Where Have all the Patients Gone? A Critical Review of Case Management and Air Evacuation in The Pacific Theater
Abstract
The United States military healthcare system reaches across thousands of miles to serve patients in the Pacific Theater. Even so, many patients must travel great distances to treatment. Until the Department of Defense implemented managed care for its beneficiaries, the Medical Treatment Facilities acted independently. Their autonomous decision-making fostered little information exchange regarding patient travel or best practices. Patients and the tracking systems soon became disconnected. Treatment trends couldn't be analyzed and the sheer cost of transport was unnecessarily high. In an effort to create an efficient system for managing the movement of patients throughout the Pacific Theater, this research takes on the challenge of uniting 14 Medical Treatment Facilities under a single case management system and database. The existing patient tracking systems were unable to follow patients through the treatment process, and are incapable of performing simple analysis that would help the TRICARE Pacific Lead Agency make strategic decisions about patient care. This paper outlines an Internet-based solution: the Pacific Case Management Database.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 20, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA408520
Entities
People
- John C. Olsen
Organizations
- Academy of Health Sciences