Defense Health Care: Efforts to Manage Mental Health Care Benefits to CHAMPUSBeneficiaries

摘要

We are pleased to be here today to discuss the Department of Defense's (DOD)management of mental health benefits under its Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS). My testimony will focus on past, present, and planned efforts by DOD to (1) assess whether quality mental health care is being delivered to its beneficiaries, (2) identify instances of program abuse by mental health care providers, and (3) reform its health care delivery system. In this regard, Madam Chairwoman, you asked that we address the following five specific issues: the results of DOD's on-site surveys of residential treatment centers, the results of DOD's medical record reviews of care provided, the potential for success of utilization review in monitoring mental health services, the current status of DOD's quality assurance program for mental health services, and the efforts of the DOD Inspector General and other auditing or review groups to assess problems in this area.