knowledge and use of options for providing care. Supplemental Care payments during one fiscal year are analyzed to detect patterns. A survey of alternative civilian and federal sources of care is made for procedures which had high cost or volume. The findings indicate weaknesses in staff knowledge about the system, limitations in the method of identifying and using the most efficient alternative for providing care, and inadequate controls on the system. Recommendations are made to improve the design and develop a more efficient managerial control system for the Supplemental Care program.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 20, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA239965
Entities
People
- Timothy D. Willianson
Organizations
- Academy of Health Sciences