Transforming Army Medicine: Discovering Relevancy Through Reformation

摘要

The fierce competition for limited dollars demands that every operating agency and every program be challenged for relevancy and cost- effectiveness throughout the defense establishment. In an effort to improve and bolster the relevancy of the Army Medical Department (AMEDD), this paper proposes four areas for change. First, it recommends eliminating military graduate medical education, contracting this training with private institutions, and reinvesting the savings in direct health care. Second, this paper supports the adoption of user fees to contain AMEDD health care costs and thereby avoid a fiscal collision with national priorities such as MEDICARE, MEDICAID, and Social Security. Third, it advocates a revolution in the preparation of AMEDD doctrinal literature. This process must evolve into a virtual collaborative endeavor, and restructure itself to leverage expertise everywhere, everyday, within the AMEDD. Fourth, this paper advocates financial assistance to young aspiring Reserve Component providers who are just starting their practices after completing their training. This proposal also advocates awarding retirement credits to all Reserve Component medical providers in exchange for preferential fee schedules for the treatment of beneficiaries.