Organizational-Focused Outcomes of Patients Age 65 and Over Admitted to Department of Defense Health Care Facilities

摘要

The purpose of this study is to describe outcome measures of patients who are 65 years of age and older admitted to military treatment facilities (MTFs). The Military Health System (MHS) faces a continuing growth of aging beneficiaries who will consume a disproportionate share of health care resources. The TRICARE for Life program and other proposals are attempting to provide quality care for this population. Some of these aging beneficiaries continue to seek care in the MTFs, and this population provides valuable experience for the MTF graduate medical education and training programs. This study describes three organizationally focused outcome measurements for this population: mortality rate, length of stay, and readmission rate for the three most prevalent Medicare Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs). Admission information was obtained from the MHS Standard Inpatient Data Repository for patients age 65 and older who were admitted to the MTF for DRGs 88 (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), 89 (simple pneumonia with complications and/or comorbidities), and 127 (congestive heart failure) during fiscal year 2001. Of the 49 MTFs reviewed, over 87% are performing at or below Medicare averages for lengths of stay and mortality. Facilities exceeding Medicare averages tend to have lower numbers of dispositions for that DRG. (6 tables, 13 figures, 46 refs.).